NYT: Pesticides are Making the Water in California Undrinkable, Citizens Must Buy Bottled Water

All we hear from the chemical industry is that synthetic pesticides are safe to consume, and they will go to any length to make sure that Americans are exposed to as many chemicals as possible.

Here are a few examples.

* A pro-chemical group called The Alliance for Food and Farming attacked the Environmental Working Group‘s Dirty Dozen list, the list of the most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables, and demanded that the EWG stop publishing it.

* Dow Chemical is currently trying to get the USDA to approve a genetically-engineered corn that is resistant to 2,4-D. In plain English, this means that they want to spray 2,4-D (one of the primary ingredients in Agent Orange) on our crops.

Even though Agent Orange killed 400,000 people and caused birth defects in 500,000 children in the Vietnam War, Dow wants us to believe that 2,4-D is completely safe.

* In Forbes magazine the other day, Henry Miller, a Fellow from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and a shill for the ag-biotech/chemical industry, tries to completely insult our intelligence in his attempt to persuade us that consuming conventionally-grown food is “humane” and “environmentally responsible”.

But here’s what the chemical industry won’t tell you about.

According to the EPA, we use 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides per year. Yes, that is BILLION, not million.

And where do all of these chemicals go after they are sprayed on our land?

They go right into the water supply, and this is resulting in disastrous consequences.

In a sad and alarming story in The New York Times yesterday, the paper wrote about a community in California, made up of mostly lower-income farm workers, who must buy bottled water because their tap water is so polluted from years and years of chemicals.

It is an important read and will give you insight into the shocking and very real damage that these synthetic pesticides are causing to our precious water supply.

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Here are some other posts that I have written about chemicals and/or water that you may be interested in.

How Much Poison Should We Feed Our Children Today?

CBS Morning Show Spotlights “Agent Orange” Corn

Vietnam Veterans Urge President Obama to Reject 2,4-D

The Water Supply in the Midwest is a Serious Health Risk

59 Pesticide Residues Found in Our Water Supply