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The fact that there are serious issues in our food supply is no longer a secret. Evidence not only reveals toxicity grades in food are rising but likewise that conventional agriculture has become a leading cause of environmental pollution and destruction.
Toxicity in meat comes from several sources. Some poisons are accumulated during the growth phase, others are added during reaping and processing, and yet others are introduced when the ingredients are manufactured into their final, processed food, form.
By far, the greatest concerns are relegated to processed foods, but even whole meat, both flower and animal meat, can be contaminated. Here, my focus will be on three generators that have their descents in the rise phase: phosphate fertilizers, glyphosate herbicides and biosolids( human squander used as fertilizer ).
Data Gaps in Phosphate Fertilizer Supply Chain
According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, reported in its “World Fertilizer Trends and Outlook to 2020 ” report, 1 the global demand for phosphate fertilizer is expected to exceed 45.8 million tons by 2020.
And, as noted by Science Daily, 2 food demand is expected to increase by 60% by 2050, which is necessary that unless changes are made, even larger amounts of phosphate will be required in coming decades.
A major question with conventional agriculture is the use of toxic fertilizers. Phosphorous( an element) is mined from phosphate rock-and-roll( which contains phosphorous ), and much of it purposes up being lost in the process, intent up as water pollution. 3
In water, phosphorous initiations toxic algae overgrowth and deoxygenation, which has led to massive dead an area where no marine life can live. The nitrogen section of fertilizer has also been identified as a leading cause of air pollution.
In a September 4, 2019, newspaper, 4 “Opening Access to the Black Box: The Need for Reporting on the Global Phosphorous Supply Chain, ” researchers in Sweden and Iceland warn that absence of information about the world supplying chain could trigger a phosphate furnish crisis and lead to social, political and environmental upheaval.
Lead author Eduard Nedelciu, a researcher at the Department of Physical Geography at Stockholm University, told Science Daily: 5
“Cradle-to-grave reporting along the phosphorus furnish chain can reveal the untold story about the social, environmental, ethical and economic cost we pay for the food we check on our supermarket shelves. It are also welcome to help countries — most of which are dependent on phosphate importations — tailor better policies to decrease the vulnerability of their agricultural sector.”
Majority of Phosphorous Is Wasted
The researchers present four primary problems relating to the reporting of phosphorous and phosphate fertilizers: 6,7
Nomenclatures and methodologies used when reporting data on phosphate sediments absence transparency and harmonization, attaining estimations of reserves unreliable
Up to 90% of the phosphorous is lost through the furnish chain, and the losses are poorly documented, making it difficult to improve efficiency and avoid damages — which ultimately be brought to an end as pollution
Societal and environmental results that are available along the supply chain remain unaddressed
Access to data along the furnish chain is lacking, which prevents assessment of sustainability goals
Co-author Marie Katharine Schellens told Science Daily :8
“Phosphorus information is ability. Reliable and regular data gathering can leverage corporate social responsibility as well as political activity. Both are needed to tackle many of the issues identified along the supplying chain. Transparency can foster a sustainable and socially just supply chain for decades to come.”
Must We Use Phosphate Fertilizers?
While the general consensus is that phosphate is a prerequisite for food production, we now know that this isn’t entirely true. The only reason it’s involved is because the agricultural system is not currently set up to take advantage of natural ecosystems.
As farmers transitioned over to monocropping and chemical-based agriculture, those ecosystems lost touch, and with them, everything that shapes developing food without compounds possible. There is in fact making proof testifying we do not need synthetic fertilizers to grow food, rendered the soil is encouraged properly, as it is in biodynamic and regenerative farming systems.
There’s also slew of evidence demonstrating fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals are a conducting source of environmental pollution, thereby threatening “peoples lives” on earth. The hypothesi that food production is a primary destroyer of the environment is inexcusable and intolerable. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Hidden Health Hazards Associated With Phosphate Fertilizers
Aside from polluting waterways, phosphate fertilizers may pose a more direct risk to human health by way of food. Being a fertilizer, the phosphorous is taken up by the flowers, of course, but it’s not the nutrient itself that is the problem. No, the problem is the fact that phosphate contains a radioactive part, which may be taken up by the flower as well.
