Kappa Psi Upsilon
Kansas Wesleyan University
Conventional Clothing Item from My Closet:
Brown Jacket
Tag: Shell - 100% Cotton, Lining - 64% Polyester, 36% Acrylic, Sleeve
Lining – 100% Nylon, Sleeve Filler – 100% Polyester
Potential Pesticides used in this product:
 Broad-Spectrum Organophosphates
 Carbamate Pesticides
PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK (PAN):
Pesticide poisoning remains a daily reality among agricultural workers in
developing countries, where up to 14% of all occupational injuries in the
agricultural sector and 10% of all fatal injuries can be attributed to
pesticides.
http://www.panna.org/resources/cotton
ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF PESTICIDES:
Broad-spectrum organophosphates, for example, were used as toxic nerve
chemicals during World War II. It goes without saying that these types of
pesticides are extremely dangerous in the processing and disposal of
cotton products. These pesticides truly do exist in our environment, and
are often inhaled by more than just the producers who use them.
Fish killed by pesticide run-off: In 1995, pesticide-contaminated runoff
from cotton fields killed at least 240,000 fish in Alabama. Shortly after
farmers had applied pesticides containing endosulfan and methyl
parathion to cotton fields, heavy rains washed them into the water. The
Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries stated that there was
no indication that the pesticides were applied in an illegal manner.
Birds:It has been estimated that pesticides unintentionally kill at least 67
million birds in the U.S. each year, and it’s likely they kill many more.
Estimates of bird kills from pesticides are notoriously low because many
birds remain hidden in brush, are carried away by scavengers or die away
from treated areas where they won’t be counted. In one case, a breeding
colony of laughing gulls near Corpus Christi, Texas, was devastated when
methyl parathion was applied to cotton three miles away. More than 100
dead adults were found and 25% of the colony’s chicks were killed.
In many developing countries, farmers and farmworkers work in cotton
fields with few if any safety precautions to protect them from pesticides.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, farmers in many
developing countries use antiquated and dangerous pesticide application
equipment, resulting in spills and poisonings. In Pakistan, one of the top
five cotton producing countries, approximately 50% of applied pesticides
are wasted due to poor spraying machinery and inappropriate application.
A 1997 Danish television documentary showed methyl parathion being
sprayed on cotton fields in Nicaragua and Guatemala while children
played in and beside the fields. It also documented numerous cases of
methyl parathion poisonings in cotton production.
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Biomonitoring is the science of measuring toxic chemicals in the
human body. Such studies conducted in the U.S. and around the world are
giving us an ever clearer picture of our pesticide body burden, and the
impacts of this chemical load on human health.
Despite industry assurances that carrying chemicals in our bodies is a
harmless "fact of modern life," there is no evidence that it is safe — and a
growing body of science showing that even at extremely low levels, toxins
in our bodies can disrupt our systems and spur disease.
Agroecology combines scientific inquiry with place-based knowledge
and experimentation, emphasizing technology and innovations that are
knowledge-intensive, low cost, ecologically sound and practical. By
listening to farmers, and using the most up-to-date science, agroecology
provides a modern framework for thinking broadly about agriculture in
terms of its four key systems properties: productivity, resilience, equity
and sustainability.
At PAN, they document and publicize the contribution of the
agroecological sciences to climate-friendly, sustainable development,
profile the successes of local organic farmers and provide technical
support on alternatives to their campaign partners.
In study after study, agroecological farming has been shown to:
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Increase ecological resilience, especially with respect to volatile
weather conditions;
Improve health & nutrition through more diverse, nutritious and
fresh diets and reduced incidence of pesticide poisonings and
pesticide-related diseases;
Conserve biodiversity & natural resources (e.g. soil organic matter,
water quality and quantity, crop genetic diversity, natural enemies
of pests, ecosystem services and pollinator protection);
Improve economic stability with more diverse sources of income,
spread of labor requirements and production benefits over time and
reduced vulnerability to single commodity price swings;
Mitigate effects of climate change through reduced reliance on fossil
fuel and fossil fuel-based agricultural inputs, increased carbon
sequestration and water capture in soil; and
Increase social resilience & community capacity by increasing
ecological literacy and social support networks.
http://www.panna.org/science/agroecology/science
VIDEO, PICTURES, AND MORE OF ORGANIC COTTON PROCESSES:
http://www.kowtowclothing.com/pages/cotton-process