News & Updates
Silent Spring, by Coach Pam
I was reminded recently that September is the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson. In her book, Ms. Carson exposed the pernicious danger of the use of DDT as a crop pesticide. We learned, even 50 years ago, that this pesticide and others, was killing bald eagles and peregrine falcons and destroying aquatic life at an alarmingly fast pace. Because of Rachel Carson’s work, the use of DDT was banned in the United States. If you’ve never had the opportunity to read Silent Spring, I recommend it. The evidence for human impact on our environment is still valid today.
As I reflected on her book and how horrified I felt when I first read it in High School, I also realized that the poisoning still goes on. We have become so expert at it, we are not only killing wildlife but we are also killing ourselves.
There is conclusive evidence that BPA (Bisphenol A) in our environment is partly responsible for the growing obesity epidemic we face. BPA is also a known “endocrine disruptor” which mimics estrogen. The long-term effects are unknown, but many countries have banned the use of this chemical.
A recent study done in Europe revealed that rats consuming GMO corn (which was “RoundUp Ready”), developed cancers at a significantly higher rate that rats who were not fed the corn. GMO corn, manufactured by the Monsanto Chemical company, is developed with an implanted pesticide, RoundUp, to allow it to withstand the weed-killer, with is typically heavily sprayed on the corn crops to kill the surrounding weeds. This corn is then fed to animals, which are subsequently killed to provide meat for our Nation?s food supply. When we eat the meat, we, too, are “Round Up Ready”! In the United States, the FDA does not even require that products are labeled to reflect their GMO exposure or content. In Europe, not only is labeling required, GMO?s in human food are actively rejected.
In addition to pesticides, when we eat factory-produced meat, we are also eating a dose of antibiotics. More than 80% of the antibiotics sold in the United States are consumed by farm animals on factory farms and who subsequently are slaughtered for food consumption.
Our rivers, streams and lakes have not escaped this plague. Fish taken from rivers which are downstream from sewage processing facilities have tested positive for antidepressants and a range of other drugs; people flush their medications down the toilet, and fish get the treatment as well. Pollution from the air, in the form of Mercury, has found its way into both birds’ eggs and tuna fish (equal opportunity).
We have yet to know the impact of the latest efforts by huge corporations to destroy our environment in the name of progress: Fracking. Energy companies are moving as fast as they can to secure sites for drilling deep into the earth, and then breaking apart the shale core underneath with toxic chemicals they refuse to identify in order to extract natural gas. The people who live around the Fracking sites have reported water contamination of the most disturbing kind -- their tap water flames up on occasion; some geologists are also studying the possibility that the Fracking process causes local earthquakes. It is likely we will not know until it is too late the true effects of this destruction.
The effects of all this chemical “intervention” in our environment are starting to reveal themselves. Autism and Autism-spectrum disorders have risen alarmingly over the past 15 to 20 years; we are experiencing an obesity epidemic that we can’t stem; children are developing endocrine-related disorders, such as Type 2 Diabetes and early-onset puberty; ADD and ADHD and related conditions are skyrocketing and we are treating them with more chemicals. Cancers are appearing in very young children. The most disturbing aspect of all these developments is our complacency. We seem to accept these warning signs as if they are not related.
What can we do? As singular individuals, it is difficult to make an impact. However, I believe if each one of us makes a conscious effort daily to avoid processed foods, buy locally-produced meat, vegetables and fruit, read labels, ask questions, demand accountability from elected officials, government agencies and large companies, eventually our voices will be heard. A good example is the effect of the ABC report a few months ago on Pink Slime had on its production and use. As a result of the story on ABC and the subsequent protests by the public, Pink Slime has virtually disappeared from production; the plants which produced it have been closed. If people don’t buy the products, there is no reason to offer them.
It wasn’t that long ago, one or two generations, that food was produced without chemicals or antibiotics and animals were raised on pasture and breed-appropriate food. Chemical companies did not own the major seed production facilities in the United States; and our food production offered many more crops that GMO corn and soy. I don’t believe it is unrealistic to work hard for a return to healthy foods and farm animals.
Please send me, Coach Pam, an email with any topics you would like to see addressed in this space to IronBodyNutrition@gmail.com.