The concern is an outgrowth of tobacco science9, 10,11, 12,13 demonstrating one of the same reasons cigarette smoking causes lung cancer is due to polonium-2 10 — a disintegration product of natural uranium and a highly radioactive factor. 14 It’s also chemically toxic. 15
While naturally present in small amounts in the environmental issues, one of the primary sources of exposure is via calcium phosphate fertilizers, spend on nonorganic tobacco battlegrounds and food harvests respectively. As noted in a 2009 study: 16
“ … in a person smoking one and a half jam-pack of cigarettes( i.e ., 30 cigarettes) per period, the radioactivity dosage to the bronchial epithelium in areas of bifurcation is … (8 000 mrem) — the equivalent of the dose to the skin from 300 x-ray films of the chest per year.”
Similarly, a 2011 paper1 7 in the Journal of Oncology, “Polonium and Lung Cancer, ” explains 😛 TAGEND
“The alpha-radioactive polonium 210( Po-2 10) is one of the strongest carcinogenic agents of tobacco smoke and is responsible for the histotype change of lung cancer from squamous cell sort to adenocarcinoma. According to several studies, the principal source of Po-2 10 is the fertilizers used in tobacco plants …
Tobacco leaves accumulate Pb-2 10 and Po-2 10 through their trichomes, and Pb-2 10 deteriorations into Po-2 10 over day. With the combustion of the cigarette smoke becomes radioactive and Pb-2 10 and Po-2 10 reach the bronchopulmonary apparatus … ”
As has become typical, investigation1 8 exposed the tobacco industry was aware of this as early as 1959. What’s worse, they opted to not use an battery-acid bath, which has been shown to effectively remove polonium-2 10 from the tobacco leaves, because the wash induced the nicotine less absorbable, and hence less addictive.
Could Nonorganic Food Be Radioactive and We Don’t Know It?
Now, if radioactive polonium-2 10 induces tobacco foliages carcinogenic, what is it doing to our food? In the 1988 document, “Release of Radium and Other Decay-Series Isotopes From Florida Phosphate Rock, ” the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research surrenders: 19
“It has been known for many years that phosphate ore contains 50 to 150 duties per million( ppm) of natural uranium, and hence its radioactive decay products … most other clays and stones … average 1 or 2 ppm …
A fundamental question develops as to the nature of population exposure to natural radioactivity … and how that exposure is influenced by the presence and extraction of sediments of phosphate.”
While that 1988 report does not address polonium exposure through meat, another, even earlier report does.
Remarkably, according to a long-forgotten 1983 report2 0 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, “Polonium-2 10 and Lead-2 10 in Food and Tobacco Products: A Review of Constant and an Estimate of Potential Exposure and Dose, ” meat and dairy products may disclose consumers to radiation doses equivalent to that given to that received by smokers from cigarette smoke. As noted in this paper: 21
“Tobacco smoking appears to provide a dose equal to or greater than that provided by dietary ingestion for both Pb-2 10 and Po-2 10 in bone tissues, liver and kidneys; and for Po-2 10 in the spleen for the three Western-style diets … The smoking dosage estimations are most comparable to those obtained for dietary intake by Arctic dwellers.”
Fluoridated Water May Also Contain Polonium-2 10
Yet another route of polonium-2 10 exposure is consumption of fluoridated liquid, courtesy of the fluorosilicic acid employed. This chemical byproduct, created during the phosphate fertilizer manufacturing process, is what is typically used to fluoridate municipal water supplies.
In 2015, Mosaic Fertilizer, one of the largest phosphate mining and fertilizer companies in the world, was fined$ 2 billion by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over improper storage and disposal of waste, which was found to pose a jeopardy to groundwater resources.
