Organic Vegetable Gardening, Pesticides, and the EPA - Protect Your Family, Be Healthier

According the to United States Environmentalown organic food.
Protection Agency, there are over 20,000 pesticidesThe EPA also requires a battery of toxicity tests in
containing 620 active ingredients on the market in thelaboratory animals to determine a pesticide's potential
US. More than 1,000,000,000 (One billion) pounds offor causing adverse health effects, such as cancer,
active ingredients in conventional pesticides arebirth defects, and adverse effects on the nervous
applied each year in the United States. That is oversystem or other organs. Tests are conducted for
three pounds for every man, woman, and child whoboth short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic)
is a citizen of the United States. That in itself istoxicity. For chronic effects other than cancer,
alarming. Even more alarming is the government'slaboratory animals are exposed to different doses of
information on the potential health effects ofa pesticide to determine the level at which no
pesticides.adverse effects occur. This level is divided by an
I am quoting the EPA's own FAQ here: "The healthuncertainty or "safety" factor (usually 100) to
effects of pesticides depend on the type ofaccount for the uncertainty of extrapolating from
pesticide. Some, such as the organophosphates andlaboratory animals to humans and for individual human
carbamates, affect the nervous system. Other maydifferences in sensitivity. The resulting figure, termed
irritate the skin of eyes. Some pesticides may bethe Reference Dose, is the level of exposure that
carcinogens. Others may affect the hormone orEPA judges an individual could be exposed to on a
endocrine system in the body." Stay away from thedaily basis for a lifetime with minimal probability of
commercially grown food!experiencing any adverse effect. [Quoted from EPA
Save money and eat healthy and - grow your ownFactsheet].
organic food!! The EPA is in charge of our safetySo let me get this straight, the EPA finds a pesticide
from pesticides. They get a large helping hand fromthat makes us sick and then they decide how much
the manufacturers of the pesticides. The EPA isof that we can eat. Who checks on the farms? Who
charged with setting maximum levels of pesticideschecks at the grocery store? Anybody want some
likely to be found in food. That is not a typo, I tookpeanuts? I am not saying that the EPA is bad. They
it straight from an EPA page..."maximum levels likelydo a commendable job. I think that we should be
to be found in food"...not actually found in food, butsurprised that there are not more serious health
likely to be found. "The EPA accomplishes this byproblems and outbreaks of food related illness;but
requiring pesticide manufacturers to submit data thathow many chronic illnesses and "adverse" health
answer basic questions about what residues areeffects are the cause of pesticide exposure over the
present in foods and in what quantities."course of a lifetime? Could neurological disorders be
The manufacturers submit data regarding thethe result of exposure to organophosphates and
residues of pesticides found on crops grown in thecarbamates? How would you know? If you grow
field when applied using the highest rate allowed byyour own food, you know exactly what was put on
the product label. So the manufacturer of theit. You know exactly what your children are eating!
pesticide delivers the data to the EPA and the EPAWhat if you could save money growing your own
decides on how much pesticide is okay for us to eat.organic vegetables at home? You can! Read a book
I love the taste of orthophosphates in the morning!and go outside! Feed your children healthy food and
Do you trust the pesticide manufacturers with thelower your grocery bill. You can do it. You just have
safety of your food? If not, the only way to maketo go out in the yard and get started!
sure that our food supply is safer is to grow you