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Eating Poison Everyday: Pesticides 1
During the process of food being “added poisons”, the
first stage is through the use of chemical Fertilizers and pesticides such as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides.
More than 400 types of chemical substances are used as pesticides to kill weeds & bugs
in agriculture --- Most of them had not been tested for efficacy & safety prior of use.
For example, 36 types of different pesticides could be sprayed for more than 16 times on apples ( those chemicals would not be
found on organic food products ).
Consequences
of Exposure to Pesticides
A study out of Harvard showed that: Even for a tiny amount, Organophosphate ( a common pesticide ) can have dramatic effects on the “brain chemistry”.
Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Asthma, Parkinson’s Disease, Diabetes,
Obesity, Immune & Neurological Disorders, Infertility, Disrupted Male
Hormone, Birth Defects, Malformation, Autism, ADHD, Stunted Growth, Low IQ,
Obstruction in Study & Kinetic Functions, Strange Behaviors…… are related to “exposure to
pesticides”.,
Pesticides
Cannot be Washed Off
Among the Americans being tested, 95% were found in their blood to contain
Organophosphate (
OP level in children blood samples were twice as much as the adult ones ); 93% were found in their urine to contain Chlorpyrifos
( a neurotoxic
insecticide )
United States Dept. of Agricultural ( USDA ) banned combination use of different types of pesticides, because this will resulted in new
and highly toxic compounds; but among the tested
food products, 62% were found to have mixtures
residues of at least 3 types of different pesticides !
Ozone cannot remove pesticides embedded inside vegetables &
fruits.
Children
are Especially Poisoned
The toxicity of most chemical substances to the
children is 10 times of the toxicity to the adults ( depending on weight ).
Laboratory tested the products from 8 baby food enterprises and discovered 16 types of pesticides, included 3 types
of carcinogens.
Among the blood samples of 2-4 years old children,
pesticides residues in the blood of children who ate “regular farming”
vegetables & fruits are 6 times higher
than those who ate “organic” food !
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of
Creation ) originally released on
2013.2.23
* Useful Website: http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety.cfm
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Eating Poison Everyday: Pesticides 2
We may think it’s ok to consume a little bit of
pesticides, the truth is:
Please
Don’t Take Chances
Many pesticides are “Endocrine Disruptors” --- If
the timing is "right" , can do life changing damage to the human body even with
extremely low
doses that interfere
with the hormone system ( moreover, people now-a-day are usually
consuming more that just a little bit of pesticides ).
The results of being poisoned by pesticides could be acute or chronic.
Not just the vegetables & fruits, processed food products & meats also contain pesticides --- because animals
are also eating feed that contain pesticides.
When USDA tested the residues of pesticides, they did
wash the vegetable & fruit before testing, yet the test still found out
large amount of pesticides --- which is to say: Pesticides are not able to be washed off.
Horrible
Amount of Pesticide Residues
Apple: 42 types of pesticide residues found ---
7 are known or probable Carcinogens, 19 are suspected Hormone Disruptors, 10
are Neurotoxins, 6 are Developmental or Reproductive Toxins, 17 are Honeybee
Toxins
Cabbage: 51 types of pesticide residues found --- 12 are known or probable
Carcinogens, 29 are suspected Hormone Disruptors, 9 are Neurotoxins, 10 are Developmental
or Reproductive Toxins, 21 are Honeybee Toxins
Cucumber: 35 types of pesticide residues found --- 9 are known or probable
Carcinogens, 25 are suspected Hormone Disruptors, 12 are Neurotoxins, 9 are Developmental
or Reproductive Toxins, 16 are Honeybee Toxins
Milk: 12 types of pesticide residues found ---
5 are known or probable Carcinogens, 8 are suspected Hormone Disruptors, 4 are Neurotoxins,
4 are Developmental or Reproductive Toxins, 4 are Honeybee Toxins
Wheat Flour:
16 types of pesticide residues found --- 3 are known or probable
Carcinogens, 9 are suspected Hormone Disruptors, 5 are Neurotoxins, 4 are Developmental
or Reproductive Toxins, 7 are Honeybee Toxins
Note: Milk & wheat flour are the ingredients
for a lot of processed food.
We may assume that vegetables & fruits from
Australia & New Zealand are safe; however, one of the world’s top 10
pesticide corporations, Nufarm, is an Australian Company. As for New Zealand, a
survey done in 2010 showed that: 94 % of fruit & vegetable samples
contained traces of pesticide, a report from Wikipedia also indicated there is
a high use of pesticides in New Zealand…
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of
Creation ) originally released on
2013.3.2
* Useful Website: http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=TO
( List out the pesticides residue of each type
of vegetable & fruit )
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Eating Poison Everyday: Pesticides 3
It’s
not just about us………
Pesticides are great calamities to: Farmers expose to pesticides, bees
transmitting pollen, soil, water, air, & the whole ecosystem.
