Pesticide

EWG’s 2014 Shopper’s Guide To Pesticides In Produce

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EWG  April 28 2014

EWG’s 2014 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce

PesticidesInApplesWashington, D.C. – Environmental Working Group charged today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to tell Americans – as required under federal law – that they have a right to know about the risks of pesticide exposure and ways they can reduce pesticides in their diets.

Because the EPA has not complied in full with the Congressional mandate, for more than a decade EWG has stepped in to fill the void by publishing its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.  EWG aims to help people eat healthy and reduce their exposure to pesticides in produce.

“EWG’s Shopper’s Guide helps people find conventional fruits and vegetables with low concentrations of pesticide residues,” said Sonya Lunder, EWG’s senior analyst and principle author of the report.  “If a particular item is likely to be high in pesticides, people can go for organic.”

The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 required EPA to assess pesticides in light of their particular dangers to children and to ensure that pesticides posed a “reasonable certainty of no harm” to children or any other high-risk group.  One provision of the act required that EPA inform people about possible hazards to their health brought about consuming pesticides with their food.  The agency provides some information on its website, but it does not list foods likely to contain the highest amounts of pesticide residues nor those that pose the greatest dangers to human health. Most importantly, it does not offer the “right to know” information Congress required on behalf of consumers in 1996:  how to avoid pesticide exposures while still eating a healthy diet.

Apples topped this year’s annual Dirty Dozen list of most pesticide-contaminated produce for the fourth year.

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7 Ways To Detox Pesticides From Your Body

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If you don’t know by now, pay closer attention—pesticides are everywhere. They are on our food, in our water, and in the air. They find their way into our bodies through a variety of vehicles. We can buy organic, grow our food, and use fancy water filtration, but we are still exposed to these modern chemicals on a daily basis. The key to minimizing the effects of pesticides come through both minimizing our exposure, but also through detoxification and preventing their effects on our bodies.

So, how can you detox from pesticide exposure? Here are 7 tips on how to detox pesticides.

1. Milk Thistle

This plant is a member of the daisy family and has a long history of healing. It is primarily seen as a liver cure-all and is also said to be a great way to detox from toxic chemical exposure.

2. Sauna or Bath

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Pet Care: Think Twice Before Using Conventional Flea & Tick Pesticides

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Ana Jadanec – While flea and tick products containing pesticides repel and kill parasites that can potentially transmit disease-causing organisms, they can be harmful to your pet, your child and even adults in your household. It is not without reason that they shouldn’t be used on debilitated, aged, pregnant or nursing animals. Their potential toxicity and a range of harmful effects is obvious, as these products must be applied in the only place the dog is unable to lick or bite – it’s back.

According to Bayer, their products are waterproof and remains effective following a shampoo treatment, swimming or after exposure to rain or sunlight. So just imagine what is transferred onto your hands, lips, or cheeks while you play with, pet or kiss your dog! Furthermore, what does it say about a product that, when left partly unused, you are advised to call your local solid waste agency for disposal instructions, and you are never to place unused product down any indoor or outdoor drain.

Nature is ever changing, ever evolving. Like cockroaches, fleas are highly adaptable to their environment. Each generation that is exposed to the pesticides and chemicals is learning how to adapt, become stronger and more immune to these toxins. By using these products, are we really only killing and repelling fleas, or are we creating the super pests of the future?

BayerUnlike some popular collars described below, the Seresto collar has been carefully designed to control fleas and ticks on pets. It has been tested repeatedly to make sure that it will not cause any kind of harm to you and your pets. The product releases the active ingredients slowly and the low doses can ensure that they are not toxic to your pets. This is also one way to ensure that the doses are well within the safety margins.

Some facts to consider

A pesticide is generally a chemical or biological agent that through its effect deters, incapacitates, kills or otherwise discourages pests. According to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 9 of the 12 most dangerous and persistent organic chemicals are pesticides. (1) The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says that approximately 90 percent of American households use pesticides.

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Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in France

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Collective Evolution May 31 2013

Monsanto has been the topic of a lot of news lately, especially with the multi-country march that took place against Monsanto a short time ago. What can be seen as another big victory for public health, a French court found Monsanto guilty for poisoning a French Farmer. Paul Francois is a humble farmer who began experiencing neurological problems such as memory loss and headaches after being exposed to Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller back in 2004. The decision reached 2012 for this case sets a powerful precedent that can continue to help raise awareness and dismantel the ignorance that exists around Monsanto and their products, including GMO foods.

In previous cases against the pesticide giant, farmers were unable to prove and properly link pesticide exposure to the side effects they were having. This is not the case for Francois’s,  as an expert opinion was able to determine the sum of the damages incurred and verify the link the Lasso pesticide and his illnesses.

After the case ruling, Reuters attempted to contact Monsanto’s lawyers but they decline to comment.

Not The First Case

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5 Steps To Avoid And Detox The Bt-Toxin Found In GMO Crops

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theintelhub.com | January 7, 2013

Bacillus thuringiensis“It will make agriculture more efficient,” they claim. “It won’t hurt anyone but the bugs,”they say. But despite all of their promises, Big Agriculture has a vested interest in “selling” us the benefits of their frankenfoods. After all, this is how they make their millions and billions. Regardless of what they tell us, however, the vast majority of people are waking up to the game and recognizing the current big agricultural system for what it is: a capitalistic machine devoid of moral concerns.

Just one example of their disregard for human health is in the use of Bacillus thuringiensis, also known as the Bt-toxin. This bacterial toxin has been used for decades as an insecticide, sprayed directly on crops to kill off problem bugs. The toxin works by literally exploding the stomachs of the bugs who ingest it. Nice, huh?

Well, Big Ag had the evil-genius idea of actually splicing the Bt gene with that of crops, creating corn, soybeans and cotton that already had the Bt built in. They said it would increase crop yields. They said it would decrease pesticide use. But, on both accounts, they were wrong. In addition to failing on both of these fronts, Bt crops have been found to cause both known and unknown damage to human health.

In example, some research has shown that Monsanto’s ‘biopesticide’ known as Bt is killing human kidney cells. Scientists found that the Bt pesticide, in addition to Monsanto’s best-selling herbicide Roundup, exhibit direct toxicity to human cells even in low doses.

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