CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY PRESENTS ARGUMENTS BEFORE SUPREME COURT ON BIOTECH ALFALFA

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Heather

High Court Hears Arguments In First-ever Case on Genetically Engineered Crops

States, Scientists, Organic and Conventional Farmers, Food Companies, Exporters, and Legal Scholars File Briefs in Support, Oppose Monsanto

Today the Center for Food Safety (CFS) faces off against Monsanto in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of farmers and public interest environmental organizations. Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms, 09-475. is the first case involving genetically engineered crops that has ever been heard by the Supreme Court.

All the lower courts agreed that the planting of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready alfalfa must be stopped because the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had failed to analyze the crop’s impacts on farmers and the environment. Although it remains undisputed that USDA violated environmental laws, and that it must rigorously analyze the genetically engineered crop’s impacts before deciding whether or not to approve it for sale, Monsanto is arguing that the lower courts should have allowed the planting of the illegal crop to go forward in the interim.

It was announced last week that the Center’s case has brought out an unprecedented range of interests – from farmers’ unions and food companies to scientific experts and legal scholars – which have filed briefs in support of CFS and opposed to Monsanto. The seven briefs, filed by more than sixty individuals, companies, organizations and three states’ attorneys general – can be viewed at http://truefoodnow.org/publications/supreme-court-briefs/

“Today we will have the privilege of speaking on behalf of family farmers, the environment, and the protection of an organic alternative,” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety. “The law and the facts are on our side and we look forward to presenting our case before the Court.”

The genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa seed at the heart of the dispute has been engineered to be immune to Monsanto’s flagship herbicide Roundup. CFS filed a 2006 lawsuit against USDA on behalf of a coalition of non-profits and farmers who wished to retain the choice to plant non-GE alfalfa. Pointing to contamination incidents that have already occurred, organic and conventional farmers anticipate widespread contamination from Monsanto’s patented GE alfalfa, because alfalfa is pollinated by bees that can cross-pollinate GE and conventional plants separated by several miles. Alfalfa is the fourth most widely grown crop in the U.S. and a key source of dairy forage. Similarly, contamination of feral or wild alfalfa, ubiquitous across the country, would ensure an ongoing and permanent source of transgenic pollution in wild places akin to that of invasive or exotic species.

Monsanto intervened in the case on behalf of USDA; however in 2007 the district court found in favor of CFS.. Following that, CFS won two appeals in the federal Court of Appeals, in 2008 and again in 2009. In January the Court agreed to hear the case over the opposition of both CFS and the U.S. government.

Farmers and food companies have taken note. Organic businesses and trade groups, including Organic Valley, Stonyfield Farms, the Organic Trade Association, Annie’s, Clif Bar, Eden Foods, United Natural Foods, and Nature’s Path Foods, voiced their deep concerns of the threat to their businesses posed by contamination from biotech crops in an amicus brief. The burgeoning $25 billion-a-year organic foods industry, the fastest growing food sector, is at particular risk from the effects of contamination. The organic industry brief warns that “widespread planting of RR (Roundup Ready) alfalfa imposes massive risk and uncertainty on the continued viability of organic dairy farming” and that overturning the lower courts would “irreparably harm” their ability to grow and sell organic food. Conventional farmers and exporters filed a similar brief, warning of lost overseas alfalfa markets in Asia, Europe and the Middle East that reject biotech-contaminated crops. GE contamination of conventional rice and corn crops in the past decade have cost U.S. farmers billions in lost markets. In Canada, the introduction of GE canola destroyed the nascent organic canola industry in that country.

In addition, the Attorneys General of California, Oregon and Massachusetts, which filed a brief on behalf of their citizens supporting the Center, have emphasized the “States’ interests in protecting their natural resources and their citizens’ rights to be informed about the environmental impacts of federal actions.” They further noted “immense” ramifications for all environmental protection should Monsanto prevail, which would damage the States’ interest in “protection of wilderness, habitat preservation for endangered species, watershed protection, [and] air quality.” A range of legal scholars, former government officials, scientists, and environmental groups have also filed briefs in support of the Center and against Monsanto.

