Dr Gloria Gilbere, associate editor, Total Health magazine is interviewed by Lyle Hurd, publisher, on why and how eating organically can protect consumers from food potentially laced with toxic waste.

Both Gloria and Lyle make the point at the start of the clip that sharing this sort of information is to educate people rather than frighten them.’An educated consumer is a healthy consumer’ comments Gloria.

The horror story starts in the 1990’s when a mayor from a small town in the US challenged the state on the use of toxic industrial waste as ingredients for fertiliser. The book that reveals the whole story is called Fateful Harvest, by journalist Duff Wilson. In essence, it was legally acceptable to spread industrial waste containing a variety of toxins such as dioxins, cadmium and lead over fields in which food produce was grown. The food produce grown on these fields of course absorbed much of the toxins. Animals and/ or humans then consumed this produce.

Although there are now slightly stricter regulations1 on using toxic waste on fields growing human produce, there is no real guarantee that chemical ‘fertilisers’ won’t contain chemicals or substances that are harmful. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that toxic waste is used on most farms. On the contrary. But the point is: how do you know what has been used on the fields of the produce you eat, especially if grown overseas? You don’t, unless you buy direct from the farm. The only real way to be sure that the food you buy does not contain toxic residues is to buy organic food.

Watch the video (at about 3 mins 5 seconds) for a list of the potential dangers resulting from toxic residues. If the soil is depleted of its natural nutrients from overuse and over-fertilisation, and the food is sprayed with a number of pesticides, chemical fertilisers or indeed toxic waste, what happens? Basically you are increasing your toxic load each time you eat something grown in this way. Is it any wonder that the increase of certain diseases and ‘invisible killers’ including cancers is on the rise? What do you think?

What you eat is your choice. I choose to eat food that is ‘clean’ healthy and safe. Actually all food should be ‘clean’ healthy and safe. But sad to say, it is not. Greed and the desire for ever greater profits have turned agriculture and agricultural practices into a game of Russian Roulette. Organic living promotes the health of the environment, food produce and end consumer. That is worth it’s weight in gold.

  1. As of 2004 according to Wikipedia, there was a “trend toward regulation of non nutritive trace elements in fertilizers” — Kane et al. (2004). Regulation of Heavy Metals in Fertilizer: The Current State of Analytical Methodology. Environmental Impact of Fertilizer on Soil and Water. [↩]

Filed under: Organic Farming

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