A Much Better Way A Much Better Blog A Much Better Store
Natural Living Categories
Food Supply
Pesticides in Our Food
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the Natural Living RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Pesticides do more than kill little tiny bugs. They permanently harm human beings in countless ways. It is foolish to assume that something capable of killing a beetle will not harm your sperm, egg or fetus. According to an article found at NYTimes.com, ‘One study found that the incidence of leukemia in children was 650 percent greater in homes where indoor and garden pesticides were used.” Think the government is protecting you? Think again.
Source: www.PRWeb.com
Although Codex says it is focused on “Consumer Protection” the Codex Alimentarius Commission currently allows seven of the 12 deadliest compounds on earth to be used in food. These seven deadly pesticides are banned by US law and the Stockholm Convention, which the US and every member of Codex signed.
The Stockholm Convention, signed by 176 countries including the United States (May 2005) commits the signatories to eliminate world’s 12 most dangerous Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs . The (CAC)Codex Alimentarius Commission, (made up of 171 countries, including the US, uses consensus to set the world’s rules for international trade in food) allows seven of the twelve agreed upon killer POPs to be used in the production of foods as varied as milk, soy oils, cotton seed, citrus fruits, eggs, poultry, cereal grains, pineapples, leafy and root vegetables, legumes and others.
There are currently twelve POPs listed in Annexes to the Convention. These are:
* Aldrin
* Chlordane
* Dieldrin
* Endrin
* Heptachlor
* Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)
* Mirex
* Toxaphene
* Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
* DDT
* Dioxins
* Furans
Environment.gov.au
POPs remain intact in the environment for long periods, become widely distributed geographically, accumulate in the fatty tissue of living organisms and are highly toxic to humans and wildlife. They increase brain, bladder, biliary, lung, breast and other cancers, cause damage to the kidney, liver, adrenals and thyroid, can cause decreased fertility, immune suppression, diabetes, porphyria, cardiovascular disease, fatal skin lesions especially in children and nursing infants (“pink sore”), headache, dizziness, nausea, general malaise, and vomiting, followed by muscle twitching, myoclonic jerks and convulsions.
All of the killer POPs pose shared health threats but each has its own special hazards. Endrin, for example, is 2-4 times more toxic than the better known DDT, and tends to accumulate in children. Chlordane, banned in the US in 1988, paralysis cancer-fighting cells and doubles rates of lung and brain cancer in exposed persons. As a group, the seven deadly pesticides are known to increase the effects of the other toxic substances. Codex allows them in food. Scientists estimate that the misuse of POPs leads to thousands of excess deaths, millions of disabilities and billions of lost dollars annually.
The seven restricted POPs banned by both the Stockholm Convention and US law but permitted by Codex are Aldrin, Chlordane, ,Dieldrin,Endrin, Heptachlor, Hexachlorobenzene and Mirex. Toxiphene and DDT are the only two POPs pesticides on the Stockholm POPs list which Codex does not allow.
The Natural Solutions Foundation is deeply concerned about the apparent lack of science-based decision making since excellent alternatives exist to the use of these deadly toxins. Consumers, environmentally concerned groups and individuals have raised serious concerns about the trustworthiness of Codex Alimentarius as a consumer protection agency which are strengthened by Codex’s position on POP’s.
The important take home message is to take control of your food. The best choice is to grow your own produce organically. If that is not possible, buy from a farmers market or co-op and make sure they are using organic practices. If you must buy from a supermarket, try to buy from a health food store or choose organic from your chain supermarket. Always wash your produce well or soak in a water/hydrogen peroxide solution. For further information contact The Natural Solutions Foundation.
Additional Resources:
http://action.panna.org/
Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What’s at Stake for American Power
Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/pingnews/451571410/
Tags for this post
Tags: codex alimentarius commission, dioxins, food codex, food pesticides, garden pesticides, persistent organic pollutants, pesticide food, pesticide residues in food, pesticides and food, pesticides codex, pesticides environment, pesticides food, pesticides foods, pesticides in food, pesticides on food, pesticides produce
Recent Comments
- Ryan Edward on Use Worms for Easy Composting
- Steve@repair AC NY on Solar Energy Pros and Cons
- Steve on Eco-friendly Flooring Options That Will Wow You
- John@urban-composter on Sit on Your Compost with the Composting Bench
- andrea on Going Green Starts at Home
Most Emailed
- Is Your Carpet Toxic? - 2 emails
- Effects of Household Cleaners on Children and Babies - 2 emails
- Have You Tried Laundry Balls? - 2 emails
- Drugs Are Not The Only Nasty Thing in Your Tap Water - 1 emails
- 10 Techniques for Spiritual Alignment - 1 emails
The information we present is not intended to replace a relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems,disease, or illness without consulting with your own physician or qualified medical professional.
Discussion
No comments for “Pesticides in Our Food”
Post a comment