3rd October 2004
I have for over 20 years been writing gardening articles for various newspapers through out New Zealand and during much of that time ran a garden centre called ‘Nature Spirits’ along with a nursery for supplying plants to the garden centre.
As I become older, I hope that I have become wiser, and now at the age of about 59, I have come to believe that we have far too many chemicals in our food chain and in our day to day living.
I believe it is these chemicals which have become more commonly available in the last 50 odd years that are causing the great increase in cancer, arthritis and a number of other health problems that affect far too many people.
I am often invited to talk to groups, clubs and gardening circles and a couple months back was invited to the Levin Branch of the Soil and Health Assn to talk about some of the organic type products that we distribute.
Normally I am going to meetings to endeavour to convert gardeners to safer spraying and fertilizing practices to increase the health of their soil, in their gardens.
I must say it opened my eyes to the possible problems that face mankind these days through chemicals GE and other problems that can affect our health.
Another interesting thing happened to me recently and that was along with my AA magazine came fliers in regards to a book called ‘Cancer, Cause and Cure’ written by an Australian Farmer, Percy Weston, prior to his death recently at the age of 102.
After reading the book and not to my knowledge having any form of cancer, decided to obtain the powders (minerals that Percy used) to take, to use, as a preventive, which is always far better than having to take as a cure.
If you follow both the recommendations above, you could come to realise, as I have, that a number of things you do in your day to day living and diet, maybe leading you and your loved ones to possible health problems including cancer.
Did you know that the salmon you buy that is ‘farmed salmon’ contains a chemical to make the farmed salmon pink? This because the salmon don't have a normal diet wild salmon do.
But what you are not likely aware of is that the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (thats the government department that is supposed to protect our food chain from contamination which could cause health problems. Its the authority that by a fluke of chance recently discovered unsafe/dangerous levels of lead in corn flour that was used in food preparations for babies.)
Anyway Governments are not perfect or their departments and in their recent Total Diet Survey they found 14 pesticides in raisins and sultanas!
Now each of the pesticides was at a level that is supposed to be safe for humans based on the amount of each chemical it takes to kill 50% of rats or rabbits that are fed the poison to find its Lethal Dose 50. (LD50)
If you look at the supposed safe levels of various chemicals used on crops you will notice that MRL’s
So why is it, that if I eat safely, a banana with only up to 1 milligram per Kilo (supposedly safe for me,) yet if I eat a lettuce, I can eat 10 milligrams per kilo and still be safe!
By the way Acephate is the active pesticide that you will find in Orthene, Shield and Gild.
Back to our children’s raisins and sultanas. We have MRL’s for each chemical found and if by the remotest fluke of chance, these individual levels were safe in the short and long term for young children and their developing bodies maybe ok.
But what we don't have is the research (as it has only been done in a very limited amount) what 2 or more of these chemicals in the same food has on our health. (The chemical cocktail)
So how about 14 chemicals in your children's raisins and sultanas?
Having one poison at low levels in a food that we eat is bad enough, but having more than one should be totally unacceptable. AND Lets face it; except for organically grown food you can bet your bottom dollar that Roundup or similar will be in every food you eat as it is the most commonly used chemical in agriculture, orchards and farming on the planet!
In the past we have seen man made products such as DDT, Lindane, Arsenic of Lead, Lead based products (petrol and paint to name two) asbestos products along with various wonder drugs that were released as mile stones and great discoveries to benefit mankind, in days gone by and now all have been banned as been too dangerous to our health and the environment.
I believe that many of the so call safe chemicals that we are subjected to, in our day to day living, will in time to come, be also banned, as each is proved to be too dangerous to use.
Here’s another wee thought before I close for today, Antibiotics according to an article I read recently;
Come back again sometime and see what new things I have to say and question.
I have gone from using various chemical controls to been very opposed to the use of the same, at least in my local environment.
I liquidated the garden centre and nurseries a few years back and semi-retired into my current situation which is writing gardening articles and supplying a range of ‘Safe-to-Use’ or organic type products to garden centres and by mail order to gardeners.
The health of babies and children are even more adversely affected because their bodies are developing and more susceptible to harmful chemicals and their effects.
Here I was going to preach to the converted! It turned out a very interesting experience and I was able, I believe, assist the members present, into some good practices.
But the most of the situation came to myself, as I was invited to join the association by subscribing to their bi-monthly magazine, ‘Organic NZ’
Not been a person that browses magazine stands, I had never come across the publication.
In the prelude to giving the talk the Levin branch had sent me a copy of their current publication.
I found that the quality of the publication was very good and the information and articles therein very informative.
So I had no hesitation, on not only subscribing, but also purchasing a number of past issues.
The Soil and Heath Association has a very good web site at http://www.organicnz.org/
where you can view free of charge some of the ‘Hot Topics’ of past issues.
You can also buy the past issues and register to have the magazine sent to you every 2 months.
It is a very good investment to keep you well informed and maybe use the information to your own health benefits.
Percy saw the introduction of Superphosphate to his farm and district and the cancer problems it caused in his stock, along with birth and other health defects.
His observations allowed him to use common minerals to cure his stock, and of course by not using further applications of Super.
