Food, Eat At Your Own Risk
Anne
Wigmore 1said
“ The food you eat can be the safest form of medicine or the
slowest form of poison.” What do allergy, Cancer, Nerve gas,
Autism, death rates in America and agricultural damage have in
common? They are all connected to pesticides and GMO's in one form or
another. 80% of all the pesticides used in the US are used on
agriculture alone, while at least 7,500 miles of crops in the US are
GE crops. The current situation with food is quite alarming once you
actually know what is going on. Not only for your health but also
for the health of our planet, Earth. Now this isn’t one or two
farmers spraying pesticides and killing off some species of insects.
This is an industry ran by wealthy corporations greasing the hands of
uncle sam. Its something strategic and thought out something called
coordinated framework. It is very unfortunate that in todays world we
have congressmen turned farmers, because as we all know most
politicians are known for drumming up campaign money not growing
crops. In the biotechnology industry where GMO's are studied and
created around $50 million per year is spent on marketing tell you
that GMO's pose no risk to your health. If they were ok would you
really need such a deep pocket for marketing? Not only are we
poisoning our food and our people but in turn we are poisoning the
one thing that takes care of us, the one thing we need, Earth. It is
unfortunate but the government is no longer concerned with the well
being of the country, the people or the world and this is rubbing off
on all humankind.
Every
year a list called “The Dirty Dozen” comes out and it lists the
top twelve most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables. Fruits
like peaches, apples, strawberries and cucumbers have been tested
with 60+ different types of pesticides when not organically grown. I
was raised eating extremely clean and healthy but there did come a
time in my life when I decided I would eat whatever I wanted. My
mother being an intuitive, humanitarian, lover of all things natural,
healthy and good for ones well being
had been telling me, “Autumn you have to pay attention to what
you're eating, you really should eat organic, you need to be careful
and put good, healthy things in your body.” And my typical response
was “Mom, I've been eating un-organic food with pesticides for this
long and I'm fine, so I'm not stopping now.” Luckily due to great
genetics, a fast metabolism and age I was able to do this for a
handful of years. Then came July 17th, 2013, I had an
extremely weird allergy attack and was sent into the hospital from
work in an ambulance. I was breaking out in hives, itchy, sneezing,
mucus had filled up my nose and my esophagus so much that I was
starting to have paranoia that it would block my breathing
completely. That morning I had ate nothing out of my ordinary routine
except one thing, there was the peach, this was the one thing I had
that that morning that I never have. So after questioning while I was
in the ER the doctors had ruled out that I had suffered from an
allergy attack, not to the peach itself but the pesticides used on
the peach that was sold for human consumption. So at this point I was
pretty shocked, confused and dumbfounded. How could something be put
on my food, that I would eat, that could possibly harm me in such a
manner that I would have to be hospitalized? I kept asking myself,
how could this be? I had asked the doctors and nurses over and over
how it could be from the pesticides and they had told me that this
was a common occurrence with pesticides on food and most common with
peaches. I was in total disbelief but it was like everything I knew
growing up as far as food and everything my mom had been telling me
was just unfolding in front of me. I haven’t eaten a peach since
then as well as doing anything in my power to eat only organic
fruits, vegetables and food all together. So here I have given you a
firsthand experience to the minor effects to pesticides and
yes, these are just the minor effects.
To
understand pesticides its important to know their history. There is a
reason the companies who make them don’t tell us. Chemical Warfare
is the origin of some Pesticides. To name a couple, Nerve
Gas in World War 2 and Agent Orange2
in the Vietnam War. Agent Orange was a mixture of Herbicides that
were sprayed on forests and vegetation during the Vietnam War to
eliminate the troops and the forests that would feed them. Around 4.5
million acres of land in Vietnam were sprayed with more than 19
million gallons of Agent Orange from 1961-1972. The effects of Agent
Orange range from muscular dysfunction, birth defects, inflammation,
nervous system disorders,Type-2 Diabetes, Hodgkin's disease, leukemia
and numerous cancers. The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs sill
offers a program for those who are suffering from the effects of
Agent Orange. Agent Orange was not only dumped on the land but also
dumped in the water supply and non-combat areas. The battle of who
should be allowed receive Vietnam War benefits goes on to this day
because in Vietnam millions of children were born with serious birth
defects while others are still suffering from cancers and other Agent
Orange caused illnesses. Now that you know a little history on
Pesticides, how do you feel?
