- More often than not, Americans are facing a choice in
produce shopping aisles ã organic or not organic. But is one any
safer, or better, than the other?
-
- Hard data on whether residues from any pesticide are
harmful remain scarce, but many people assume that organic means food that
is healthier, and was not grown with chemical pesticides.
-
- But a new report released by the Center for Global Food
Issues has sounded a note of caution: Organic food may be grown with pesticides,
too, and not only are organic pesticides widely used, they can pose as
many risks as synthetic pesticides, according to the report.
-
- Although organic brands now make up less than 3 percent
of the global food market, surveys show that share is growing at a rate
of up to 20 percent each year.
-
- "I think there is a perception that what's natural
isn't toxic," says Alex Avery, author of the report, 'Nature's Toxic
Tools.' "But organic pesticides are also toxic."
-
- Organic Pesticides Top the List
-
- Avery points to data from the National Center for Food
and Agricultural Policy that reveal the most commonly used pesticides on
U.S. farms in 1997 (the most recent year data were available) were oil
and sulfur - substances which are considered organic pesticides. Both of
those organic pesticides are included on the list of acceptable substances
for farmers abiding by the National Organic Standards Board, as issued
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last December. All foods labeled
as organic will need to meet the new standards by the summer of 2002.
-
- "Everything on that list [of acceptable pesticides]
had to pass muster in terms of not posing certain health and safety risks,"
says Carolyn Brickey, a member of the National Campaign for Pesticide Policy
Reform and chair of the National Organic Standards Board.
-
- The kind of oil used on crops is commonly derived from
petroleum or rape seed and works by forming a gummy barrier that tiny insects
can't poke through. Sulfur, an organic fungicide, is derived naturally
and keeps away fungus.
-
- Avery argues both substances are toxic to people and
animals at high doses. He further argues that, when using substances like
oil and sulfur, farmers generally must spray more to have an effect.
-
- "Many organic pesticides are used more intensively
per acre," Avery writes. "This is due to the lower effectiveness
of organic pesticides compared to their synthetic counterparts."
-
- Brickey acknowledges that sulfur, at high levels, "could
be considered toxic." But, she adds, "I've never seen any reports
of health problems associated with it." And Adam Goldberg of the Consumer's
Union points out none of the organic board's acceptable pesticides are
categorized as "high risk" by the Environmental Protection Agency.
-
- Just what effects organic pesticides may have ã
if they have any effect ã remain to be proven since such findings
require long term studies.
-
- "Frequently the ill effects are difficult to trace,
other than circumstantial information," says Richard Ashley, a plant
scientist at the University of Connecticut who favors spare use of both
organic and synthetic pesticides. "But no matter how much residue
you have, there is always some risk associated with it, even if that risk
is negligible."
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- Pesticides as a Last Resort
-
- Organic farming advocates point out that organic farming
is not just about using organic pesticides. Katherine DiMatteo, executive
director of the Organic Trade Association, says organic farmers are encouraged
to try all other means possible to rid their crops of pests and disease
before resorting to pesticides. "Using pesticides is considered a
last resort under organic farming standards," says DiMatteo.
-
- Rotating crops is a common way organic farmers try to
break pest patterns and keep their crops healthy. Other ploys include planting
decoy crops that attract pests and draw them away from commercial crops
as well as encouraging natural insect predators like birds and bats.
-
- Because organic farmers use other ways of fighting pests
and because organic farming uses only about one percent of total farming
acreage in the U.S., DiMatteo argues it's mostly conventional farmers who
are using the reported high amounts of organic pesticides. The problem
is no one knows for sure just how frequently organic farmers rely on pesticides.
-
- A 1998 survey by the Organic Farming Research Foundation,
a nonprofit foundation supporting organic farming, found that fewer than
12 percent of organic farmers reported using sulfur or copper regularly.
And less than 9 percent of the more than 4,500 organic farmers surveyed
use oil or other insecticides regularly.
-
- The survey, however, is voluntary and conducted by a
foundation that supports organic farming. Until the USDA's standards were
established last December, organic farmers hadn't been required to meet
national standards or report their methods of insect and disease control.
DiMatteo says in just over a year that should change when the new USDA
organic standards have in effect for a year's time.
-
- "Then we'll know what methods farmers are using
on their fields," she says.
-
- Until then, Goldberg suggests people simply "be
more careful" and use a very simple but effective practice to reduce
their chances of consuming harmful residues: whether you favor organic
or not organic, wash all fruits and vegetables before eating.
Comment
-
- From Jason Boehk
jasonab@fiam.net
re: Organic Foods May Not Be Pesticide Free
-
- Dear Jeff,
-
- Regarding the article you posted by "Amanda Onion"
titled "Organic Foods May Not Be Pesticide Free":
-
- I was reading this article thinking it might be a serious
piece of journalism until I saw the name Alex Avery. Alex and Dennis Avery
are notorious shills for the chemical and biotech industries.
-
- They are quite content to spread falsehoods and half-truths
to confuse the public about the pros and cons of "certified organic"
food versus "conventionally grown" food (i.e., food that has
been irradiated, grown with the 'help' of sewage sludge fertilizer containing
heavy metals, and/or food that has been genetically engineered with genes
from pathogenic bacteria or viral promoters; this type of food would not
have been considered 'conventional' until after WWII when these practices
were first promoted).
-
- I'll be the first to admit that "organic" food
may not be perfect, but from my experiences as a consumer and as one who
asks tough questions of organic growers, I'll take my chances with organic
over industrial/conventional any day.
-
- It is so damn frustrating to see guys like the Avery's
get this kind of ink. They are shameless. They and the industries they
pimp for are running scared, because when people learn how the industrial
food is produced (as outlined in the chicken shit cattle feed article you
posted recently) it's a 'no-brainer'; certified organic doesn't permit
this kind of crap.
-
- Pleeez, in the future, will you automatically discard
(and not post) any article that mentions Avery in it!?
-
- Thank you,
Jason Boehk
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