Chemical Harvest

Chemical Harvest: The Untold Truth

Since the 90's, we have been in hot debate about the safety of our food supply. Chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides have been a concern for consumers. Does our exposure to pesticides cause Cancer or Parkinson's disease? More importantly, does the mass amount of conventional farming, which uses crop spraying, poison our environment? The population growth has pushed our meat suppliers to use hormones, antibiotics and meat by products. This allows producers to get the fastest possible growth, getting there product to the slaughter house in record time, while watching their bottom line. Are we sacrificing our children's health to world interested in chemical convenience and profit margins?

Organic produce is a controversial subject. Researching this subject was neither easy nor convincing. There are so many variables with many studies and articles supporting both sides. The main consensus is that there is no evidence to show that organic produce is safer or more nutritious. The USDA and the FDA assure consumers that conventional food is just as safe (organicfacts). In the article, "Longitudinal Investigation of Dietary Exposure to Selected pesticides" researches explain about a study conducted with 75 people in Maryland. This study was conducted in 1994 to 1995 and was used to test pesticide levels in food samples of participants. In conclusion of this study the researchers stated that the evidence was not conclusive and more trials are needed. General findings stated that the pesticide Malathion was found in 75.2% of food samples with concentration levels averaging 1.8 kg (Environmental Health Perspectives). Malathion (commonly used pesticide for agriculture) is stated by the EPA to be linked to breast cancer cells and affects the immune system, central nervous system, adrenal glands, liver and blood (cumberlandswcd ). The FDA and USDA again support that they have found no evidence that these levels are at all toxic to humans, but how much research have they really done and do they know if the toxins accumulate in our bodies along with other exposure to daily pollution?

According to a Research project, "Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children's Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides," researchers were able to provide evidence that suggest that an organic diet can protect children from pesticide exposure. Using 23 students, researchers monitored students' urine samples on a conventional diet, by measuring pesticide levels. They then switched students to an organic diet, monitoring urine samples for a total of 15 days. The article states, "An important aspect of this study was to assure that the study protocol did not alter children's diets, qualitatively speaking, from their normal consumption patterns." The results were astounding; pesticide levels from urine samples went down to undetectable levels after the organic diet was provided. The conventional diet showed high levels of Malathion and choorpyrifos, which are the most common pesticides used on vegetables, fruits, and wheat. The main result researchers found from this study is that the risk factor for pesticide exposure to infants and children is a real threat when compared to the studies on adults (Environmental Health Perspectives).

The link between cancer and pesticides is still in serious debate. David Segarra reports about a study done in Spain showing a link between Breast Cancer and pesticides. "Patients with very high oestrogen levels due to pesticide residues run four times more risk of developing the disease than patients with undetectable or very low levels" Segarra explains. This is the result of a study conducted with 198 patients in Spain. All the patients in the trial had organochlorine toxins in their systems. Up to seventeen pesticides were found in women's breast tissue. Pesticide toxins seem to raise oestrogenal activity which promotes the tumor forming process.

The levels of pesticide residue absorbed through food builds up in a woman's body and then can be passed on to infant through breast milk. This is because 40-50 % of toxin build up is released during a woman's first pregnancy and breast feeding. This is why researchers believe that having children and breast feeding can prevent breast cancer (organicfoodee). Another study done by Belgian toxicologist Dr Charles Charlier states, "Women with Breast Cancer are five to nine times more likely to have pesticide residues in their blood than those who do not." Doctors in Belgium found residues from pesticides, which have been banned over a decade ago. These chemicals are stored in our fatty tissues staying there for years later. Charlier believes part of problem lies in inadequate testing and that our supposed safe limits of pesticide residue have not been tested sufficiently (organicfood).

An article in the Science Daily reported evidence that shows a possible relationship between commonly used pesticides and Parkinson's disease. "Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found in laboratory experiments that several commonly used pesticides are just as toxic or even more toxic to the mitochondria of cells than the pesticide rotenone, which already has been implicated in the development of Parkinson's disease" stated by Science Dailey. The study explains how scientists exposed cells to pesticides finding that Pyridaben was the most toxic. Pyridaben produces free radicals which lead to diseases like Parkinson's disease. Scientists believe that this does not prove that these pesticides cause Parkinson's disease, but does warrant that more research must be done. Their goal is to pin point how different pesticide exposure cause nerve cell damage and possible death (1,2).

Health risk for farm workers is not something many of us might consider. Organic farming greatly benefits workers to not be exposed to dangerous chemicals. A study was conducted in Washington State using 218 farm workers and their families. Urine samples were taken from adult farm workers along with their children. Researchers also took dust samples

from workers homes and vehicles. Results showed a much higher concentration