There are over 350 permitted pesticides allowed in western
farming but researches have estimated that over 70,000 other chemicals have been
detected in our food chain and most of these have not formally been tested for
health risks.
These pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers and
industrial pollution are in our water because of rain erosion runoff from
landfills and agricultural lands. They are in our food supply–in plants animals,
fish and grains. Although some of these may well have direct carcinogenic
affects. particularly of relevance to breast and testicular cancer, are that some of these contaminants also have a
chemical structure similar to oestrogen and can cause abnormal hormonal activity
by disrupting the normal hormone pathway. These toxic
estrogens mimics are called xenoestrogens and are presently found in large
quantities in the environment with sources including pesticides, herbicides, car
pollution, polychlorinated biphenyls PCB’s. There are worries that xenoestrogen
are not contributing to the increased risks of hormone related cancers such as
breast, testis ovary and uterus but are affecting the male sperm count and other
infertility problems.
Switching to a healthier diet, with more
fruit, salad and vegetables is clearly healthy may paradoxically mean higher
exposure to these chemicals so certain precautions may be necessary to avoid
them:
General tips to avoid pesticides
and xenoestrogens in our diet
- Buy a good salad spinner – soak
lettuce leaves and herbs in water, thoroughly then spin them dry before
eating.
- Wash fruit before put them onto the
fruit bowel.
- Wash vegetables first and change
the water before cooking.
- Avoid reusing plastic bottles
- Avoid heating food in plastic containers
- Avoid wrapping food in plastic film for long periods
of time
- Store plastic mineral water bottles in a cool dark
place.
- Buy organic if possible.
Other good reasons to consider buying
organic foods:
- Although more expensive, and the
choice can be limited they contain significantly less xenoestrogen and other
chemical both sprayed on the surface and absorbed from the soil.
- Fresh organic produce has been shown to contain more
vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients than intensively
farmed produce.
- In order to be one step a head of bugs and diseases
organic farmers have to make more biodiverse crops rather than rely on a
single harvest. This means there will be more choice for us now and in the
future.
- In terms of ecology, organic farms naturally promote a
healthy environment as the lack of herbicides and pesticides encourages
wildlife. Over the last thirty years, intensive farming in the UK alone has
led to dramatic erosion of the soil, a fall of up to 70% of wild birds in
some areas, the destruction of ancient hedgerows, and the near extinction of
some of the most beautiful species of butterflies, frogs, grass-snakes and
wild mammals.
- Green and animal manures are used to enrich the soil,
whereas some intensive farming methods result in river pollution and further
soil erosion.
Organic food may therefore be cheaper for society in the long run. Billions
of pounds in each western country taxes every year are spent cleaning up
the mess that agro-chemicals make to our natural water supply, not to
mention the BSE crisis which cost the UK alone 4 billion pounds to clear up.
- About 99% of non-organic farm animals in the USA, UK,
Europe, china and Australia are now fed GM soya bought from massive
industrial farms in Asia and South America which have mostly been
established by cutting down their rain forests.
- Intensively-reared dairy cows and farm animals are fed
a cocktail of anti-biotics, growth promoting drugs, anti-parasite drugs and
many other medicines on a daily basis. These drugs are passed directly onto
the consumers via the food chain especially in diary products and meat.
- And there has never been a reported case of BSE in
organic cattle.
Further general information Your doctors
and specialist nurses are in an ideal position to give you relevant information
on your disease and treatment as they know your individual circumstances. Cancerbackup
has a help line (0808 800 1234) and a prize winning video
available in English, Italian, Urdu, Bengali,
Gujarati & Hindi explaining Radiotherapy & Chemotherapy. Cancernet.co.uk
has over 500 pages describing cancer, its management, practical tips and tool
which patients, their carers and their doctors have found helpful during the
cancer journey.
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