A 2009 study showed that the cultivation of genetically modified crops, the vast majority Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” varieties, has over the last 13 years caused a dramatic increase in herbicide use, by 383 million pounds, and concomitant harms to the environment and human health.

from Center For Food Safety

BPA Spin: That’s What Persists and Accumulates

Posted by Richard Wiles in BPA, Featured Articles on March 30, 2010

If the consequences weren’t so serious, it would be entertaining to watch the chemical industry’s top lobbyists scramble to defend the signature toxic chemical of the new millennium, bisphenol-A (BPA). This is a chemical with some serious toxic muscle. It’s not just that BPA is a clear and insidious threat to human health. BPA has triggered a seismic change in the field of toxicology, providing overwhelming evidence that it is not just the dose, it is the timing of exposure – in this case a very tiny pre-natal exposure – that is the key to a bad outcome. Bye bye Paracelsus.

But why talk about that? So when Lisa Jackson put BPA on the agency’s most wanted list, the American Chemistry Council went into full scramble mode. The strategy: talk about what BPA isn’t. Sigh. So BPA is not persistent in the environment and does not bioaccumulate. Well thank God, because if a chemical as toxic as BPA were persistent and did build up in living things (such as people), we’d really be up the creek.

Let’s take a minute to remind the ACC gang that toxicity matters too. I’m sure that they remember the organophosphate pesticides (OPs). Derived from Nazi nerve gas chemistry, these super-toxic bug killers were the mainstay of American fruit and vegetable pest control until the children’s protection mandate of the Food Quality Protection Act slashed their use dramatically over the past decade. Like BPA, these pesticides didn’t persist or accumulate up the food chain. Instead, they were a menace to children’s health at very low doses when exposures occurred during critical periods of brain development. And as with BPA, children were exposed to OPs every day.

Thanks to pesticide reforms that targeted children’s health, not persistence or some other chemical characteristic, children today are protected from the highly toxic organophosphate insecticides.

Any chemical that threatens children in the womb, or other vulnerable groups, needs to be the top priority in reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act. Some will be persistent, others may bioaccumulate, still others will “just” be toxic. But in an era of true TSCA reform, all threats must be treated equally.


from EWG

I get such a sinking feeling when I read about how the industry defends it's usage of toxic chemicals. They are invisible to us... well no... they are only apparent in our kids reactions/behaviors but once it's much too late to do something about it. I just ordered "Chasing Molecules" by Elizabeth and can't wait to read it...actually I'm kind of dreading it. ~nancy

Yay... one signature at a time!!!

Congress has introduced the Safe Chemicals Act!

Posted by Ken Cook in Follow Kid-Safe Progress, Senate status on April 15, 2010 | 38 responses

More than 85,000 concerned activists signed the petition supporting the Kid-Safe Chemicals Campaign. We hand-delivered your signatures to Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.).

To see pictures click here

This is a huge accomplishment! It's great to see results on something so important... and yes it happened one signature at a time! Thanks to all that signed the petition. ~nancy

Everyday Science: The Chemistry of Cleaning

by Christopher Gavigan
Tuesday, April 06, 2010

When you break it down, all of life is science. Whether you were good or bad at science in school, you use it every day. You reap the benefits of scientific ingenuity when you drive a car or visit the doctor’s office and you perform your own scientific experiments when you cook and clean.

I was reminded of this elemental reality upon touring the formulating and manufacturing facilities of Earth Friendly Products in Southern California (a cleaning products company dedicated to delivering neutral pH products). There we discussed some basic facts about pH, and how the pH of our homes, as well as the cells of our bodies, affect our overall state of health - either cleanliness or filth.

Here’s a quick everyday science lesson in understanding pH to make cleaning easier.

According to Wikipedia:

“In chemistry, pH (short for potentiometric hydrogen ion concentration) is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are said to be basic or alkaline.”

The pH scale ranges from 0.0 to 14.0 and it’s important to understand that it’s a logarithmic scale. This means that a change of one pH unit indicates a ten-fold increase in the concentration of hydrogen ions. For example, if we begin with a solution that 
is pH 7 neutral, when the alkalinity of the solution is increased to 8, the strength is now
10 times stronger. Increase the pH to 9 and the solution is 100 times 
stronger than it was at 7. This rapid intensification continues 
until pH 14, which is 10 million times as alkaline as pH 7. It is the same going the other direction on the scale - a pH of 0 is 10 million times as acidic as pH of 7.

