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Organic is Better
RJ Kruckenberg
University Anchorage Alaska
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Abstract
This paper will discuss the difference between the GMO and organic foods. The history of the
two foods will be discussed and how each affects how each food affects the human body. I will
discuss the negative impact the GMO food have left on the world and what we can do to change
it.
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Organic is Better
Food is an interesting thing. It nourishes our bodies and it gives us energy. It is a
delicious renewable resource and that keeps us going. Food is a big part of life and it is important
to make sure that we are eating right and staying healthy. As far the quality and standard of
ingredients that we eat is up for debate. Is organic food better?
First organic and other terms need to be defined in order to have a complete understanding of the
topic. Organically grown, is defined by the EPA as, “Grown and processed using no synthetic
fertilizers or pesticides.” According to the FDA, Natural foods are “Difficult” to define. The
current definition is: “Food that does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic
substances.” Free range is defined as any animals that have access to the outdoors. But there’s
no legal definition. Cage-free means that the animals are not in cages, but instead are inside
barns and warehouses, but they do not have access to the outdoors.
From these definitions we can say that organic foods are more natural than highly processed
foods. Because they do not have pesticides or preservatives. These chemicals can head to huge
heath problem later on in life. For example some of the chemicals can cause gene mutation or
increase the risk of cancer.
The GMO foods began in 1982, when the world what looking to find a faster and easier way to
grow food and feed the world. The FDA approves the first GMO to hit the market. It was an
engineered E. coli bacteria. Then in 1994 the GMO foods hit the grocery stores. The first
tomatoes that would be able to stay fresher longer and have delayed ripening hit the shelves. Not
long after the first GMO resistant weeds were growing in the fields in 1996. These weeds were
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proven to be 11 times more resistant to glyphosate than normal weeds. In 1997, the labeling of
all GMO food products was emanate in the European Union. Only 5 years after the first GMO
tomato hit the shelves, the GMO crops dominate the world. Genetically engineered seeds are
planted in over 100 million acres around the world. Then things get really bad. In under 10 years
the pests have become resistant to the toxins used to kill them. The first Bt-toxin resistant
caterpillar was found eating the GMO crops in 2003. Then in 2011, the same Bt-toxin was found
to be passed to the human fetus. The toxin was found in a pregnant woman in Quebec. The
carless use of chemicals, preservatives, and pesticides used to grow GMO food has finally taken
its toll. Super bug and weeds are being created, soil has become less fertile and destroyed, and
the chemicals can now so serious effect on hour human health.
When farms use pesticides to kill bugs and protest the plant, they are two kinds they can choose
from: Chemical and Biopesticides. Biopesticides are natural pesticides and don’t harm the
environment, while chemical pesticides do harm to the environment. Chemical pesticides can be
broken down into four categories: Organophosphates, Carbonates, Organochlorines, and
Pyrenthoids. These chemicals are sprayed onto the plants in order to keep the bugs and other
pests from destroying the crops. That’s fine and dandy, but consuming these chemicals can lead
to some serious health risks, especially in young children. Young children are at more of a risk
because they do not have the developed immune systems as adults do. Also their bodies are still
growing, which means what they are exposed to can affect their development of their internal
organs. The child’s organ have critical times of development. Pesticides have shone to cut off
absorption of nutrients to the internal organs like the liver, kidneys, heart, and lungs. By cutting
off the nutrients to these organs while they are developing can lead to serious health problems in
the future like: cancer, breathing problems, and heart damage. Children eat more than adults do
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per body weight, so they are more likely to be affected by these chemicals. Also with children
being children, they play are move around on the floor and grass, and often putting their hands
and everything else in their mouth. This environmental circumstances can lead to toxic exposure
to pesticides as well. Infants can even be affected by pesticides while in the womb. Mothers that
are exposed to these pesticides can lead to the baby not being able to fully develop in the womb
and can lead to babies born with birth defects. There were studies started about a decade ago,
funded by the National Institution of Environmental Health and Sciences. They found a
connection between the mother’s exposure to pesticides and how it affects the unborn child.
