'Organic' May Not Mean Healthier

Reader Comments

Back to article

When I read that genetically modified corn, wheat, canola oil, soybean etc. (which I read somewhere is more or less equivalent to non-organic food nowadays) is good I believe them.

In an European country they recently "found" out that g.m. corn causes liver cancer in guinea pigs. I think it is impossible, because g.m. food is healthy and good and it's full of studies that show that, and those studies never lie and the people who make them do not get money from the companies which make g.m. food.

That's why I only buy ordinary food and I never buy organic. It's good and I love it.

S.C. of TX 12:49AM August 21, 2010

That many organic crops are bio-engineered to be resistant to pests and disease. In many cases organic crops have high levels of "natural" toxins and carcinogens. You see, there's a reason insects won't eat them.

R.L. Schaefer of CA 2:28PM May 18, 2010

Fred RE:(Concerning your statement"90,000 farm families living on farms that use pesticides and eating the food have a LOWER INCIDENCE OF CANCER THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION",Again this is UNTRUE....READ...A few of the multitude of studies; Article: Cancer incidence among glyphosate-exposed pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study.(Research)

Article from:Environmental Health Perspectives Article date:January 1, 2005Author:De Roos, Anneclaire J. ; Blair, Aaron ; Rusiecki, Jennifer A. ; Hoppin, Jane A ; Svec, Megan ; Dosemeci, Mustafa ; Sandler, Dale P. ; Alavanja, Michael C./Pesticide Use and Breast Cancer Risk among Farmers’ Wives in the Agricultural Health Study

Lawrence S. Engel1 /Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology /Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine:

March 2003 - Volume 45 - Issue 3 - pp 249-258

Prostate Cancer Risk in California Farm Workers

Mills, Paul K. PhD, MPH; Yang, Richard MPH "It turns out that even though farmers in the United States are healthier than the general population in many ways, they have higher rates than the American public at large for several cancers, including leukemias, lymphomas, myelomas, brain cancers, and cancers of the lip, stomach, skin and prostate. But it’s not just the farmers themselves who get sick’. Their’ children also have higher rates of reproductive tumors, leukemias and brain cancers—kidney and bone cancers, too."

Alan Greene, M.D., FAAP

Professor of CA 11:21AM August 01, 2009

I'm just "Jane Citizen" trying to leave a better mark on the planet and take better care of myself, too.

I wanted to say that I appreciated everyone's comments, pro or con, to the discussion of pesticides. I always want to hear several points of view, and appreciate that we live in a Country, that we can do that in.

I'm very "green" on organic and pesticide issues, but it just makes since that one wouldn't want to put "poison" into themselves or the planet. And, there's no doubt that the years of chemical applications to our soils, have caused serious degradation in the micronutrient value of the soils.

Thanks again for the discussion. My final take on it is, that I'll keep trying to find more "natural" ways to heal thyself and the planet.

Liz Amason of ID 2:29AM August 01, 2009

BTW Fred, SCIENCE of the dangers and misuse of pesticides abounds: to cite just a few:

Office of Public Health and Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture 2007 National Residue Program Data: The Red Book

Summary of data from the 2007 National Residue Program. Includes estimated livestock, poultry, and egg products consumption data, summaries of domestic and import data, and domestic sampling results. Appendices include Analytical Methods, Statistical Table, Summary

Publication Month: October 2008 Feb 12, 2009 Summary

Office of Public Health and Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture 2008 FSIS National Residue Program: The Blue Book

Description of the planning process for the 2008 FSIS National Residue Program (NRP),

Publication Month: September 2008 Jan 15, 2009 Summary

Office of Public Health and Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture 2006 National Residue Program Data: The Red Book

Summary of data from the 2006 National Residue Program. Includes estimated livestock, poultry, and egg products consumption data, summaries of domestic and import data, and domestic sampling results. Appendices include Analytical Methods, Statistical Table, Summary of Scheduled Sampling Data from 2003 to 2005.