A cruel irony is that fluorosilicic battery-acid, another toxic waste product, is abruptly extol “healthy” when intentionally added to drinking water. Uranium and radium are two known carcinogens are available in fluorosilicic acid used for water fluoridation, and polonium-2 10 is one of two deteriorate products of uranium.
Furthermore, polonium decomposes into stable lead-2 06, which also has significant health risks — particularly in offsprings — and research has indeed shown that booze fluoridated water increases result absorption in your body.
Toxic Glyphosate Found in Most Meat and Water Quantity
Another chemical that is turning our food toxic is glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide. Glyphosate was identified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer( IARC) 22,23 in 2015.
More recently, a meta-analysis2 4,25, 26,27, 28 of six epidemiological studies published between 2001 and 2018 concluded glyphosate increases the risk of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma( NHL) — a group of blood cancers — by 41% in highly exposed subjects.
Even if you’re not exposed to glyphosate-based herbicides via application( which is the case with most who assertion glyphosate exposure induced their NHL ), your health is still at risk, as testing2 9,30, 31,32, 33,34 reveals most meat( processed foods in particular) are polluted with this chemical, and more than 70% of Americans have detectable levels of glyphosate in their own bodies. 35,36
Glyphosate kills weeds by inhibiting the shikimate pathway in the flower, and Monsanto has long protected the chemical’s safety, saying it cannot affect humen because we do not have this pathway. However, the shikimate pathway is found in human gut bacteria, which we now know play a crucial role in human health. Glyphosate has also been shown to 😛 TAGEND
Trigger DNA damage3 7
Cause pineal gland pathology, which in turn was linked to gut dysbiosis and neurological diseases such as autism, depression, dementia, feeling ailment and Parkinson’s disease3 8P TAGEND
Inhibit pituitary liberate of thyroid stimulating hormone, which can lead to hypothyroidism3 9
Act as a substitute for glycine in your form, thereby causing damaged proteins to be produced. 40 Glycine also plays a role in quenching inflammation, as explained in “Glycine Quells Oxidative Damage by Inhibiting NOX Superoxide Production and Boosting NADPH, ” and is used up in the detoxification process. As a result of glyphosate toxicity, many of us may not have enough glycine for efficient detoxification.
Chelate important minerals, including iron, cobalt and manganese. Manganese deficiency, in turn, impairs mitochondrial purpose and can lead to glutamate toxicity in the brain4 1
Impair serotonin transport and kill beneficial gut bacteria, thereby contributing to a wide range of feeling disorders, including major depression4 2
Interfere with cytochrome P4 50 enzymes, thereby hindering vitamin D activating and the process of drafting both nitric oxide and cholesterol sulfate, the latter of which is needed for red blood cell integrity4 3
Glyphosate Adds to Phosphorous Saturation
In referred news, research4 4 published in December 2018 demonstrates glyphosate is now so widely used that it’s contributing to the phosphorous onu in agricultural land, and thus to the phosphorous loading in watersheds. As reported by Phys.org: 45
“In many agricultural regions, decades of phosphorus-based fertilizer use have led to a saturation of the soil’s capacity to hold the nutrient. This rise the likelihood that any additional phosphorus applied to the land will run off into waterways, where it is a known cause of harmful algal blushes …
Until now, regulations to limit phosphorus pollution have focused on the use of fertilizers, which remain the largest artificial source of phosphorus. But as the use of glyphosate grows — the past two decades alone have insured world use increase 15 -fold — the herbicide’s relatively small phosphorus content starts to add up …
‘Our study is suggested that the most recent and rapid rise in glyphosate use has overstated its relative importance as information sources of anthropogenic phosphorus, especially in areas of intensive corn, soybean and cotton farming, ’[ make author Marie-Pier] Hebert says.”
