The Irrationality of Increased Pesticide Use

“The Earth our home, is beginning to look like an immense pile of filth…The deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the planet: both everyday experience and scientific research show that the gravest effects of all attacks on the environment are suffered by the poorest…It is hard for us to accept that the way natural ecosystems work is exemplary:  plants synthesize nutrients which feed herbivores; these in turn become food for carnivores, which produce significant quantities of organic waste which give rise to new generations of plants.  But our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and consumption has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products…The spread of GMO crops destroys the complex web of ecosystems, decreases diversity in production and affects the present and the future of regional economies.”

This statement provides the gist of Pope Francis’ recently released encyclical on climate change and the increasing use of pesticides on GMO crops.  Previously, in September 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the use of 2,4 D on genetically modified corn and soybean crops, which, in conjunction with glyphosate (Roundup), is being registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Enlist Duo.  And on the heels of the Pope’s message and the approval of Enlist Duo comes the evaluation of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that 2,4 D is, like glyphosate, “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”  Dow AgroSciences, which created the Enlist Duo mixture of chemicals, like Monsanto, relies on the sale of GMO seeds and the chemicals that go with them for their profits.  Their response to the IARC assessment, then, is disingenuous at best, as they claim, falsely, that “no herbicide has been more thoroughly studied.”

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), however, disputes the EPA’s cursory testing of the combination of 2,4 D and glyphosate, stating that the “EPA overlooked both the significant potential health risks for young children and the environmental damage that would result from large-scale 2,4 D spraying.”  They go on to say that “the risk assessment documents published by the EPA contain multiple inaccuracies and significantly underestimate the real harm to human health and the environment.”  One such study employed the No Observed Adverse Effects Level standard, which indeed demonstrated that toxicity effects were not observed in adult animals, but did show toxicity effects in young animals; this part of the study was ignored.  Concurrently, the EWG noted that the EPA failed “to apply the additional safety factor of 10, as mandated under the Food Quality Protection Act, for cases in which children are shown to be more vulnerable than adults.  The animal study data clearly show that young animals are more susceptible to 2,4 D toxicity compared to adult animals.  In such a case, the 10-fold safety factor…is required by law.”  Older studies have also been ignored.  In 1992, U.S. Cancer Institute scientists found that “frequent use of…2,4-dicholorophenoxyacetic acid has been associated with 2 to 8-fold increases of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in studies conducted in Sweden, Kansas, Nebraska, Canada and elsewhere.”

Aside from the consideration of concrete evidence that these pesticides harm human health, it should stand to reason that increasing the use and variety of pesticides is not rational.  It has long been established that spraying a pesticide repeatedly selects for weeds which also resist the chemical.  In response, ever more resistant weeds are then bred, able to withstand increasing amounts, and often different forms, of pesticides.  In 2013, Food & Water Watch produced a study called “Superweeds.  How Biotech Crops Bolster the Pesticide Industry,” which showed that as weeds developed resistance to a particular pesticide farmers reacted by applying more pesticides.  They found a 10-fold increase in pesticide use from 1996 to 2012.

Pope Francis, as well as the Dalai Lama, are simply trying to bring a greater awareness of the dangers GMO crops inflict on the planet and human beings.  One need not be a scientist to recognize that the increased use of pesticides  world wide threatens human health, the environment and local economies.  Rick Santorum infamously has stated that Pope Francis should “leave science to the scientists,” and focus instead on “theology and morality.”  Jeb Bush, in his response to the Pope’s encyclical, said that “I think religion ought to be about making us better as people.”  I would argue that curtailing the use of potentially dangerous chemicals that are seeping into the ground, water and food falls decidedly into the camp of what’s moral or what would make us better as people.  The continued expansion of GMO crops and their dependence on ever increasing amounts and types of chemicals does nothing but line the pockets of Dow Chemical, Monsanto, et. al.  The Catholic Church continues to be on the wrong side of many issues, but this harmless encyclical is not one of those times.

Recipe of the Week

Grilled Flat Iron Steak Burritos with Black Beans

If possible, it’s best to use grass fed beef.  One of the advantages is that marinating the meat before grilling isn’t necessary, as grain fed meat is more stringy, which has to do with the animal’s inability to process grains effectively.

1 lb. grass fed flat iron steak

1 onion, sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

4 jalapenos, minced (optional)

Rub the meat with salt and pepper and grill for 2.5 minutes per side.  Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

Saute the onion, hot peppers and bell pepper in 2 tbls. olive oil until soft.  Add the garlic and cilantro, cook for 30 seconds more and turn off the heat.

You can cook a small batch of black beans or use a can of organic beans, well rinsed.  Slice the meat, add the beans and cooked vegetables and roll up in a flour tortilla.