What does DDT, Agent Orange, Aspartame, #6 plastic, rBGH, GMO & Monsanto all have in common? Part 1

Greetings,

This week has been an eye opener.  As I've done some research into Monsanto, their reaches into environmental dangers & dangers to people go back a long way.  But I'm sure most of you have read the title a few times over & are wondering what Monsanto have to do with the first 6 things listed?  They created all of them!  Yes, you read that right.  Monsanto created DDT, aspartame, Agent Orange,#6 plastic, rGBH & GMO's.

And now there is a law in place that they can use their GMO products in our country without any fear of retribution.

This is going to be a HUGE topic.  I'll probably expand this out to 3 or 4 articles.

Lets look at DDT first.

DDT was used to control mice, rats & bats.  It was also used to control mosquitoes  to get rid of malaria.  It is still used in African countries to control the mosquito population.  Bed bugs also decreased as a result of DDT use.  As many of you know, bed bugs are on the uptick again. 

Monsanto (along with 15 other companies) began manufacturing DDT in 1944, it was banned in 1972.

 DDT was linked to the thin shells that nearly caused the bald eagle & peregrine falcons to become extinct.  The eagles came in contact with DDT by eating the fish that became contaminated with the chemical thru run off & spraying.  DDT is toxic enough that .1 mcg in 1 liter of water is enough to slow down growth & photosynthesis of green algae.  It isn't washed away in rain or floods, it continues to accumulate wherever it ends up.  Its like oil, it won't wash away.

For people it is stored in the fatty tissues, kidneys, liver & adrenal glands.  Your liver & kidneys are filters for the body.  Imagine what was stored in peoples bodies that were exposed to DDT.  I heard a story once that as a girl this lady played in the fumes of the DDT spray, she has Parkinson's disease now.

Also, DDT has been linked to low birth weight & prematurity in babies.

Now that DDT has been taken out of the equation for most of North America, eagles are back on the upswing & the Peregrine Falcon has been taken of the endangered list after a record number of them were seen flying across Hawk Ridge in Duluth, MN in 1988.  (I was there that year, amazing sight)

Now, lets take a look at Agent Orange.

 Agent Orange was used in Vietnam to defoliate the area where the soldiers were fighting.  However this chemical had major health ramifications for the people in the area, including the soldiers.  Hodgkins Lymphoma, non-hodgkins lymphomae, along with cancers of the lung, larnyx & prostate.

Over a 10 year period, 400,000 people were killed & an estimated 500,000 children were born with birth defects as a result of Agent Orange.  During this same 10 year period, over 20 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam.  The area sprayed was 13 times the amount that the USDA recommended.

The National Toxicology program classified this to be a carcinogen.  Soldiers who were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam war had skin rashes, psychological problems, birth defects in their children & other health issues. A lawsuit that was settled out of court gave over $200 million to veterans between 1988 & 1996.

This chemical was also found in the breast milk of the moms living in the area where this stuff was sprayed.

The spraying for Agent Orange stopped in April 1971.  That was 42 years ago & the people of the area are still feeling the affects of it.

It took 16 years from the time DDT usage was banned until the birds were finally making a comeback.  40+ years later, Vietnam is still feeling the affects of a chemical we sprayed in the area to defoliate the area & to destroy the food for the guerilla's they were fighting.

How long will it take for the U.S. to realize they big mistake they made when they gave Monsanto a free rein?

I'll be posting more on this topic next week.

Until next time,

Lori

Sources -


http://www.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/pest/pest1.html


http://www.indiadivine.org/showthread.php/1059498-Using-DDT-should-be-a-no-brainer-at-least-they-got-that-part-right!-THIS-IS-VERY-BAD-INFORMATION

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1012-ddt-finally-linked-to-human-health-problems.html

http://www.scienceclarified.com/Co-Di/DDT-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane.html

 http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/intheworkplace/agent-orange-and-cancer

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange