Pesticides and Bacteria Cause More Than a Dozen Recent Food-Related DeathsSeptember 26th, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
Three Peruvian children between the ages of six and ten died earlier this month and 50 more became seriously ill after eating food donated by a school nutrition program that was contaminated with high levels of a toxic pesticide. Read More:Pesticides and Bacteria Cause More Than a Dozen Recent Food-Related DeathsCounterfeit Pesticides Sweeping Through EuropeSeptember 7th, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
Widespread use of illegal counterfeit pesticides throughout Europe may be more harmful to consumers, farmers and the environment than the also toxic legal versions, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. Read More:Counterfeit Pesticides Sweeping Through EuropeDozens of Unapproved Toxic Pesticides Found on Fresh CilantroJune 3rd, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
Random USDA produce tests showed at least 34 unapproved pesticides on samples of fresh cilantro that were not removed with washing, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. Read More:Dozens of Unapproved Toxic Pesticides Found on Fresh CilantroCan Sustainable Farming Really Feed the World’s Hungry?March 15th, 2011 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Many consider sustainable farming a boutique industry, unable to compete with conventional farming and produce enough food to supply populations outside their local communities. And that pesticides and modern food processing technology is the only way to meet the world’s demand for food. But Mark Bittman, New York Times contributor and author of The Food Matters Cookbook, claims advances in sustainable farming now make it a viable solution to world hunger. He also points out that today’s industrial farming practices aren’t the savior they appear, citing record highs in the global food price index. And that conventional farming takes too heavy a toll on the environment. Read More:Can Sustainable Farming Really Feed the World’s Hungry?New Study Reveals 30 Pesticides Disrupt Male HormonesFebruary 17th, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
A peer-reviewed British study published in the current issue of the scientific journal, Environmental Health Perspectives, revealed that 30 out of 37 of the most common pesticides block or mimic male hormones. Read More:New Study Reveals 30 Pesticides Disrupt Male HormonesWorking With Pesticides Harms Fertility in WomenJanuary 27th, 2011 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Women exposed to pesticides and plasticizers are more likely to have fertility problems and lower birth-weight babies, says a new study. Plasticizers (or phthalates) are chemical additives used to increase plasticity and softness of materials like plastic, clay, cement, and concrete. Bisphenol A – notoriously known as BPA – is found in some plasticizers. Read More:Working With Pesticides Harms Fertility in WomenOrganic Beer is Exploding in OregonJune 24th, 2010 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Tomorrow Portland hosts the 6th annual North American Organic Brewers Festival, a three-day celebration of certified organic beer. And the festival has seen its attendance grow every year; over 15,000 people showed up for last year’s hoedown. The interest in organic beer has sky-rocketed since the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) put into practice organic standards in 2002, growing into a $19 million market. Organic beer is booming overseas too. In New Zealand, Mike’s Organic Brewery has seen a major up tick in sales as many young beer drinkers are looking to try more sophisticated brews. It would be tacky to funnel organic beer, right? Oregon is leading the charge in organic beer because many local breweries started concocting organic versions of their popular craft beers. Craft beers are great. They’re microbrews and can come in all sorts of weird flavors. I’ve had some colored with beet juice or flavored with chocolate. Awesome! For a beer to be organic, the USDA requires that 95% of its ingredients must be organically grown, so no chemicals, pesticides, or genetically engineered ingredients. It’s hard to make beer 100% organic because organic hops are hard to come by. Organizers of the North American Organic Brewers Festival will showcase more than 50 fully certified beers and are predicting over 20,000 attendees this year. I may be moving to Portland in the fall, so if you find me passed out in the street, surrounded by empty organic beer bottles, don’t be surprised. Image credit: Stuff Educated Latinos Like Read More:Organic Beer is Exploding in OregonGenes, Pesticides Linked to Parkinson’s Disease in MenJune 15th, 2010 - Barbara Feiner
Pesticide exposure, coupled with a genetic variant in the body, appears to be associated with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease in men, according to a study published in this month’s Archives of Neurology. Parkinson’s disease, which remains incurable, attacks patients’ motor abilities and is characterized by four primary signs:
In prior studies, patients exposed to certain pesticides—including organochlorines like DDT—have been shown to develop the disease. Pesticide exposure damages the neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, a critical neurotransmitter. The cause of Parkinson’s disease is usually multifactorial, note Fabien Dutheil, PhD, and colleagues from L’Université Paris Descartes. In the new study, men with specific gene variants who had been exposed to organochlorine insecticides had a 350% greater chance of developing the disease. For Your Organic Bookshelf: Getting on Our Nerves: Researchers Find a Connection Between Parkinson’s Disease and Pesticides Read More:Genes, Pesticides Linked to Parkinson’s Disease in MenNon-Organic Celery Packed with 67 PesticidesJune 2nd, 2010 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
But it’s true. The Environmental Working Group claims non-organic celery – i.e. the stuff billions of people buy willy-nilly everyday – has 67 different kinds of pesticides. Celery was fingered as containing the most pesticides because of its structure; soft skin makes it very prone to absorption of things it touches. Have you ever stuck a stalk of celery in a glass of food coloring? Same idea. The scary part is the testing of vegetables, like celery, takes place after the United States Food & Drug Administration uses high-power pressure water systems to wash the produce. Fail. The Environmental Working Group released this information to help educate consumers about what they’re eating. Good idea, I doubt most people putting peanut butter and ants – err, raisins – on a stalk of celery know about its pesticide content. Other filthy dirty fruits and vegetables include cherries, nectarines, collard greens, and potatoes. On the other hand, corn, onions, avocados, and mangoes are among the cleanest produce. Hooray! Study On Organic Food and Health Ignores PesticidesMay 28th, 2010 - Scott Shaffer
Really?! If true, this would’ve been news to me, so I checked it out. Sure enough, they elaborate in the first sentence that “there is currently no strong evidence that organics bring nutrition-related health benefits, a new research review finds.” I couldn’t believe what I was reading until I got to the end and figured it out: the study ignored all the health benefits of avoiding synthetic chemicals. So let’s set aside, for the moment, that “green living” means eating less processed meat (which increases your risk of heart disease) and red meat (which increases your risk of bladder cancer, among other things) and just focus on the term “organic.” Strictly speaking, organic food is food that has been grown or raised without the use of synthetic chemicals. Conventional farms use insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to grow fruits and vegetables, and inject their animals with antibiotics and growth hormones. Organic farms cut all that stuff out. There are some other parts of the definition, but being chemical-free is the heart of it. There are lots of reasons to avoid pesticides—as Canada already knows. Pesticides have been linked to ADHD in children. Pesticide sprayers are at risk for blood disorders. Pesticide-free plants are more nutrient-dense and have more polyphenols and antioxidants. And that’s only looking at pesticides! Animal antibiotics and growth hormones pose risks, too. The bottom line is that you need to pay attention to what you eat and what you read. If you come across a report that disses organic food but doesn’t mention any of the dangers of pesticides, growth hormones, or antibiotics, then you’re not reading science or journalism—you’re reading propaganda. Image credit: The U.S. Army Read More:Study On Organic Food and Health Ignores Pesticides |
Admittedly, going up to the bar and ordering an organic brewski isn’t as cool as a dry martini or a Jack and Coke, but that hasn’t stopped the organic beer industry from growing, 
That sounds like the bizzaro world version of “contains 100 daily servings of vitamins and minerals.”