We
hear a lot of hype around buying organic and how pesticides aren’t
good but we are not educated as to why pesticides actually are
harmful and what it is that they do. Although they are harmful to
ingest the effects don’t only affect those eating them, this is a
huge cycle of contamination from farm to land, to water to air,
because the cycle of pollination Pesticides have the capability to
contaminate more than those handling and consuming them. There are
three types of pesticides used. Herbicides, used to kill unwanted
weeds and plants. Insecticides, used to kill insects. Lastly
Fungicides used to kill fungus. All three could be used in
conjunction to “protect” your food from all three of the natural
elements. Pesticides can also enter through the skin because of the
skins absorbing capability’s. One wouldn’t need to eat, touch or
be near a crop thats been sprayed with pesticides because it travels
in the air. Being airborne means it also comes into contact with
water and the most obvious of all the soil.
Pesticide poising looks a lot like a flu so many people eating them
as well as those not like workers may not even know they are
poisoned.
One of
the most commonly used Herbicide is 2,4-D it is a Herbicide that was
introduced in the 1940's it is made from ½ of the chemicals that
form Agent Orange. 2,4-D has been found in rivers, streams, even in
air samples and studies show that about 25% of 2,4-D is found in
human urine. Some effects of 2,4-D are diarrhea, tumors, genetic
damage in human cells, skin and eye irritant, reduced fertility and
reduced kidney function and damage. Studies on the workers who handle
2,4-D have shown to a below average sperm count as well as higher
levels of birth defects. Those most sensitive to Pesticides are
children because their organs are growing and because what women eat
while pregnant goes directly to the womb, even the fetus can be
affected by pesticides. A study of 306 expecting women from all
different races and economic backgrounds was completed. The women
with the 15 percent higher levels of pesticide exposure had an
average reduction of one-third of a pound and a half a week earlier
birth. Early birth weights have been linked to infant mortality,
health, cognitive and heart problems. The food we put in our bodies
is supposed to be what fuels us, our muscles, our organs, brain, skin
and to help us bear children . Food is supposed to be what makes us
“healthy” but if we are putting Pesticides on our food then we
are doing the exact opposite.
Corporations
as farmers, Congressmen as distributers. Do you like this idea? Do
you think it is okay for corporations and government to have full
control of all aspects of food, the growing, regulating, planting,
safety and distribution. Full control of the one thing we actually
need to live and survive?
I will illustrate all the ways the government and big corporations
control the way food we eat is grown, protected and sold. Aside from
the fact that anytime the government gets involved with something for
any reason other than upholding standards and safety then you know
there is usually an anterior
motive, nine out of ten times it's money. In 1984 Coordinated
framework3
was presented by Ronald Reagan for the regulation of biotechnology.
This is basically three separate entities (FDA, USDA, EPA) in the
government controlling the regulation of not only our natural food
but also genetically modified organisms as a source of food the
production, growth and distribution. The FDA which regulates to make
sure foods are safe and effective. The USDA which provides leadership
on food, agriculture, natural resources and enhances safety to reduce
the prevalence of food borne hazards from farm to table providing
food assistance and nutrition education. Lastly, the EPA which is
responsible for making sure environments where we live and work are
safe, reducing environmental risk based on scientific information,
environmental protection policy, managing human health and
environmental risks, sustainable and economical productivity. This
means that you have three government entities working together to
approve the health and
standard of our farm processes and production. The downside to this
is that all three agencies have the control to navigate what they
want in these areas. So if you have officials working in either of
the three regulation agencies and the government then you have
government initiatives for certain reforms, laws and criteria. This
is a big reason we don’t have stricter laws on use of pesticides on
food and labeling of GMO's.
Its a
fact that big corporations have a lot of say in politics because of
their wealth and through lobbying
because of this we are now seeing a lot of changes in favor of
Monsanto Biotechnology. We’ve got whats known as the Monsanto
Mafia. There are a total of 35 Federal employees who also hold
positions at Monsanto, the worlds largest Biotechnology Corporation4.
Of these 35 employees 6 work for the FDA, 3 USDA and range from FDA
commissioner, Head of USDA, US Supreme Court and chief of
Agricultural negotiation. Living in the “age of information” with
statistics like these one could only think “This works to the
tremendous advantage of anyone who'd benefit from our being dependent
of their systems, information, fuel, and food. We've become easy to
manage and control.” (Hartmann, 127) Unfortunate to us we also have
a government that states at times it is against the use of GMO's yet
passes things like HR 933 Provision, known as the Monsanto Protection
Act which releases any jurisdiction the Federal Court may have to
stop or halt the selling or planting of GE (Genetically Engineered)
seeds regardless of the health issues or environmental issues
they may cause. Due to natures way of pollination, Organic farmers
now have to test their crops for pesticides to ensure their fruits
and vegetables are actually organic. Non-GMO Farmers may even face
patent infringement if strands of GE fruits or vegetables are found
in their crops, which is inevitable with pollination, this could even
be a way for the big corporations to “put out” smaller less
powerful organic or non GMO farmers. Wouldn’t it make more sense
for Monsanto be fined because their plants are genetically
contaminating other farmers crops, not the other way around? Aside
from being unfair, it is unfortunate that our government is not
protecting people but instead choosing to protect big corporations as
well as support and back them up.