Later he also contracted a Cancer on his hand which according to the doctors would require likely amputation. Instead Percy took daily, the same minerals that he had given to his stock and went on a low phosphorus diet. Over the next few months the cancer shrunk and the dead cancer was removed from from his hand, with a knife by himself.
His wife also contacted cancer on two separate occasions and he cured her in both instances using the same method. Not only that, after the first occasion his, up to then, infertile wife conceived and produced two healthy children. Percy had a further cancer develop also, which he was able to completely cure. His efforts saved many people from Cancer that used his methods.
You can obtain a copy of this book by phoning 0800 140 141 (NZ) for only $27.95.
(Tell them Wally Richards sent you, I don't get anything out of it but like ‘brownie points’)
Interestingly the minerals that you take are common ones used in agriculture and with a little thought once you know them and the percentages used, per daily dose, you could make your own very cheaply.
For instance if you have a micro-wave and you beep food that is in plastic containers you are putting
(migrating) DEHA from the plastic to the food at between 200 and 500 parts per million.
The FDA allowable standard is 0.00005 parts per million for DEHA!
Also there are chemicals used in plastic that mimic your own body’s chemicals. We are talking about hormone mimics which could cause unknown problems.
Organic NZ Jan/Feb 2004 page 10; Poisonous Packaging.
On the same vein another chemical is put into battery hen’s food to make the yolks a dark colour.
Without, their diet makes the yolks a light unappealing colour. Used is canthaxanthin and it has been demonstrated that this can cause harm, albeit at high levels, of consumption of eggs containing canthaxanthin!
If you have young children you likely buy those little packs of raisins or sultanas for them as snacks or put a pack into their school lunches. Wonderful healthy food for their young bodies we believe.
That is the amount that per body weight will kill the first 50 animals out of a 100. The other 50 may die later of have acute health problems. (Who cares)
Then a mathematical juggling is done to presume that a certain amount of the chemical is ok for an adult human man to consume without any noticeable side effects or long term health problems.
A further mathematical juggling is done to take in account of woman and children.
(Maximum Residue Limits) for a chemical such as Acephate (measured at milligrams per Kilo of food measured)
is 1mg/kilo for Banana, 0.2 for eggs, 5 for sweet peppers and tomatoes and a whopping great 10 for lettuce. (Australia MRL)
I cant find NZ MRL’s yet. But NZ is usually fairly well linked to Australia in these matters.
I think thats about 1000 % more of the chemical.
If I eat a salad that has both eggs, tomatoes, sweet peppers and lettuce in it and all contain just under the
MRL of Acephate I am getting a big dose of the chemical in one meal!
I know of people that have reported to me that they cannot use these sprays without feeling ill or dizzy and some are affected if the products are used any where in the near neighbourhood and they are out doors!
It appears that the safety is not so much based on how it would affect our health but based on the economics of cost to the amount of chemical is needed to control pests or diseases in the crop based on what is termed ‘Sound Agriculture Practices’
We do have for instance two bits of research according to Organic NZ July/Aug 2004 page 9 to 11;
The herbicide Paraquat and the fungicide Maneb, in combination in low levels, caused the key brain cells known as dopamine neurons to die. This is the hall mark of Parkinson’s Disease.
The levels of the chemicals were described as been as low as those found in conventionally produced food. The effect did not occur when the mice were exposed to the chemicals individually.
Another research found that a mixture of the herbicide atrazine, the insecticide aldicarb and nitrate fertiliser at levels found in drinking water, were observed to cause endocrine, immune, and behaviour changes in rats, but rarely did these chemicals on their own, cause these affects.
Even more concerning was found in these healthy foods the following;
12 chemicals in Bran cereal, 11 in muesli, 8 in jam, 6 in canned apricots, 5 in peanut butter, snack bars, snacks flavoured. 4 in chocolate biscuits, cracker biscuits, prunes, still red wine. 3 in apple based juice, pasta, peaches canned, tomato sauce, wheatbix, wine still white and yoghurt!
AND the NZ Food Safety has the cheek to say we have healthiest chemical free food in the world.
It is fact, that 99% of the foods tested for a couple of hundred different chemicals, but not some very common chemicals such as Roundup had no detectable residues!
If you look at the foods tested for the chemicals, there was included so many foods that there would be no possible contamination, because these foods never ever come into contact with the chemicals tested for unless one deliberately poisoned them.
And we don't have the NZ Food Safety test for it even!
Put Roundup with another chemical or two in your food and you don't know what it is doing to your health and your families well being. Nether do the scientists or otherwise they are not telling.
We all have heard of the Super Bug that has evolved from the mis-use of antibiotics been prescribed for health problems unneeded as well as not been controlled in their uses.
At some point of time a bug will evolve to the extent that a previously used antibiotic has no effect on it.
Now in farm animals and chickens it is a common practice to include antibiotics in their feed to prevent
certain diseases getting started. The antibiotics prescribed to animals are not much different to what are prescribed for humans.
When we eat meat, dairy products, chickens and eggs we are likely consuming low levels of these antibiotics.
Antibiotics used at low levels are the breeding grounds for super bugs and you and I could well be developing bacteria in our bodies that will not only cause problems maybe for us but the rest of humanity!
Keep Healthy in the mean time,
Wally Richards