Non-Organic Foods (Pesticides, Contaminated Sewage Sludge, Hormones)

Because of scientists and independent organizations sharing information, a very large and growing number of people now know that non-organic foods are often treated with:
This knowledge has caused large numbers of people to avoid non-organic, chemicalized foods and focus on purchasing organic foods. A large number of farmers are switching to growing organic crops as the market for herbicide-laden, contaminated sludge-laden, and genetically-engineered crops begin to dwindle and the market for organic crops skyrockets. (Please see the Midwest Organic Alliance for resources/links and information on farming, groceries, etc.). Of course not every non-organic crop or meat product is contaminated with significant amounts of pesticides, sewage, or hormones, but there is no way to tell which of the many non-organic crops are contaminated. Therefore, it is prudent to seek out organic foods whenever possible. At this point in time it is difficult to eat 100% organic foods, but just gradually move in that direction in a relaxed way, without guilt. Over the next few years, the huge growth in the popularity of organic foods will make it much easier to make these healthier foods a majority of your diet.


Pesticides & Herbicides

The pesticides and herbicides currently being used on many non-organic crops are exceptionally toxic to humans and can build up in the human body contributing significantly to disease. For example:
There are many other toxic pesticides that end up in foods. Some of these pesticides have been banned in the U.S., but chemical companies sell them for use on crops outside the U.S. and then these foods are imported into the U.S. with residues of these banned pesticides. In order to get a sense of how dangerous many of these new pesticides and herbicides are for animals and what to expect from long-term exposure to humans, please see the discussion of research in a recent issue of Rachel's Environmental Weekly. The pesticides and herbicides in current use can be expected to cause or contribute to a huge increase in serious chronic disease ... unless the trend continues to avoid these foods and switch to organic foods.

Sometimes a story will appear stating that almost all foods test within "acceptable levels" for pesticide residues. What is really happening is:

  1. The chemical companies have successfully lobbied government officials to raise the "acceptable level" limits to enormous levels. That way these companies can sell large amounts of these chemicals. Saying that pesticide residues are within "acceptable levels" is now meaningless.

  2. Many of these "tests" are limited to certain pesticide residues while most other toxic pesticides are ignored.

Some organic foods have been shown to contain pesticides, possibly due to spraying drift, but for the most part, organic foods are a significant safety improvement. The Pesticide Action Network (PANNA) web page contains useful and independent information about pesticides in foods.


Contaminated Sewage Sludge

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now encouraging contaminated sewage sludge ("biosolids") to be use as "fertilizer" to grow non-organic crops. When authors John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton decided on a catchy title for their excellent book, Toxic Sludge is Good For You, they where not aware of the heavy push to use this toxic sludge as a fertilizer on crops. When they discovered this fact they wrote a chapter in their book about it. The fact that the EPA is pushing this stuff in non-organic crops and not telling consumers represents a prime example of a government officials completely out of touch with reality. It is a very good reason to move to organic foods.

The idea of using human waste to improve the condition of soil might not be such a bad idea. In fact, at one outdoor school, human waste is used to help rebuild the condition of soil for several years before planting crops. However, what is happening is that human waste is mixed with industrial waste and toxic chemicals and sent to waste treatment plants. One of the by-products of these waste treatment plants is toxic sludge with as much as 60,000 different toxic chemicals (e.g., PCBs, DDT, asbestos, dioxins, toxic heavy metals, etc.).

Instead of safer, more expensive ways to deal with the 28 million pounds of sewage sludge per year, the EPA chose the financially inexpensive course of using this highly contaminated sludge as "plant fertilizer". The EPA ignores research and independent statements pointing to disasterous consequences of using contaminate sludge and instead support primarily "beneficial use" research. As more and more non-organic crops are grown with contaminated sewage sludge, this will translate to major chronic health problems ... unless there is a continued strong trend to the use of organic foods.

For more information about toxic sludge used in crops, please see above-mentioned book and the article Let Them Eat Sludge.


Hormones & Antibiotics

Non-organic meats, eggs and dairy usually refer to the fact that the animals may have given fed antibiotics, hormones, ground up remains of other animals, and other dangerous substances that often end up in these foods fed to humans. The growing use of chemicals is a disaster for the health of the animals (other than fatting up the animal quickly for the slaughter).

Regular ingestion of traces of these chemicals is a health disaster waiting to happen. For example, regular, long-term ingestion of non-organic dairy from cows injected with Monsanto's genetically-engineered bovine growth hormone (rBGH) has recently been shown to be a high risk for prostrate and breast cancers.

Constant ingestion of traces of antibiotics from dairy can be expected to damage the balance of beneficial bacteria in the intestines and create drug-resistant superbugs. Keep in mind that the "testing" for antibiotics in dairy has been shown by the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) to not prevent antibiotics-laced non-organic dairy foods from being sold. This is because only a small number of antibiotics are tested for.


Irradiation

Another source of contaminants is food irradiation. The food industry is keen on portraying the irradiation of food as safe, but the truth is that there is experimental evidence of dangers and testimony from independent experts of these dangers.


Solutions

Some solutions to pesticides and other chemicals in foods can be found in the Food With Toxic Chemicals section of the Food & Nutrition Article on the Holistic Healing Web Page.