Genetically
Modified Organisms or GMO's have made history and are continuing to
every day in our country. GMOs are made by gene splicing, it merges
DNA from different species of animals, plants, bacteria and virus' to
change the way the plant grows, ripens and maintains. This process changes
not only the natural makeup of the plant but also the nutritional
value of the plant as well as creating a resistance to antibiotics
because the new genes in the plant are changed. This also changes the
natural level of toxins in plants which are so high that they can be
at harmful for humans. GE plants are equipped with their own
insecticide as well as being herbicide resistant which means growers
(like Monsanto) can spray the herbicide Roundup5
(which is also owned by Monsanto) on them and any weeds will die off
but the GE plant will remain intact. This is an extreme benefit to
the grower, being they can grow more and sell more to the consumer.GE
plants can withstand natural weather changes, require less food and
attendance and can bring in more money because it's still going to
last a lot longer on the shelf. Monsanto is currently working on
creating a seed that will along with its insecticide and herbicide
will also be drought resistant, so it wont need as much water if any
as traditional plants do. GE plants lose nutritional value and
obviously have less value due to pesticide dosing and their changed
genetic makeup. The only value GMO's have is in money, they are in
no way valuable to the health of Humans, animals or nature. One can
only wonder how long will it be until the food were eating starts
changing our DNA?
The
food we eat is essential to our health. Its essential to the well
being of our life, the quality of our life in many ways. Of the top
ten leading causes of death in the US six are health related listed
in order of most deaths; 1. Heart disease 2. Cancer 3. Chronic lower
respiratory diseases 3. Stroke 7. Diabetes 8.Nephritis, nephrotic
syndrome, and nephrosis 9. Influenza and Pneumonia. What this shows
us is that we have a direct connection to what we are eating and our
health. While Heart disease is the number
one killer in the US, homicide ranked as the 15th and is
probably the most talked about cause of death in todays news.
Shouldn’t we be talking about whats actually killing us? Due to
these numbers shouldn’t we be taking a closer look at our food and
why health is such a death threat to us? So for anyone still
skeptical on weather pesticides and GE foods really are bad take a
good look at those numbers and all of the changes our food has gone
through over the last 20 years. We can't continue to turn a blind eye
to the fact that the number one killer and 7 out of the top 10
killers are all health related. We must begin to realize that our
food is much more important and valuable to our health than we are
making it. If we cannot rid our food of pesticides, poisons and GMO's
then we will continue as a species to decline in health, we will
continue to become diseased, unhealthy and ill.
Changing
our food has changed our health.“Every life-form has its special
purpose in the grand ecosystem, and all are to be respected.”
(Hamilton 176) We have started to change the ecosystem, began
changing the food chain of animals, plants and humans. With all the
types of pesticides we're using to kill off plants, insects and
fungus were changing the natural jobs they were put on Earth to do.
We have forgotten that with every nuisance that these things may
bring there was also a purpose of them existing here in the first
place. We have not looked at ways to work around or with these so
called nuisances, we have just decided to all together cease and
desist them. GMOs have changed the way things grow all together we’ve
created plants that have genes of animals. Plants that resist
poisons, need little water and out live their natural growing
competitors by weeks. Completely changing their purpose in the
ecosystem to benefit what? In no way do GE crops benefit the
farmers, consumers and above all the Earth. We are far from the days
of respecting the Earth and working with what its giving us. We have
decided to take things into our own hands by whatever means we feel
necessary regardless of its affect on us or our surroundings. The
unfortunate thing about this is once Earths resources are gone or
ruined we cannot just “create” another Earth in a lab, once its
ruined, there is no turning back.
What
we can do now is raise awareness. Talk, spark interest. Support small
businesses, shop at farmers markets, shop local. Learn about food,
where it comes from, when it grows and why. Bring back the attitude
that respecting the Earth we live on is okay, even cool and that we
are actually a part of this Earth. We are one with Earth and as Earth
serves us, we must in turn serve Earth. We must work together with
Nature and only then will we prosper and live healthy lives. If
Earth and nature are not healthy we cannot be healthy as creatures
thriving on Earth. We should admire, acknowledge and respect nature
and all of its actions, good or bad. Understand that things happen in
nature and that is part of the cycle of life, it is to continue that
way, not for us to change. Food was once living, thriving, taking
nutrients from the Earth, water from the sky all to grow, strong,
healthy to one day feed us, so we can to continue our similar cycle.
