Mickey Z

Cool Observer

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Friday, July 15, 2005

Some reasons to try organic

*About 860 Americans suffer from pesticide poisoning every single day; that’s almost 315,000 cases per year. The worldwide death rate from pesticide poisonings is more than 200,000 per year.

*In April 1999, researchers in Switzerland announced that much of the rain falling in Europe contains enough pesticides that rainwater would be illegal if it were supplied as drinking water.

*The EPA considers 30 percent of all insecticides, 60 percent of all herbicides, and 90 percent of all fungicides to be carcinogenic.

*The use of a pesticide called lindane on carrot crops resulted in a 15–50 percent decrease in the nutrient carotene.

*It is estimated that 25–50 percent of pesticides sprayed or dropped from the air miss the field that is the intended target.

*In 1962, Rachel Carson published “Silent Spring,” a call to arms against the use of pesticides. Today, we produce pesticides at a rate more than 13,000 times faster than we did when her book came out. Americans spend about $7 billion on 21,000 different pesticide products each year.

*Dairy products contain 5 1/2 times more pesticides than plant foods. Meat contains 14 times more than plant food.

*Conventional farming erodes more than 3 billion tons of top soil in the U.S. each year. Organic farming and crop rotation can reverse that dangerous trend and result in more nutrients and better health. In 38 of the 50 states, pesticides have contaminated the ground water. Organic farming can protect water quality. Organic farming, based on labor-intensive practices, conserves energy. Also, the absence of dangerous chemicals protects farmers and farm workers. Economically, organic farming may be the last hope to save the ever-dwindling small farmers.

*Sure, organic food appears more expensive, but consider this: U.S. taxpayers subsidize conventional farms through regulation of chemicals, waste disposal, and other hidden costs. All told, a head of lettuce—with environmental and social costs added—costs about $3. Many pesticides are made from oil...so you might also want to factor in the costs of waging a perpetual war to keep the world safe for petroleum. Considering the health risks of pesticides, another cost is medical. In other words, you can pay now...or pay later.