Organic Insider

Must-Read

The EPA Continues to Ignore the Danger of Atrazine, Which is Ruining Our Water Supply and Putting Our Health in Jeopardy

One of the reasons that many of us purchase organic is because we don’t want to put food into our bodies that contains synthetic chemicals.

Yet even though we may not eat conventionally-grown food ourselves, we still need to be very aware (and concerned) about what is going on in the non-organic world. Why?

Because the toxic chemicals that are sprayed on conventionally-grown food end up in the water supply.

And the EPA is not doing its job when it comes to protecting the integrity of our water.

WHAT IS ATRAZINE AND WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT

One of the most widely used chemicals that gets sprayed on conventionally-grown food is Atrazine, a toxic weed killer.

According to 2008 data from the USDA Pesticide Data Program, Atrazine has been found in 94% of of our water supply.

Europeans are so scared of it that they have banned its use there. Not surprisingly, politicians in the U.S. allow it.

76 million pounds of it per year gets dumped on our fields, most of it in the Midwest. Yes, 76 million pounds of it per year.

And the health effects of Atrazine?

– The Pesticide Action Network reports that it has been linked to endocrine disruption, reproductive problems, and cancer.

– The President’s Cancer Panel reported that (PDF) Atrazine “has been shown to affect mammary gland development in animal studies with some findings suggesting multigenerational effects.”

– A new study in Environmental Science reported that women who live in agricultural communities in Illinois experience much great menstrual cycle irregularities than women who live in Vermont, an area where Atrazine is sparingly used.

– Professor Tyrone Hayes, Endocrinologist at the University of California, reported from his research that frogs exposed to Atrazine were turning into hermaphrodites.

Syngenta, the world’s largest chemical manufacturer and maker of Atrazine, tried to convince Professor Hayes not to publish the results from his research, but he did not give in to their pressure.

Below is a MUST-WATCH video about Atrazine by The Huffington Post Investigative Fund.

RECENT (IN)ACTION BY THE EPA

Even though the EPA officially says that Atrazine is “not likely to be a carcinogen”, the agency’s independent Scientific Advisory Panel had a different conclusion when it met this past July.

In minutes from the meeting which were just released last week, the panel said that there was “suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential” for ovarian cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, hairy-cell leukemia, and thyroid cancer.

(Currently, the EPA lumps all forms of cancers together, instead of isolating each one to determine if Atrazine may have caused it, and therefore makes its general conclusion about the chemical’s likelihood of causing cancer.)

The minutes from the meeting also said many on the panel believed that “the epidemiology data failed to provide compelling evidence that Atrazine is not carcinogenic.”

Essentially, the independent panel disagrees with the EPA’s assessment of Atrazine and believes that the EPA should change its officially position from “unlikely to be carcinogenic” to “inadequate information to assess carcinogenic potential.”

Will the EPA take the advice of its scientific advisory panel anytime soon?

Highly unlikely.

Lobbyists for the chemical industry have tremendous influence in Washington D.C., and any change in Atrazine’s regulatory status could potentially impact Syngenta’s sales numbers.

As we see time and time again, the health of our citizens takes a back seat when it comes to profits of major food and chemical companies.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Given that the EPA isn’t going to crack down on the chemical companies anytime soon, here are a few important things that we can do:

– Continue to support and eat organic food. By consuming organic food, we are keeping toxic chemicals out of our bodies AND our public water supply.

– Make sure our kids are getting organic food. Researchers from Harvard have said that children who are exposed to above-average levels of pesticides will be twice as likely to suffer from ADHD.

A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

And in Sierra Leone, we have grown the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified cacao.

Learn more.

Go deeper

Living Maxwell

Must-Read

BREAKING: Impossible Foods is “Misleading Consumers” About its GMO Protein, FDA Rejects the Claim That it is Safe for Consumption

* Impossible Foods is “misleading consumers” about the key ingredient in the Impossible Burger.

* The Company told the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that its soy leghemoglobin was “substantially similar” to proteins consumed daily by the global population, in the form of meat and other vegetables.

However, on the Impossible Foods website, it claims that the heme in the Impossible Burger is “identical” to the heme humans have been consuming for hundreds of thousands of years in meat and other foods.

* The FDA told Impossible Foods that its arguments “do not establish safety of SLH (soy leghemoglobin) for consumption.” The company decided to sell the Impossible Burger to the public anyway.

* Impossible Foods relied on the expert testimony of scientists who have worked for or have links to Monsanto, the Gates Foundation, Philip Morris and all of the major biotechnology companies.

* 20 minutes after eating an Impossible Burger for the first time, a man Tweeted “went into anaphylactic shock & taken to ER.”

——

One of the biggest stories in the food world over the past few years has been the Impossible Burger, the plant-based burger that bleeds when you bite into it.

The goal of the Impossible Burger is to help make a dent in climate change by offering a plant-based burger that does not come from an animal. Animals require a tremendous amount of water and feed, and also produce greenhouse gases. Because the burger is made from plants, the other thing that the Impossible Burger would do is to help alleviate the killing of animals.

Go deeper

A message from E3Live

"My Everyday, Must-Have Green Organic Aquabotanical"

The best testimonial that I can give is that I drink this every single day, as it impacts my mood in an incredibly positive way.

E3Live + BrainON is certified organic, fresh-frozen AFA (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) with a concentrated, aqueous, organic extract of Phenylethylamine and Phycocyanin.

Learn more.

Organic Insider

Must-Read

What is Regenerative Organic Certified and Why it Could Become the New Gold Standard in Organic

If you are a consumer or participant in the organic industry, something new is set to hit the marketplace that you absolutely want to know about, and it is called the Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC).

Started by three organizations — Patagonia, Dr. Bronner’s and Rodale Institute — the certification aims to raise the bar for what organic represents.

But contrary to what one might believe, it is not a substitution for the USDA organic seal. Instead, it adds onto the USDA organic seal and is referred to as an “add-on” label. The USDA organic seal is a requirement, or a baseline, in order for a company to receive the ROC certification.

Go deeper

Living Maxwell

Must-Read

All Organic Eggs are NOT the Same – Here’s How to Buy the Best

If you walk into the supermarket and are confused about which organic eggs to buy, it is important to understand a few things.

First, not all organic eggs are the same. In fact, there are massive differences in organic eggs, particularly in regards to how the birds were raised.

Second, don’t select a carton of organic eggs simply because it has the nicest, most attractive packaging. That doesn’t tell the whole story.

Go deeper

Explore Coverage

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

Go deeper

BREAKING: Impossible Foods is “Misleading Consumers” About its GMO Protein, FDA Rejects the Claim That it is Safe for Consumption

"My Everyday, Must-Have Green Organic Aquabotanical"

What is Regenerative Organic Certified and Why it Could Become the New Gold Standard in Organic

All Organic Eggs are NOT the Same – Here’s How to Buy the Best