Five Major Toxins and Pollutants Found in Conventional Foods

Ever ask yourself why people that eat organic foods avoid non-organic or conventional foods like the plague? When I was hipped to the organic groove – my shelves and fridge got an immediate organic overhaul – and I’ve never looked back.  Organic consumers are passionate about educating others, especially loved ones, about consuming non-organic foods. A readily proffered argument against purchasing organic foods is “I can’t afford it”. After reading through this list of common toxins and pollutants in conventional food, a more dire question is – Can you afford not to?

The Not so Fabulous Five:

Toxic sludge - Non-organic foods are often fertilized with sewage sludge, because it represents a more cost effective alternative than synthetic fertilizers. The problem is that sludge is contaminated with various disease causing bacteria and viruses, synthetic chemicals from fossil fuels, medicines, and chemical byproducts from everyday items like detergents, and disinfectants. Heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and mercury have been also been detected in sludge.[1.]

Irradiation – This process exposes food to radiation “200 times greater than that in chest x-ray” for profit extending reasons like increasing shipping/storage life of foods and providing commercial foods producers with an easier method of killing insects and bacteria. Unfortunately, the radiation not only kills off free radicals and enzymes that are crucial for delivering nutrients to our bodies; but has also been linked to genetic damage. [2]

Pesticides and Fertilizing Agents - Too numerous to name individually, there are over 400 types of pesticides approved for use in the growth of conventional foods.  These chemicals are repeatedly applied to crops as the quick, cheap, and poisonous way to ward off insects and other pests that affect crop production.  One of the most noteworthy is organophosphates, which have been linked to cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Parkinson’s disease. [3]

Growth Hormones and Antibiotics – Animals that aren’t raised according to organic standards are frequently given “non therapeutic” doses of antibiotics, like penicillin and amoxicillin.   This practice of giving animals antibiotics when they are not sick has been found to be a major contributor to the many new strains of antibiotic resistant types of illnesses including staph (MRSA) and Tuberculosis. [4][5] The growth hormone rBGH is a genetically engineered version of the natural growth hormone produced by cows and has been linked to breast and prostate cancers.  It is commonly administered to dairy cows for increased milk production.[6]

Food Colorings and Additives – That purple ketchup is not so cool – there are over 300 types of food additives (think MSG, phosphoric acid, hydrogenated fats, and high fructose corn syrup) allowable in conventional food production. These additives have been scientifically linked to numerous health issues, especially in children, such as asthma, allergies, and hyperactivity.[7]

Conventional food exposes your body to pollutants that have corresponding health risks.  The good news is, you can avoid these pollutants by adopting an organic diet, since current food regulations ban all of them from being used in organic foods.[8]

[1] Smart Guide on Sludge Use and Food production by Institute for Agriculture and Food Policy – http://www.iatp.org/iatp/publications.cfm?accountID=421&refID=104203

[2] Food Irradiation Threatens Public Health, National Security, by Samuel Epstein, M.D. Professor Emeritus Environmental and occupational medicine, at University of Illinois Chicago School of Public health – http://organicconsumers.org/irrad/epsteinoped1.cfm

[3] Organic Foods in relation to nutrition and health key facts Medical News Today, July 11, 2004 – http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/10587.php

[4] Animal Antibiotic Overuse Hurting Humans? CBS News – http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/09/eveningnews/main6191530.shtml-

[5] Issue: Antibiotics, Sustainable table http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/antibiotics/

[6] Information on rBGH – Genetically Engineered Bovine Growth Hormone http://www.organicconsumers.org/rbghlink.cfm

[7] Chemical Additives are They Slowly Killing Our Children, Lauralee Berrill Natural News.com – http://www.naturalnews.com/z022512.html

[8] Why we should all eat more organic food Organic Consumer Association – http://organicconsumers.org/organlink.cfm.

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