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Organic Insider

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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.

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

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Organic Insider

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A Very, Very Dangerous Precedent: FDA Approves Genetically-Engineered Salmon

Just a few hours ago, the FDA declared that GE-salmon is as safe to eat as non-GE salmon and has given its approval for it to be sold to consumers.

Despite the fact that:

– Over 400,000 comments were submitted demanding that genetically-engineered salmon be rejected.

– More than 300 environmental, consumer, health and animal welfare organizations, salmon and fishing groups and associations, food companies, chefs, and restaurants filed joint statements with the FDA opposing approval.

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Living Maxwell

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Another Reason to Eat Organic – Toxic Flame Retardants Found in Conventional Food

I almost fell over in my chair the other day when I read this one in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

In nearly half of the samples tested, researchers found traces of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in peanut butter, cold cuts, turkey, beef, and other fatty foods.

So what is HBCD exactly?

It is a flame retardant commonly used in the foam insulation of building walls, upholstered furniture, automobile interior textiles, car cushions and electronic equipment.

How toxic is it and who is concerned about it?

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Living Maxwell

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Another Reason to Eat Organic – Arsenic, Caffeine, Antidepressants and Banned Antibiotics are Fed to Chicken

Last year, I put up a post about how arsenic was temporarily banned for use in conventional chickens.

Whether conventional chicken growers actually paid attention to the ban is anyone’s guess, but a column I read yesterday in the New York Times just made me shake my head even further.

In his column, Nicholas Kristof talked about recently released studies that suggest that poultry on factory farms are routinely fed caffeine, active ingredients of Tylenol and Benadryl, banned antibiotics and arsenic.

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