Publication Month: December 2007 Jan 15, 2009 Summary

The International Programme on Chemical Safety, WHO/ILO/UNEP The WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard Fees may apply

This document sets out a classification system to distinguish between the more and the less hazardous forms of selected pesticides based on acute risk to human health. It lists common technical grade pesticides and recommended classifications together with a listing of active ingredients believed to be obsolete or discontinued for use as pesticides.

Publication Year: 2005 Feb 29, 2008 Summary

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization Animal Feed Impact on Food Safety

Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Animal Feed Impact on Food Safety which was held at FAO Headquarters in Rome from 8 to 12 October 2007. The meeting concluded that ensuring safe feed is an important component of efforts to reduce and prevent food safety hazards and indicated several potential measures to ensure safe feed. Agenda of the meeting, list of participants, experts' resumes and list of documents are included as appendices. Copyright © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

ANALYSISWhy farmers continue to use pesticides despite environmental, health and sustainability costs

Clevo Wilson. Dangers of pesticide abuse, ... of a better future with global restructuring of agro-food system based on fair trade and ... are using massive amounts of pesticides.

Professor of CA 7:00PM July 31, 2009

you folks know more about the science of toxins than the chair of the biology department (who invented THE test for mutagens, who won a congressional medal of science, who is one of the most widely cited scientist in the world) at UC Berkely???

Oh, I forgot, he just makes this stuff up so Monsanto will donate to the school. If pesticides are so dangerous, how can you possibly explain the FACT that farmers who use chemicals and their families have a lower incidence of cancer than the general population? You can't.

Professor, you may be right about the percentages in certain foods, but Dr. Ames has found that things like mushrooms, alchohol, and coffee have levels of carcinogens that are only ten times lower than those found to cause cancer in lab rats. To put that into perspective, a commercially grown apple, which the media puts near the top of the "dirty dozen", has an amount of Captan residue equivalent to 1/100,000,000 the amount that caused cancer in lab rats.

Show me some actual science that supports the idea of organic being safer or healther or better for the environment. It does not exist. I honestly don't take pleasure in pointing out the silliness of the arguments here, I just really wish you people would get your heads out of the sand.

Fred of NH 6:49PM July 31, 2009

BTW Fred, Less than 3% of the "natural" poisons in plants you so vigorously defend as an excuse that more won't hurt you....Occur in the "edible" portions of plants! The other 97% of these "natural poisons"(in the seeds,skin,peels,leaves,certain roots,etc...) are not consumed.The best advice to everyone is to wash all fruits and veggies always.Also Fred I never said anything about not eating "non-organic veggies",but as far as pesticides and herbicides....THEY are BIOCIDES!:as the name implies, to Kill life...

Professor of CA 6:32PM July 31, 2009

I notice that none of you zealots has even attempted to refute any of the science I have cited. 90,000 farm families living on farms that use pesticides and eating the food have a LOWER INCIDENCE OF CANCER THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION. This is not a lie, it's a fact. I know, you zealots have no use for facts. You people are sad.

I'm going to go eat an apple now that has 1/100,000,000th the amount of Captan that caused cancer in lab rats on it in the form of pesticide residue.

Fred of NH 1:10PM July 31, 2009

Two poisons better than one

Professor of CA 12:52PM July 31, 2009

Future of a Nation that can not trust the Government & Propaganda Media?

How many times has the Government & Propaganda Media lied to you?

Chronic lying as career path or intellectual prostitution for paycheck?

Gravel Kucinich Paul Nader McKinney Ventura Sheehan Kaptur.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

Poodles, Puppets, Sham debates, Scam elections.

9/11 liars, AIPAC liars, Federal Reserve liars.

Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil?

Greed & corruption or conscience?

Leaks from Whistleblowers.

perotcharts.com

nader paul kucinich gravel 1:24AM July 31, 2009

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

Back to article

Exclusive Diet Rankings

Find the best diet for your needs.

advertisement

Eat + Run

advertisement