Nutrition Articles

?IF YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT??

The Center for Food Safety states that starting in the early 90?s, millions of tons of potentially toxic sewage sludge have been dumped on hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland across the country under the guise of ?crop fertilizer?. Turns out, selling sewage sludge to farmers is a time honored government practice for disposing of unwanted byproducts created at municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Today, 70% of the nation?s toxic sewage sludge is spread on croplands.

Sewage consists of a myriad of wastes: from our homes, hospitals and chemical plants. This ?crop fertilizer? has been found to contain bacteria, drug residues, heavy metals, industrial compounds, radioactive materials and viruses. 60,000 different toxic chemicals (e.g., PCBs, DDT, asbestos, dioxins, toxic heavy metals, etc.) can be found in this chemical and bacteria slurry that irrigates the crops that major food manufacturers purchase. If we do not eat organic foods, this is the food that we may be purchasing and feeding our families.

A 1981 National Food Processors Association (NFPA) policy stated: "The NFPA, however, has serious concern that sludges produced by POTW's (Public Owned Treatment Works) may contain heavy metals, human pathogens and toxic compounds which could have potential health effects on the consumers of foods produced on lands to which sludges have been applied. The potential to public health has not been adequately evaluated."

The statement continued: "Sewage sludge can contain human pathogens that could infect farm workers and others who may enter the fields. It may also contain heavy metals and other toxics (PCBs) that will appear as residues in or on the foods."

By 1989, EPA had confirmed there were hundreds of disease causing agents and at least 15 cancer-causing agents in sewage sludge. When the sewage sludge regulation was released in 1993, the EPA had confirmed 126 priority toxic pollutants (plus pathogens) in sewage sludge. The regulation acknowledged these pollutants would cause death, disease, cancer, etc, when exposure was either direct by ingestion, inhalation or indirectly through the food chain.

What?s In A Name?

Now, the sludge has been christened with a friendlier name: Biosolids.

Ask yourself, since no one else will, ?would I knowingly eat a food that has been irrigated with toxic sludge?? I hope that your answer would be no.

Now, ask yourself the question, ?Would I knowingly eat a food that has been irrigated with Biosolids?? Hmmm. It doesn?t sound like a chemical. It doesn?t taste like a chemical. It doesn?t smell like sewage. I guess that it must be all right. I mean, after all, what?s in a name?

Recently Biosolids were dubbed fertilizer. It has gone from dirty, toxic sewage, to clean and beneficial fertilizer. It?s amazing how a name change can affect the acceptance of the same element.

Hair Trigger Blood Results

A Center for Disease Control report sampled the blood and urine of thousands of individuals throughout the United States and found 148 environmental chemicals, 42 of which were pesticides. How many of those pesticides come from our usage of chemicals on our lawns and in our homes, and how many came from the foods that we ate? Currently in the U.S. there exists over 1,200 pesticides formulated into thousands of products registered for use. As a sample of how severely our food chain has been affected by pesticides, the Environmental Working Group has issued a chart showing which fruits and vegetables contain the least and the most of them.

Highest levels of pesticides in vegetables and fruits: Bell peppers, celery, hot peppers, potatoes, spinach, apples, cherries, imported grapes, peaches, pears, red raspberries. Strawberries have the highest concentration of all fruits.

Fruits and vegetables with lower concentrations of pesticides: Asparagus, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, okra, onions, radishes, avocados, bananas, blueberries, grapefruit, papaya, kiwi, mangoes, pineapples, plums and watermelon.

If you are what you eat?would you rather eat organic foods that have not been sprayed or irrigated in toxic sludge or pesticides, or play Russian roulette with foods that have been?

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