Pesticides
cause harms to farmers
Yannick Chenet, a French winegrower, died after
contracting leukemia, becoming the first farmer to
have his illness officially linked to the pesticides he used for years on his crops. He is among 40 or so farmers
in France whose illnesses have now been officially linked to their profession
and the pesticides they have sprayed on the land.
According to PAN International’s estimation, globally
there are about 41
millions farm
workers poisoned by pesticides every year. According to the WHO data, about 350 thousands people die annually worldwide as
a result of unintentional poisonings by pesticides ( the figures have not even
included those unreported cases yet ).
On a global scale, pesticide poisoning is the most
frequently used method for committing suicide, especially in those areas where pesticides are readily available.
Pesticides
cause harms to living creatures
Bees disappearing? What’s so big of a deal? --- It is.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) refers to the phenomenon of mass disappearing
of bees population
worldwide in recent years; bee populations have dropped 30% per year since 2006 ---
Lots of proofs are indicating that pesticides are destroying the bees
population globally.
Bees are the important agent to transmit pollens;
without bees, vegetables & fruits will not be able to bear fruits, that is
to say: We might face the catastrophe of
global food shortage.
Pesticides have poisoned many aquatic animals, and
changing the frogs from
males to females…; Prairie
bird populations are also falling, scientists say pesticides are a primary culprit.
7 out of 10 biologists believe that the catastrophe of
“mass extinction of
living creatures”
will bring more threats to earth than the problem of “global warming”……
Pesticides
cause harms to the environment
Pesticides are one of “top three worst toxic pollution problems” on planet; The invisible
pesticides are hiding in our soil, water, air……
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) estimates that at least 70% of the pollution in the nation's
rivers, lakes, and streams stems from industrial farming practices that involve
the intensive use of chemicals.
Pesticides cannot solve the problems of pests &
weeds; many pests & weeds have developed resistance to pesticides, resulted in more & more pesticides
being sprayed.
Since 1950, the amount of pesticides used has risen 50-folds globally.
Note: Other
than agriculture, golf fields / grass fields / horticulture are also using
large amount of pesticides.
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of
Creation ) originally released on
2013.3.9
* Useful Websites: http://www.panna.org/issues/persistent-poisons/environmental-impacts
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Eating Poison Everyday: Pesticides 4
Pesticides
manufacturers described the “resistance” problem as a business
opportunity.
At least 14 weed species on 5 continents have
developed resistance due to massive applications of
Glyphosate ( a
type of herbicide ); as a result, farmers must employ more toxic
chemicals to kill the resistant weeds.
Between 2005 & 2010, the global sales of
pesticides rose from US$ 31 billion to US$ 38 billion.
2011, at International People’s Court, 6 Largest
pesticide manufacturers ( from USA, Germany & Switzerland
): Monsanto,
Syngenta, Bayer, BASF, Dow & Dupont were prosecuted for their
human rights violations ( included rights to life, livelihood & health ).
PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK ( PAN ), BEYOND PESTICIDES and other groups together signed a joint statement demanding
that these pesticides manufacturers be held accountable.
Below are samples of the 25 cases in the prosecution:
People of
Kasargod vs. Bayer
In
the district of Kasargod in India, Endosulfan ( pesticide manufactured by Bayer
) was sprayed aerially on cashew nut plantations for over 20 years. As a
consequence people there have suffered significant congenital / reproductive / neurological
damage. 500 deaths were officially acknowledged, unofficial figures were around
4000, more than 9000 people have had health problems resulting from exposure to
Endosulfan.
Family of
Silvino Talavera vs. Monsanto
Countless
people have suffered severe health effects from exposure to RoundUp ( herbicide
manufactured by Monsanto ), and some had even died. 11-year-old boy Silvino
Talavera from Paraguay was on his way home from school one day when he was
enveloped in a cloud of RoundUp. He arrived home barely able to breathe and was
rushed to the hospital, where he died 5 days later.
Farmers of India vs. Monsanto
In
India, Monsanto has monopolized the cottonseed market, resulting in the
following: Increased royalties on their
seeds, pushing farmers deeper into debt; grazing on BT cotton often leading to
cattle sickness & death; mass farmer suicides in multiple states in India
due to inability to make a living.
Note: BT Cotton is a type of GMO cotton,
manufactured by Monsanto.
Makhteshim Agan, Nufarm, Sumitomo Chemical,
Arysta Lifescience were another 4 largest pesticides manufacturers; China is now the country that both uses &
produces the largest amount of pesticides.
Eating
with a Conscience
Actually we don’t have to rely on harmful pesticides
for our agriculture, there is a much better way --- the organic way.
BEYOND PESTICIDES encourages everyone to oppose these
pesticides manufacturers, starting from “our food buying decision” --- Try to buy more organic food.
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of
Creation ) originally released on
2013.3.16
* Useful Websites:
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/
* Resources: 1)
Organic Consumers Association
2) Beyond Pesticides
3) Pesticide Action Network
4) Natural News
Previous Series
Eating
Poison Everyday: Overview 1-4