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By definition, organic products are grown without the aid of synthetic means. Today, “synthetic means” includes the use of pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, antibiotics, soil treatment, and genetic modification. Under USDA law, farms wishing to label their products as organic must follow prescribed criteria. They must abstain from any synthetic treatment or unnatural processing to plant-life, fruitlife or the earth for three years prior to approval. This includes prohibition of genetically modified or altered organisms and irradiation (exposure to radiation in order to sterilize or preserve food). Farms must engage in sustainable agricultural techniques such as crop rotation, manure management, conservation, and soil building. If engaging in nonhuman animal slaughter, “livestock” must have access to outdoor pastures, must not be injected with any hormones or antibiotics, and must sustain on 100% organic feed – because what goes into their bodies is undoubtedly transferred into our own. All organic products must also be kept free from contamination at every step of production, and farms must keep records of all operations. With such stringent criteria to differentiate organic from non-organic products, there must also be a large difference on the affects these products have on our bodies.
There are many reasons to support organic operations. The Soil Conservation Society estimates that more than three billion tons of topsoil every year are eroded from US farmlands. This type of soil erosion is reduced through crop rotation and soil treatment, features of organic practices. Organic farming will also help to ease the contamination of our nation’s water supply. Unfiltered tap water already contains trace metals and chemicals and is further contaminated by the addition of residual herbicides and pesticides. Organic farming reduces the use of petroleum through less reliance on machinery and chemical-delivering tools. There is also an ethical incentive to support small, family farms that struggle everyday to compete in a market dominated by gigantic factory farms that have no responsibility save profiteering and wallowing in their subsidies from government agricultural agencies. And, most importantly, organic foods benefit our health as well as the health of those who work on the farms. The Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides and 30% of all insecticides are carcinogenic. And why wouldn’t this be the case – these are chemicals meant to kill creatures, are we not creatures as well?
A closer look at one of the chemicals used in insecticides is quite unnerving. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in our bodies important for neuromuscular function as well as learning and memory. Alzheimers patients lack acetylcholine. Certain toxic poisons have been created in order to inhibit the effects of acetylcholine by inhibiting the function of an enzyme in our bodies known as acetylcholinesterase. The two most common sources of such inhibitors are nerve gas and organophosphorus insecticides. These organophosphates are collectively known as irreversible inhibitors – and they do exactly what their name implies: “the toxicity of organophosphates and carbamates in humans is characterized by a variety of symptoms, including tension, anxiety, headaches, slurred speech, tremor, convulsions, and even death. If death occurs, it is caused by asphyxia resulting from respiratory failure” (elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/662cholinergic2.html). Without going into further detail, one can see the problems of using insecticides, as well as other chemicals, on our food.
Genetically modified (GM) foods are another danger of non-organic products. GM production involves combining genes from different organisms through a process known as recombinant DNA biotechnology. This genemodification can even occur across species. For example, when a transgenic life form is created (say, crossing a potato seed with a mouse gene – not an abstract example), the potential of mutation is ever present inside of our bodies. Mutation into what? No one really knows, and that is another problem of GM foods: the FDA does not require those who engage in GM production to be transparent about methods or means, and labeling that which has been genetically modified is not required. Despite the lack of testing for safety of these products, by 1999 GM ingredients appeared in two-thirds of all US processed foods. In contrast, most European nations have partial bans on GM products and require labeling – with harsh legal penalties for non-compliance. In fact, New Zealand, Australia, the EU, and Canada have complete bans on certain GM products as well as growing grassroots movements in order to restrict GM completely.
One striking case of the harmful effects of GM products occurred in 1989 when thirty-seven Americans died and thousands more were permanently disabled through a GM food supplement called L-tryptophan. GM processing leaves many toxic residues (novel toxins) on products, and current safety assessment procedures do not require products to be screened for these toxins. L-tryptophan caused thousands to be “crippled by ascending paralysis, increasingly losing control of their limbs and body and eventually requiring a respirator to breathe” (soilassocation. org). Tryptophan is an amino acid that our bodies can acquire naturally through almonds, pumpkin seeds, cabbage, and spinach. It is a necessary precursor to the production of Serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in mood, regulation of eating, sleeping, and arousal.
With agricultural companies acting with such nonchalance for safety testing, it is no wonder that their lack of ethical responsibility is manifested in the health problems of unknowing consumers. For a more comprehensive list of associated health problems (ranging from cancerous superviruses to birth defects) see “50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified Foods” by Nathan Batalion, published by Americans for Safe Food (online version at cqs.com/50harm.htm).
Some living foodists will say that it is better to eat raw non-organic foods than it is to eat burned organic foods: given the extensive array of harmful and unknown effects that chemically treated foods have on our bodies, I disagree. With outdoor market season coming to a close, Boston Organics, a small produce delivery service, offers affordable USDA certified organic produce. They deliver weekly boxes of organic produce for either $25 for a 10-12 lb box or $35 for a 12-15 lb box. For more info visit bostonorganics.com.
Other articles by Alia Ghabra |
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