Pesticide Produce

Pesticide produce began to appear when horticulture practices changed dramatically following World War II. As a young child I saw some of the first ddt pesticide sprayings in the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario Canada – then a major fruit growing area. By the 1950’s the use of pesticides and herbicides had become quite common in developed countries. The consumption of pesticide produce was on the rise. The implications of this would become more apparent by the end of the 20th century.

On this page we'll cover:

• Pesticides and Herbicides

• A Detoxification Option

• The Bad Effects of Pesticides and Herbicides - including Cancer

• Alternatives to Pesticide Produce

Pesticides and Herbicides

Why should we be concerned about pesticides and herbicides? The short answer - there are problems with pesticides and pesticide produce.

Our Children:

• Lower ability to activate, detoxify and secrete toxins than adults *

• Are exposed to higher levels of pesticides per unit of body weight *

• Studies of pesticide residue on foods focus on adult diets and children’s actual diets are under represented *

• Effects of multiple exposures may be greater than the sum of effects from separate exposures *

• In a U.S. study it was estimated that 1.1

million children eat food that, even after washing or processing, contains an unsafe dose of 13 organophosphate insecticides. *

• Just over 100,000 of them exceeded the daily EPA safe dosage level for adults BY 10 TIMES OR MORE *

• 2/3 of insecticides in North America involve organophosphates *

• DDT pesticide banned in 1972 but use of stocks and illegal use continues **

• 2.6 billion pounds of pesticides spread on the USA every year **- at these levels pesticides and the immune system become a major issue

• many toxic pesticides contain known carcinogens (cancer causing) according to the EPA **

• 1987 FDA study showed that problems with pesticides are a reality - when 26 vegetables and fruits sampled pesticide residues were found in 9,600 out of 20,000 samples -–you have a 50/50 chance of eating pesticide produce residue **

* Wood, Kids Eat Great, 25-31 ** Colgan, New Nutrition, 24-26

• unless you go through a detoxification process these will accumulate in your body. Check out one easy method here - Under Products look at "Cleanse" (opens new window).

Why Should We All Be Concerned?

The short answer - there are problems with pesticides.

• Pesticides and herbicides and pesticide produce are products of germ warfare in WW II. Their long-term effects on humans are unknown. Baby boomers are the first generation to be exposed to pesticides. Their children are the second generation to be exposed. On the evolutionary scale, this is minuscule – and the effects could be profound. DDT pesticide link is part of the problem. It is still in the cells of many humans.

• Resistance of pests to pesticides is on the rise. This is one of the big problems with pesticides. It takes 2-5 applications of pesticides today to achieve the same effects as 1 application in the early 1970s. So the impact on baby boomers’ children is even greater than for their parents.

• Mansanto has developed genetically altered soy that is resistant to the herbicide Roundup. This allows farmers to kill all other weeds by spraying the soy as frequently as necessary.

What’s wrong with this picture?

• Pesticides and herbicides interrupt the normal conversion of inorganic minerals to organic forms in the soil – if there are no organic forms of minerals in the soil they can’t be taken up into plants – so the food supply is depleted of minerals. Pesticide produce is an outcome - produce depleted of minerals.

Pesticides, Herbicides and Cancer

• In 1900 3% diagnosed with cancer

• Today 50% of women and 40% of men

• Rates for new cases and death continues to climb (early detection of breast cancer through mammography does not increase survival rates or length over using a physical exam – except by the date of the earlier detection)

• 1973 study in Israel – DDT and PCB’s in malignant breast tissue but not in adjacent tissue - Israel then banned use in feed for dairy cows and cattle - pesticides and the immune sytsem interact

• Over next 10 years rate of death from breast cancer dropped 30% for women under 44 and 8% overall [the difference for age groups islikely a function of total years of exposure to DDT and PCB’s]

• 1993 double-blind study of 15,000 women found fourfold increase in breast cancer for women with high levels of pesticide residue J Natl Cancer Inst, clearly one of the problems with pesticides.

• American Cancer Society spends >0.1% of $700 million budget on research on environmental and occupational causes of cancer

• Why? Some companies manufacturing chemotherapeutic drugs also manufacture pesticides

• AstraZeneca, inventor of Tamoxifen (breast cancer drug promoted by American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute) is world’s largest producer of organochlorine pesticides that are proven to cause breast cancer“Lies, damn lies and statistics” in Alternative Medicine , January 2002, p. 12

• Long term use of Tamoxifen is linked to stroke – women need to be carefully screened when using itNeurology 2004;63:1230-33

There are problems with pesticides. The health effects are substantial - and they are not positive.

Atrazine approved for use in USA in 1958 – used alone or in 130 pesticides

• 76 million pounds/year, 2/3rd of all corn and sorghum fields in USA

• 90% of sugar cane fields

• Lawns, golf courses and Christmas tree farms

• Total ban in European Union

• Atrazine shown to inhibit growth of frog larynxes at 1 part per billion (ppb)

• EPA in the USA says safe level in drinking water is 3 ppb

• Also shown to feminize sex organs of male frogs at 0.1 ppb so they produce ovaries and eggs

• Another study showed higher rates of prostate cancer in males who manufacture Atrazine Chronicle of Higher Education 2004;28 October

Alternatives

So What Can YOU Do? Avoid pesticide produce and decrease your own potential problems with pesticides.

Before• Buy organic (BC Hothouse like the veggies in this picture, while not organic it is better than other sources - see below)

• Peel foods to remove some toxic residue *

• Wash un-peelable foods with diluted dishwashing detergent *

• Use foods less likely to be contaminated (apple juice, bananas, broccoli, canned peaches, milk, orange juice, frozen peas and corn) *

• Buy locally grown foods (fewer additives and post-picking pesticides) *

• Do away with pesticides around the house

• Drink clean water – purest form is distilled

• Eat fewer animal products (hormones and antibiotics) *

• Limit foods with nitrates and other preservatives. Use veggie hotdogs, fresh cooked chicken in place of luncheon meats *

*Wood, Kids Eat Great, 33-35

• Give your family and loved ones a high quality, pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplement that has the Antioxidants needed to neutralize free radicals that form from environmental toxins including pesticides and herbicides Top Quality - Check Here (opens new window)

BC Hothouse – Organic Alternative?

Before• Can help you avoid pesticide produce

• No herbicides

• Use predator insects such as lady bugs, lacewings, gall-midgets and parasitic wasps

• Very infrequent use of pesticides – only in extreme situations when natural pest control doesn’t work

• No waxing of produce

• No genetic modification

• No fungicides

But artificial fertilizers used

• Eat as many different colours of vegetables as possible

• One BCH tomato and ½ BCH sweet bell pepper contain 3.4 grams of fiber

• Eat as many different colours of fruits as possible

• Tomatoes contain lycopene (anti-cancer) – crushing them yourself into tomato paste releases more Lycopene

• Vegetables contain phytochemicals, beta-carotene, Vitamins C and E among other antioxidants More Information on BC Hothouse (opens new window)

You'll find a lot more information on pesticide produce, pesticides and the immune system and problems with pesticides along with a myriad of other topics, along with full citations in my book It's About Health, or just continue to surf through more of these pages on a variety of health-related topics. It's About Health

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