Human blood is very near to neutral (roughly 7.4) and human skin is a little more acidic to prevent bacterial growth (roughly 6.0). An infant’s skin is nearer to 7.4 and quickly decreases as they age to have the normal acidity for bacterial protection. You should be trying to use cleaners (and other products) that are close to your own pH. Anything too acidic or alkaline can be irritating or caustic and you’ll need to take precautions.

Note: the performance of a cleaning product cannot be determined simply by knowing the pH of the product. Just because a solution is more acidic or more alkaline does not mean it has superior cleaning capabilities. What really happens in cleaning is an attempt to "neutralize.”

Acids: Acids include coffee, cola, vinegar, and lemon juice. In cleaning products, acids help break down things like rust or mineral deposits. Some common cleaning products that have an acidic pH are: hard water/mineral deposit removers, toilet bowl cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, and mold solutions.

Bases: Bases include baking soda, Borax, ammonia and bleach. They’re useful for removing fatty and oily soils from surfaces. Some common cleaning products that have a basic pH include: oven cleaner, all purpose cleaners, and laundry detergents.

The pH of the stain you are attempting to remove combined with the type of the surface you are addressing should dictate the pH of the cleaner that you are using. Here are general recommendations based on an industry fact sheet on the chemistry of cleaning:

SOIL
Choosing the right cleaner begins by analyzing the soil and matching it to the cleaner best designed to remove it. Some of the common forms of soil best removed by one of the basic cleaners are as follows:

Acids - mineral deposits, such as: iron, lime buildup, uric acid stains, rust, scale, water spots, soap deposits
Alkalis - most common forms of soil including dirt, soot, fats, cooking oils, food stains, baked on grease
Neutral - light-duty cleaning

SURFACE
Choosing the right cleaner also demands an analysis of the surface to be cleaned. The three basic cleaners are designed on different surface areas. The surfaces commonly cleaned by the basic cleaners are as follows:

Neutral - all water washable surfaces, floors coated with finish
Alkalis - resilient flooring metal, porcelain, china, fabrics, formica, vinyl, concrete, quarry tile, removing floor finish films
Acids - vitreous china, metal, glass cement, quarry tile, plexiglass, glass

Read More:

Chasing Molecules: Poisonous Products, Human Health, and the Promise of Green Chemistry


Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

from Healthy Child Healthy World : Know More. Worry Less. Live Better.

What Teflon Is And Why You Should Avoid It.

You know you used it growing up even though your mom’s pans were all beat up and flaking. You know you have used it around your own house, and you know that restaurants use it to cook your food with. You may have even heard it was bad for you. But do you know why and just how bad?

Teflon is the trademarked name for Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This chemical, which makes things “non-stick” in its use here, should be classified as a “likely carcinogen” (cancer-causing substance) according to some advisers to the EPA. You would think that that should be enough to get the EPA to ban its use in tons of products, but alas no…they have just decided that the companies using Teflon should make it less likely to break down. Huh? Yep, in effect, everybody can keep using Teflon as long as they figure out a way to keep it from leeching into everything that it is used in…cookware, clothes, pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags, etc. And companies have until 2015 to do so. I can’t wait to see what type of chemical they come up with to make it “safer” and what that new chemical will do to us.

See, within two to five minutes on a stove, cookware coated with Teflon can exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases linked to thousands of pet bird deaths and an unknown number of human illnesses each year. Sounds safe, right? From the Environmental Working Group:

“In new tests conducted by a university food safety professor, a generic non-stick frying pan preheated on a conventional, electric stovetop burner reached 736°F in three minutes and 20 seconds, with temperatures still rising when the tests were terminated. A Teflon pan reached 721°F in just five minutes under the same test conditions (See Figure 1), as measured by a commercially available infrared thermometer. DuPont studies show that the Teflon offgases toxic particulates at 446°F. At 680°F Teflon pans release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA, a chemical lethal to humans at low doses. At temperatures that DuPont scientists claim are reached on stovetop drip pans (1000°F), non-stick coatings break down to a chemical warfare agent known as PFIB, and a chemical analog of the WWII nerve gas phosgene.“