Biosolids — A Most Toxic Fertilizer
Last but certainly not least, we have biosolids, more accurately referred to as toxic sewage sludge. Not only is it notorious for containing industrial waste, loaded with heavy metals, as seen in a September 12, 2019, AP News article, 46 concerns over the use of this toxic fertilizer is now growing because it’s also been found to be a source of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl essences( PFAS) chemicals.
“The concern is that certain PFAS substances, which studies have associated with increased risk of cancer and damage to organs such as the liver and thyroid, could be absorbed by harvests been increasing in clays dealt with at polluted gunk and wind up in foods.
The Food and Drug Administration this year reported observing substantial levels of the chemicals in random sample of grocery store fleshes, dairy products, seafood and even off-the-shelf chocolate cake … ” AP nations. 47
In my 2015 interview with David L. Lewis, Ph.D ., a microbiologist who spent three decades running as an Environmental Protection Agency scientist, he exposes the stories of biosolids, why it’s a complete victimize, and how the truth about this toxic fertilizer has been wiped for the purposes of the carpet for years.
How to Safeguard Your Diet
As I mentioned at the beginning, phosphate fertilizers, biosolids and glyphosate are just three of many different sources of toxins in our diet. Once you begin to survey the field and realise just how many different toxic sources there are and the types of questionable compounds involved, you start to get an idea of the reasons why organic food is increasing in popularity.
Many are now starting to realize the many problems associated with conventional meat, which include both health and environmental issues, and are taking proactive measures. The most logical step is to transition to an organic or biodynamic diet, to the degree that you’re able. This runs not just for produce but likewise for flesh and dairy products.
The reason for this is because most conventional cattle are fed an unnatural diet of grains rather than grass, and most of the grain is also genetically modified. So, animal products can actually be even more polluted than fruits and vegetables. So, recollect to buy organic, grass fed beef, poultry and dairy, as well. If “youre living in” the U.S ., the following organizations can help you situate farm-fresh meat 😛 TAGEND
Demeter USA — Demeter-USA.org furnishes a directory of certified Biodynamic farms and brands.
American Grassfed Association( AGA) — The goals and targets of the American Grassfed Association is to promote the grass fed industry through government relations, research, hypothesi marketing and public education.
Their website likewise allows you to search for AGA approved producers attested according to strict criteria that include being raised on a diet of 100% forage; grew on pasture and never confined to a feedlot; never treated with antibiotics or hormones; and birth and elevated on American family farms.
EatWild.com — EatWild.com supports listings of farmers known to produce raw dairy products as well as grass fed beef and other farm-fresh produce( although not all are certified organic ). Here you can also find information about local farmers sells, as well as neighbourhood stores and eateries that sell grass fed products.
Weston A. Price Foundation — Weston A. Price has neighbourhood chapters in the majority governments, and many of them are connected with buying golf-clubs in which you can easily purchase organic foods, including grass fed raw dairy products like milk and butter.
Grassfed Exchange — The Grassfed Exchange has a listing of producers selling organic and grass fed meats across the U.S.
Local Harvest — This website will assist you find farmers marketplaces, family farms and other sources of sustainably developed food in your region where you can buy produce, grass fed meats and many other goodies.
Farmers Market — A national listing of farmers markets.
Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animal — The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably grown flesh, poultry, dairy and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, hostels, inns and online outlets in the United Government and Canada.
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture( CISA) — CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.
The Cornucopia Institute — The Cornucopia Institute maintains web-based tools rating all certified organic brands of eggs, dairy products and other merchandises, based on their ethical sourcing and authentic agriculture rules separating CAFO “organic” production from authentic organic practices.
RealMilk.com — If you’re still unsure of where to find raw milk, check out Raw-Milk-Facts.com and RealMilk.com. They can tell you what the status is for legality in your country, and render a listing of raw dairy farms in your area. The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund4 8 also provides a state-by-state review of raw milk laws. 49 California residents are also welcome to find raw milk retailers utilizing the store locator available at www.OrganicPastures.com.
Read more: articles.mercola.com
