Did you know that farmers, pesticide applicators, and pesticide factory workers have higher cancer rates than the average person? The U.S. government doesn't appear to know or at least doesn't care. Despite this very troubling fact, the government allows almost one billion pounds of pesticides to be poured on our food supply each year- a few pounds for each of us. Not only are pesticides in and on our food, but in our drinking water as well.
The purpose of using pesticides is to eliminate insects, bacteria, fungus, and harmful plants from the soil in order to boost crop yields. While there is nothing wrong with boosting crop yields, the manner in which it is done is troublesome. It doesn't take a scientist to see there is not much of a leap necessary to go from killing bugs in the soil to killing cells in the body. These chemicals are believed by many researchers to damage and change our DNA, which can open the door to the accelerated spread of cancer.
Unfortunately, our bodies are capable of storing these dangerous chemicals in our fat cells, and they often do. We can carry around pesticides in our bodies for years, because they are fat soluble. When I first began eating a cleaner diet of mainly organic fruits and vegetables, I experienced at least ten days of detoxification symptoms, mainly headaches.
There has been a tremendous amount of private research done over the years, which consistently shows the evidence that pesticides can cause cancer. In one study, over 50,000 U.S. farm workers were assessed for skin cancer. The results showed that the more time workers spent spraying certain chemicals, the higher the rate of cancer was. The group that was spent the most time spraying pesticides were more than 2.5x more likely to have skin cancer than those in the lowest group.
The Ministry of Health in Argentina also recently released a report highlighting a massive dichotomy of cancer rates across its provinces, linking the higher rates to increased usage of chemical pesticides. In some areas, cancer rates were more than double that of the areas with lowest chemical usage. Argentina is a useful comparison for the U.S. because together both countries produce roughly 70% of all genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), which require heavy pesticide use.
Spend a few minutes looking over research on the internet and you can find well-respected doctors and university researchers connecting pesticides to a variety of different cancers.
Despite the fact that pesticide companies say their products are safe, it's obvious based on the contrary research that we shouldn't believe them. Either they are lying or don't know what they're doing, since they are the same people who told us that DDT and PCBs were safe, prior to them being banned.
I recommend that people avoid pesticides by eating organic produce. If that is a problem because of cost or availability, it is okay to buy non-organic fruits and vegetables that have thick skin or protective shells. Berries and thin-skinned fruits are the most at risk for pesticide contamination. A filter for your water intake is also recommended.
The purpose of using pesticides is to eliminate insects, bacteria, fungus, and harmful plants from the soil in order to boost crop yields. While there is nothing wrong with boosting crop yields, the manner in which it is done is troublesome. It doesn't take a scientist to see there is not much of a leap necessary to go from killing bugs in the soil to killing cells in the body. These chemicals are believed by many researchers to damage and change our DNA, which can open the door to the accelerated spread of cancer.
Unfortunately, our bodies are capable of storing these dangerous chemicals in our fat cells, and they often do. We can carry around pesticides in our bodies for years, because they are fat soluble. When I first began eating a cleaner diet of mainly organic fruits and vegetables, I experienced at least ten days of detoxification symptoms, mainly headaches.
There has been a tremendous amount of private research done over the years, which consistently shows the evidence that pesticides can cause cancer. In one study, over 50,000 U.S. farm workers were assessed for skin cancer. The results showed that the more time workers spent spraying certain chemicals, the higher the rate of cancer was. The group that was spent the most time spraying pesticides were more than 2.5x more likely to have skin cancer than those in the lowest group.
The Ministry of Health in Argentina also recently released a report highlighting a massive dichotomy of cancer rates across its provinces, linking the higher rates to increased usage of chemical pesticides. In some areas, cancer rates were more than double that of the areas with lowest chemical usage. Argentina is a useful comparison for the U.S. because together both countries produce roughly 70% of all genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), which require heavy pesticide use.
Spend a few minutes looking over research on the internet and you can find well-respected doctors and university researchers connecting pesticides to a variety of different cancers.
Despite the fact that pesticide companies say their products are safe, it's obvious based on the contrary research that we shouldn't believe them. Either they are lying or don't know what they're doing, since they are the same people who told us that DDT and PCBs were safe, prior to them being banned.
I recommend that people avoid pesticides by eating organic produce. If that is a problem because of cost or availability, it is okay to buy non-organic fruits and vegetables that have thick skin or protective shells. Berries and thin-skinned fruits are the most at risk for pesticide contamination. A filter for your water intake is also recommended.
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Please see my website for more information at dangers of pesticides food additives preservatives or my blog at natural claims on food label
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