Well that certainly sounds safe, no? A few years back we switched to stainless steel pots and pans and have not looked back. They might take a little bit longer to clean up, but it is worth it knowing I am not cooking any additional chemicals into my food, never mind releasing more dangerous gases into the air. If you have pans coated with Teflon, I would really advise you to get rid of them and buy stainless steel or cast iron ones; even the cheap ones from Target or somewhere like that are better than using the ones coated with Teflon. Multiple studies have shown how toxic this stuff is…would you like a side of polytetrafluoroethylene or perfluorooctanoic acid with your eggs? Did not think so.

You may also like:

1. What Is BHT (BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE) And Why You Should Avoid It.
2. Is Your Cookware Causing High Molybdenum Levels In Your Blood?

from The Good Human

Oscar Winning Documentary : The Cove

Just watched the Oscar winning movie The Cove. I knew it had to do with the mass killing of dolphins in a small town in Japan. I was ready for that (actually it took me 2 weeks to make myself watch it). But I was not ready for the bigger underlying part of this story... the poisoning of our oceans and the mercury poising. The dolphin meat is high in mercury. So why do they feed it to their people? Well it's something about tradition for the Japanes. Animal Right Activists are right in defending these helpless dolphins.

In the special features on the DVD there's a small film called "The Cove: Mercury Rising". This small film is worth renting the film for. Scientists talk about mercury rising and it's seeming correlation to Autism among other rising diagnosis. I wish I could find it on YouTube but have not found it yet. I'll keep checking.

Toxic Chemicals in House Dust

Here is one of the major reasons why I love the Environmental Working Group. Their article on toxic house dust is terrific. Indoor air pollution is truly a problem for us. It's worse if we have new furniture, carpeting and pets. Few of us take our shoes off when we come into the house but that is good habit to start with. You'll be tracking less amounts of pesticides and other chemicals that we pick up from the outside world. Lots of good To Do's here in this following article by the EWG.

Toxic Chemicals in House Dust

Dust bunnies aren't just unsightly and sometimes allergenic; they contain toxic chemicals. Why? The many chemicals in and around your homes wind up in your indoor dust when they migrate from home products and come in through open doors and windows and on your shoes. But the good news is it's pretty easy to keep those dust bunnies at bay -- and reduce your family's toxic exposures, too. Read on to learn:

1. Why your household dust is toxic
2. How toxic dust can affect your family
3. Tips to remove dust safely and effectively
4. How to create less toxic dust in the first place

1. WHY YOUR HOUSEHOLD DUST IS TOXIC

   
   

   Every home has a little dust -- and its own unique "dust load," based on a variety of factors like where you live, what you cook, if you smoke, the climate, and how many people -- and animals -- live there. Ordinary house dust is a complex mixture of generally yucky stuff -- pet dander, fungal spores, tiny particles, soil tracked in on your feet, carpet fibers, human hair and skin, you name it. It's also a place where harmful chemicals are found. One recent study by the Silent Spring Institute identified 66 endocrine-disrupting compounds in household dust tests, including flame retardants, home-use pesticides, and phthalates.

   The chemicals in your dust originate from both inside and outside your house:

   1. Products inside your house "shed" chemicals over time -- furniture, electronics, shoes, plastics, fabrics and food, among other things.
   2. Outdoor pollutants enter on your shoes and through open and cracked windows and doors.
   
   

   Once inside, the contaminants in indoor dust degrade more slowly (if at all) than they would outside in the environment where moisture and sunlight typically break them down.

   One type of toxic chemical commonly found in household dust is chemical flame retardants (aka PBDEs). As highly flammable synthetic materials have replaced less-combustible natural materials, PBDEs have been added to thousands of everyday products, including computers, TVs and furniture -- among many others. EWG conducted tests in 2004 that revealed the surprising degree to which flame retardant chemicals escape from consumer products and settle in household dust (from degrading foam or the plastics in electronic items).