We are creatures too. “The man-made environments of buildings and
streets helped us forget our sacred connection with the Earth and all
living creatures.” (Hartmann, 289) This is exactly what we must
work to rebuild, our sacred connection with the Earth and all living
creatures. This includes our relationship with ourselves and to human
kind. It isn’t fair healthy or logical for the government to allow
things like GMO's and pesticides to be consumed by people let alone
poison our Earth thus ruining future crops and land regardless of its
profit. Some things have no price because their value is beyond the
terms of money, like health and life. We need to come to the
realization that once all of Earths resources are dead, toxic or gone
that we cannot eat the money that brought us to that point.
REFERENCES
Ann Wigmore
How much of our food
is Genetically modified?
Pesticide usage in
the US
Coordinated
framework
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Coordinated_Framework_for_the_Regulation_of_Biotechnology
Round up
USDA and FDA
definitions
http://jimwes.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/monsanto.jpg
monsanto family tree
Monsanto numbers
GMO ban in
countries, GMO's response to the reasoning why
Agent orange linked
to 2,4D
Agent orange
Effects, facts on
Agent Orange
Pregnancy and babies
dangers to pesticides
CDC death rates in
us 2010
1Ann
Wigmore In 1955 her life vision began to take shape. In poor health,
she began using weeds and wheatgrass juicing to heal herself. Over
the course of the next 35 years, she promoted natural healing via
her schools in Boston, The Hippocrates Health Institute, which
opened in 1963, and The Ann Wigmore Foundation, begun in Boston in
1985. Her brilliant, long-lived career included lecturing, writing,
and giving wheatgrass demonstrations in over 35 countries. Dr. Ann
Wigmore is known for healing the natural way through a diet of
organic, raw, living foods. She is among other famous naturopaths
and alternative medicine advocates such as Herbert Shelton and
Viktoras Kulvinskas. Through a diet of raw foods, sprouting,
dehydration, and vegetarian and fruitarian living, anchored in weeds
and wheatgrass juicing, Dr. Ann Wigmore healed herself and promoted
natural healing worldwide. Her legacy continues at the Ann Wigmore
Foundation® Living Foods Lifestyle® Retreat Center in San Fidel,
New Mexico, where people come to learn the Living Foods LIfestyle
and how to prepare living foods
2The
two active ingredients in the Agent Orange herbicide combination
were equal amounts of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and
2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), which contained traces
of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD).The U.S. Department of
Defense developed these tactical herbicides specifically to be used
in “combat operations.” They were not commercial grade
herbicides purchased from chemical companies and sent to
Vietnam. Tactical herbicides also were used, tested, and stored in
areas outside of Vietnam.
3The
Coordinated Framework also generally outlined that biotechnology
regulation would be divided among existing federal agencies. The FDA
would be responsible for regulating food, feed, food additives, and
veterinary drugs, the USDA would be responsible for plant pests,
plants, and veterinary biologic, and the EPA for
microbial/plant-pesticides, new uses of existing pesticides, novel
microorganisms.
- "U.S. biotech policy was developed with the goal of promoting the biotech industry. After publication of the Coordinated Framework, the White House initially convened the Biotechnology Science Coordinating Committee (“BSCC”), an inter-agency committee responsible for coordination of science policy. However, when the BSCC was unable to come to agreement, its working materials were forwarded to the President’s Council on Competitiveness, a council formed under the first Bush Administration. The Council on Competitiveness established an Ad Hoc Committee on Scope, which, together with the OSTP, established the scope of agency jurisdiction over biotechnology.
4As
of May 2014 Monsanto Market Cap is $59.83 B, ranked #334 on the
Global 2000 Leading Companies
5Roundup
Ready crops are crops genetically modified to be resistant to the
herbicide Roundup. Roundup is the brand-name of a herbicide produced
by Monsanto. Its active ingredient glyphosate was patented in the
1970s. Roundup is widely used by both people in their backyards and
farmers in their fields. Roundup Ready plants are resistant to
Roundup, so farmers that plant these seeds must use Roundup to keep
other weeds from growing in their fields.
The first Roundup Ready crops were developed in 1996, with the introduction of genetically modified soybeans that are resistant to Roundup. These crops were developed to help farmers control weeds. Because the new crops are resistant to Roundup, the herbicide can be used in the fields to eliminate unwanted foliage. Current Roundup Ready crops include soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum, with wheat under development.
The first Roundup Ready crops were developed in 1996, with the introduction of genetically modified soybeans that are resistant to Roundup. These crops were developed to help farmers control weeds. Because the new crops are resistant to Roundup, the herbicide can be used in the fields to eliminate unwanted foliage. Current Roundup Ready crops include soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum, with wheat under development.