Overall, the results of the tests showed that the mothers that were exposed to the higher amounts
of pesticide had children with lower I.Q scores by the time they reached school age. The children
with the highest exposure to the pesticides scored 7 points lower than the group that was exposed
to the lowest amounts of pesticides. One of the doctors that worked on the research, Dr.
Landrigan, said this,” When we took lead out of gasoline, we reduced lead poisoning by 90
percent, and we raised the I.Q. of a whole generation of children by four of five points…. I think
these findings about pesticides should generate similar controversy, but I’m cautiously optimistic
that they will have the effect of having the E.P.A sharply reduce the use of organophosphate
pesticides.”(Dr. Landrigan) This data and research show that the amount of pesticides used to
grow G.M.O foods are dangerous and can lead to serious health problems if not monitored
carefully. “Steps can also be taken to minimize exposure to pesticides in foods, particularly
among pregnant women. Buying Organic foods can help because certified organic fruits and
vegetables aren’t grown with organophosphate pesticides. Better washing and pealing of
conventionally grown produce can also reduce exposure.” (Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times,
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par, 11) Not only do the pesticides effect the people who consume the food but also the soil and
Earth which it’s grown in.
The chemical fertilizers used to grow GMO foods have destroyed the soil it’s grown in. The
quality of food has drastically come down even though the quantity has gone up. The more
chemical fertilizers used in the soil, the less organic material is used. This affects the soil
structure and hence the soil irritation. Which led to the decrease of useful aerobic microbes in the
soil. Water holding capacity of the soil has decreased. Runoff water irrigated top soil. Absorption
of nutrients in the plants have been affected due to the imbalanced soil ph levels. The absorption
of nutrients it critical for the plants to produce quality food. But due to the chemical fertilizers
and poor soil, only 20%-30% actually get absorbed. The rest of the nutrients dissolves in the
water quickly and which then causes ground water pollution. Also since the pesticides have
killed the useful predators of plant eating bugs and the decrease in disease resistance of the plants
this made the crops even more susceptible to pests and diseases. This increased the application of
chemical pesticides again. Even then, the productivity is coming down year by year. Chemical
residues like nitrates, sulfides, and heavy metals have accumulated in soil water and crops. Thus
bringing down the food value of the produce.
The only clear answer right now is to turn back to nature and hope that the agricultural industry
can be restored. This information have become public to the world and now the organic market is
growing at neck breaking speeds. In the past ten years the organic market had tripled in size and
value. In 2004, the annual organic food sales only reach a little over 10 billion dollars. Now in
2014 the annual sales are almost 35 billion dollars. Same thing happened to the organic acers. In
1997 there were only roughly 700,000 acres of organic cropland. In 2011, there is now over 3.1
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million acres of organic cropland. This change in market is an obvious message that there is a
change coming to the food and agriculture industries. The carelessness of the past has caught up
to us. We are suffering the consequences now, but there is change coming to the future. People
have become aware of what is going and are starting to care and wanting research about what is
going into their bodies. Organic farming is and old practice but it was the way nature intended
farming to be.
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References
Parker-Pope, T. (2011, April 21). Pesticide Exposure in Womb Affects I.Q. Retrieved November
27, 2014, from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/pesticide-exposure-in-wombaffects-i-q/
Organic Farming part 1. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2014, from http://youtu.be/F9x
YczFw0A
Growth Patterns in the U.S. Organic Industry. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2014, from
http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2013-october/growth-patterns-in-the-us-organicindustry.aspx#.VHbghDHF-BQ
Harmful Effects of Preservatives in Foods. (2010, December 4). Retrieved November 27, 2014,
from http://www.livestrong.com/article/325437-harmful-effects-of-preservatives-infoods/
Genetically Modified Foods: Are They a Risk to Human/Animal Health? (n.d.). Retrieved
November 27, 2014, from http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotechnology/pusztai.html
Harmful Effects of Insecticides/Pesticides From Food On The Human Body. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 27, 2014, from http://youtu.be/bXrVOHCZVO