Is bottled water clean? If you've been reading our newsletters for a while, you'll know it is not. But a new study shines more light on the issue. We’ve also featured other important new studies: Pesticides and prostate cancer. Glyphosate and high blood pressure. And more news you need to know about. Keep calm and carry on reading…
Study: Toxic PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Detected in 99% of Bottled Water Tested
The researchers bought 112 plastic or glass bottled water samples – 89 still and the rest sparkling – from local shops and online supermarkets across the UK and China, including 87 brands with water sources from 15 countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. The study, published in the journal ACS ES&T Water, shows that you can't avoid PFAS by buying bottled water. And when it comes to plastic bottles, it's not just the PFAS you have to worry about. Plastic bottles release toxic microplastics and hundreds of other plastic chemicals into the water.
We can't be certain why bottled water is PFAS-contaminated. Are the bottled water corporations not properly filtering the water? We recommend Waterdrop Reverse Osmosis tankless under-sink water filter systems. It's a brand we use in our homes. Waterdrop RO filters are certified, remove PFAS, pesticides, fluoride and other toxins. They save space, are more water efficient than other systems, and the filters last a long time. You can check out their products HERE. Whether you get a Waterdrop RO system or another brand, ditch the single-use plastic water bottles. Not good for you or the planet.
Check out our Fork the System Podcasts and other videos...
Study: Many Pesticides Linked to Prostate Cancer
In a new study published in the journal Cancer, researchers at Stanford University identified 22 specific pesticides — herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and a soil fumigant — "consistently associated with the incidence of prostate cancer." The team explained that it used "a lag period between exposure and cancer incidence of 10 to 18 years because most prostate cancers grow slowly." Of the 295 pesticides initially assessed, 22 had links to prostate cancer, including the herbicide 2,4-D, now widely used as a weedkiller on lawns and on GMO soybeans, but also on conventional fruits and vegetables. The study also found 3 other herbicides — trifluralin, cloransulam-methyl, diflufenzopyr — and one insecticide — thiamethoxam — are linked to an increased prostate cancer mortality rate. These pesticides are also used widely in conventional agriculture on fruits, nuts, vegetables, and grain crops, including cotton and alfalfa. Of these, only trifluralin is classified as a "possible human carcinogen" by the EPA.
Good job, EPA. Not. As always, eat organic where you can to reduce your exposure to pesticides. And if you have a yard or garden, ditch the pesticides.
Pesticide-Related PAC Money Surges Into State Legislatures as Pesticide Corporations Seek to Limit Damage Awards in Court
As pesticide companies struggle to cap legal payouts to plaintiffs injured by Roundup and other products, money from two political committees affiliated with pesticide manufacturers has surged into state-level politics. In recent years, total contributions to state legislators have reached hundreds of thousands of dollars. By contrast, in 2016, the two leading agrichemical companies gave less than 5% of contributions to candidates at the state level. This year, however, state candidates received about 30% of contributions from PACs for employees of Bayer-Monsanto, headquartered in Germany, and Corteva, based in the U.S. In many cases, candidates received small amounts from the PACs, such as $500 or $1,000, but a campaign finance expert said that all donations count. "Suppose you have two people outside your office who want to go to lunch, and you only have time for one," said Bob Stern, former general counsel of the CA Fair Political Practices Commission. He said typically, a politician would be more likely to go to lunch with the one who has made the donation. "Nobody wastes money. There is a big reason they’re making their contribution. It’s not a charity,” Stern said.
Bayer has publicly stated they will keep trying to buy off state and federal politicians next year. Read our blog about the Monsanto Protection Act on Steroids and take action HERE.
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UT Researcher Examines Link Between Glyphosate and High Blood Pressure
Ishan Manandhar, a PhD candidate in the Molecular Medicine track at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences writes: "Why should we care about high blood pressure? Because this is the biggest risk factor for heart disease and stroke, which are the two leading causes of death in the U.S. Despite better treatments available, high blood pressure is a global problem... In 2015, our research laboratory was the first to show a clear link between gut microbiota and blood pressure. My research has focused on investigating whether glyphosate impacts our gut microbiota to raise blood pressure... We administered glyphosate to our rat model, and indeed, there was a significant rise in their blood pressure. Next, our million-dollar question was how glyphosate increases blood pressure, and whether an altered gut microbiota is involved?"
Read the rest for the answer to the million-dollar question...
U.S. Government Paid PR Firm to Track and Vilify Critics of GMOs and Pesticides
Covert PR operations involving the secret profiling of over 3,000 people and organizations considered "critics" of the pesticide industry recently made headlines around the world. The secret profiles, including ones on GMWatch and its co-directors, are said to include private and personal, even intimate, information that lawyers say violate privacy laws in several countries and regions, such as the UK, the EU, Kenya and India. They also include false, misleading and malicious claims, clearly designed to damage the reputations of those targeted. This was all uncovered during a year-long in-depth investigation led by Lighthouse Reports, a Netherlands-based consortium of journalists that work on collaborative public interest investigations with the world’s leading media. The main breakthrough came when the investigators managed to penetrate the private social network, known as Bonus Eventus, where the profiles were being shared. This enabled them to not only access these secret dossiers, but to identify the Bonus Eventus network’s members and work out exactly who had done the profiling.
Why Farmers Use Harmful Insecticides They May Not Need
In 2020, Sean Dengler returned to his roots and joined his father in farming 500 acres of corn and soybeans in Iowa. As he learned the ropes, he began engaging with Practical Farmers of Iowa, a unique organization that attracts out-of-the-box thinkers and tinkerers across a wide spectrum of sustainable agriculture in the Midwest. Soon, he was reading about neonicotinoids—“neonics” for short—now the most commonly used insecticides in American agriculture. Farmers can spray them on fields, but neonics are ubiquitous because seed companies coat seeds with neonics, called a seed treatment. As the seeds germinate and grow, the neonics are absorbed and distributed throughout the plant’s tissues, making the entire plant toxic to certain pests. But neonics can also kill bees and other beneficial insects, birds, and harm mammals, including humans. New research and evidence accumulated over the last few years suggest that widespread use of neonic-treated seeds provide minimal benefit to farmers. In other words, they're a waste of money. So why do conventional farmers still buy neonic-coated seeds when they increase seed costs and don't provide any benefits? You may have already guessed. But read more to find out...
We’ve been asked these questions over and over. What do we buy? Where do we shop?
When you shop through our affiliate links, you'll be shopping more sustainably and also supporting our nonprofit work. Thank you for supporting our mission for a GMO/Toxin Free USA! Check out our other affiliates here.If you prefer to shop on Amazon, here is our GMO/Toxin Free USA Storefront, where we continue to research and add many more non-toxic and plastic-free products.
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