2. HOW TOXIC DUST CAN AFFECT YOUR FAMILY

   
   

   When you're exposed to certain toxic chemicals -- even at very low doses -- your health can be adversely affected. Dust is simply another way for the toxic chemicals in your house to reach your body.

   Young children are of special concern because their developing bodies are more vulnerable to toxic exposures, and they ingest or inhale more dust than adults since they -- and their toys -- spend lots of time on or very near the floor. They also put dusty hands and toys in their mouths often. Scientists once thought children got lead poisoning by literally chewing on windowsills. We've since learned that it's actually caused by their normal play behaviors because contaminants like lead stick around in house dust.

   In the case of fire retardants, which are commonly found in household dust, scientists have found that exposure to minute doses of toxic PBDEs at critical points in a child's development can damage reproductive systems and cause deficits in motor skills, learning, memory and hearing, as well as changes in behavior. Read EWG's 2004 report about toxic fire retardants in household dust.

   A note about allergies. Dust is a well-known allergen -- with or without the toxic chemicals. If you're allergic to dust, there are preventive steps you can take to reduce your contact with it. The Mayo Clinic has a list of lifestyle and home remedies.



3. TIPS TO REMOVE DUST SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY

   
   

   Careful cleaning is a simple way to get rid of toxic dust. Here's how:

   • Vacuum frequently and use a vacuum fitted with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter. These vacuums are more efficient at trapping small particles and will likely remove contaminants and other allergens from your home that a regular vacuum would recirculate into the air. Change the filter to keep it working well, and don't forget to vacuum the stuffed furniture (get under those couch cushions)!
   • Wet mop uncarpeted floors frequently to prevent dust from accumulating (dry mopping can kick up dust that simply resettles). Buy wooden furniture or furniture filled with down, wool, polyester, or cotton as these are unlikely to contain added fire retardant chemicals.
   • Wipe furniture with a wet or microfiber cloth. Microfiber cloths work well because their smaller fibers cling to the particles. If you don't have a microfiber cloth, wet a cotton cloth -- it grabs and holds the dust better than a dry one. Skip synthetic sprays and wipes when you dust -- they only add unwanted chemicals.
   • Caulk and seal cracks and crevices to prevent dust from accumulating in hard-to-reach places.
   • Equip your forced-air heating or cooling system with high-quality filters and change them frequently to keep them working well.
   • Keep electronic equipment dust-free by damp dusting it frequently; this is a common source of chemical fire retardants in dust.
   • Pay special attention to places where little kids crawl, sit and play. They live closest to our floors and as a result tend to be more exposed to those toxic dust bunnies.
   • If you're dust sensitive, consider asking someone else to do the dusty cleaning.



4. CREATE DUST THAT'S LESS TOXIC IN THE FIRST PLACE

   
   

   You can reduce the amount of toxic chemicals that wind up in your household dust by bringing fewer toxic chemicals into the house in the first place. We suggest that you:

   • Leave your shoes at the door and use a natural doormat. Shoes are a common way we bring outdoor pollutants inside.
   • Inspect foam products made between 1970 and 2005 -- they're likely to contain PBDEs.Replace anything with a ripped cover or foam that is misshapen and breaking down. If you can't replace these items, try to keep the covers intact and clean them more frequently. Some examples of household foam products are: stuffed/upholstered furniture, nursing pillows, padded high-chair seats, portable crib mattresses, baby changing pads, and chair cushions.
   • Choose home electronics without PBDEs. There are manufacturers who no longer use them in some products -- ask before you buy and support companies that have publicly committed to going PBDE-free, like: Acer, Apple, Eizo Nanao, LG Electronics, Lenovo, Matsushita, Microsoft, Nokia, Phillips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony-Ericsson, and Toshiba.
   • Stick to products made with natural fibers that are naturally fire resistant and may contain fewer chemicals -- like wood furniture, cotton, down and wool.
   • Clean up quickly and thoroughly when you finish a home improvement project, since these can involve dust (from sanding or drilling) and toxic products (like lead, PCBs and fire retardants).
   • Consider a high efficiency "HEPA-filter" air cleaner, which may also reduce contaminants that become dust in your house.
   
   From an article from: http://www.greenhealthspot.com