You’ve touched on some of the health+ecological problems caused by these toxic synthetic poisons, but one of the biggest problems is that they simply don’t work. Much like our “healthcare” system, this is based on treating symptoms rather than causes. Healthy soil with plenty of organic matter and biological activity has a balance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria, insects, etc. Pests rarely become a serious problem because they are kept in check by the ‘good’ bugs. Industrial agriculture uses massive monoculture plantings that seriously cut out biodiversity. They also use synthetic fertilizers (made from oil- yes, another aspect of our addiction), which also are ineffective, toxic, bad for the plants (and thus the people who eat them), burn away the organic matter in the soil, kill the biology in the soil, and anyway almost all of it leaches into the water killing the rivers and bays.

So not surprisingly, these operations have pest infestations. So they spray on some toxic synthetic pesticide to kill the pest. Of course, this also kills what good bugs are left. Now the plants are completely defenseless (bad bugs tend to reproduce and repopulate much faster than good bugs) and will need continued spraying just to keep the crops alive. Basically their crops are kept on life support, to the detriment of the health of the water, soil, air, and all living things. Not to mention that the food produced from this situation is not as nutritious as naturally-grown food, and comes with all sorts of toxic residues.

Anyway there are nontoxic methods for dealing with pests- for instance, vinegar kills most ‘weeds’ as effectively as a toxic pesticide. Boric acid and spinosad products are as effective at killing ants as the toxic stuff. Without any of the drawbacks. Just a couple of examples of non-toxic alternatives. But we also need to evaluate if something really is a problem- for instance, what we call ‘weeds’ are simply plants… if they aren’t causing a problem do you really need to kill them? Milkweeds serve as food for Monarch butterflies… If you get rid of all the dandelions you won’t have butterflies… butterflies pollinate flowers, so the consequences run on down the line. Simplistic example, but everything in nature fits in its own specific place and purpose.

Of course it’s all about money… In a sick sort of way you have to marvel at Monsanto’s diabolical genius. If people valued health and their health, air, water, earth, and all the amazing life on this planet more than finding the cheapest possible food, then the factory farms wouldn’t have the upper hand as they do now. But look at the growth of McDonalds and you see how much most people care about eating good food… Same goes for oil- however harmful it is when all the consequences are taken into account, it’s cheapest up front so that’s all that matters to most people.

But the organic movement continues to grow, and I’m hopeful that it will be THE way before it’s too late for all of us.

I plan to share your article and look forward to keeping up-to-date with your research.

cheers
catrayl