With the passage of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act and the focus on food-borne diseases often associated with conventional, chemical-intensive food production, it is a good time to remind ourselves about the importance of organic food production and another aspect of food safety not addressed by the Act –pesticide use.
The scientific literature on pesticides and major preventable diseases afflicting us in the 21st century (asthma, autism and learning disabilities, birth defects and reproductive dysfunction, diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and numerous types of cancer) suggests that one of the nation's public health priorities must be an all-out effort to stop the use of hazardous pesticides. Beyond Pesticides launched the Pesticide-Induced Diseases (PID) Database in 2010 to elevate an ongoing effort that maintains a comprehensive listing (in one place) of the epidemiologic, or disease factor and incidence, studies that link exposure to diseases and supports the need to effect a major shift to organic practices.
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