2012 The Year of Troubles

We have finally arrived at the fateful year of 2012 and we can expect all kinds of troubles. We might as well get used to it; we are now living in a year of prophecy — that is, if you are attuned to such things. Where I built my Sanctuary in Brazil they have been talking…

State Department uses taxpayer money to push GMOs in other countries

(NaturalNews) It is no secret that the vast majority of subsidized corn, soy, canola, and cotton grown in the US is of genetically-modified (GM) origin. But it has now been revealed that the US government is also using millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize the promotion of GMOs across the globe as well. The administration of so-called “change” has actually taken the previous Bush Administration’s promotion of GMOs to a whole new level. Rather than push for mandatory labeling of GMOs like he promised, Barack Obama instead padded his administration with pro-biotechnology lackeys like US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Senior Adviser to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner on Food Safety Michael Taylor (http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda_watch.cfm). So is it any surprise that the head of the State Department’s Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs (EEB), Jose W. Fernandez, is also a pro-biotechnology expert lawyer that once held a key role in facilitating mergers and acquisitions in Latin America? His expertise, of course, is now being used to manipulate other countries into accepting GMOs, and the agency he heads is using taxpayer dollars to do it. According to AlterNet , Fernandez recently spoke at an event attended by high-level government officials, agribusiness CEOs, and others from around the world concerning the supposed benefits of biotechnology. During his speech Fernandez essentially lied to the group by implying that, without GMOs, it would be impossible to produce enough food to feed the world. Numerous recent studies have shown this to be false, of course, including a comprehensive report conducted by the Rodale Institute which found that organic, small-scale farming methods actually produce higher yields for less cost (http://www.naturalnews.com/033925_organic_farming_crop_yields.html). But why should we let facts get in the way of Big Biotech’s agenda to inject its “Frankencrops” into the agricultural economies of countries around the world? And EEB’s Office of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Textile Trade Affairs (ABT) has been facilitating this agenda by promoting biotechnology for almost ten years now, which includes distributing roughly half a million in taxpayer-sourced “Biotechnology Outreach Funds” to thrust GMOs on foreign countries. AlterNet reports that in 2010, a US embassy in Ecuador petitioned ABT for $22,900 to fly five Ecuadorian journalists to the US to participate in a pro-biotech brainwashing retreat. That same year, US embassies in both Brazil and Mozambique requested $64,590 to hold a pro-biotech seminar in Maputo. Sources for this article include: http://www.alternet.org/story/152921/why_is_the_state_department_using_our_money_to_pimp_for_monsanto

High levels of GMO agrochemicals found in breast milk of Brazilian mothers

(NaturalNews) The pesticides and herbicides used to treat genetically-modified organisms (GMO) are showing up in significant amounts in rainwater, water wells, and even mothers’ breast milk, according to new research out of Brazil. Particularly among residents living near massive GMO monoculture operations, research reveals that 100 percent of women tested positive for at least one agrochemical in their breast milk, and cumulatively tested at agrochemical levels much higher than what is even permitted in cow’s milk. In 2006, an airplane spraying accident contaminated the entire Brazilian city of Lucas do Rio Verde with untold levels of toxic agrochemicals. Residents of that city are already exposed to more than 35 gallons of agrochemicals in a year , but during that particular year, residents were exposed to even higher amounts. As a result, researchers decided to delve deeper into what the effects of that exposure have been on the population. According to an investigation out of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, a sampling of breast milk from 62 women revealed that all were contaminated with at least one dangerous agrochemical. Every single sample also tested positive for DDE, a metabolite of the infamous synthetic pesticide DDT, which has been banned in Brazil for over a decade. Other chemicals detected in the majority of samples included organochlorines, which are extremely toxic. According to Danielly Palma, the primary researcher who worked on the study, 44 percent of the breast milk samples contained beta-endosulfan, an insecticide chemical known to damage the central nervous system, immune system, and respiratory system (http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/wastemin/minimize/factshts/endobeta.pdf). Thirty-seven percent of the samples tested positive for deltamethrin, another widely-used, highly-toxic insecticide known to cause severe prenatal damage (http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/carbaryl-dicrotophos/deltamethrin-ext.html). Overall, the study illustrates clearly how pervasive industrial agriculture chemicals are in the environment and among populations. There is simply no denying that the massive spraying of GMO agrochemicals is affecting humans in very significant ways, and that GMOs are hardly the “green” breakthrough in agricultural technology that the biotechnology companies would have you think they are. Sources for this story include: http://www.gmwatch.eu/latest-listing/1-news-items/13039-agrochemicals-found-in-mothers-milk-in-soy-producing-area-of-brazil

The people of Japan

(NaturalNews) In Japan today we are witnessing a noble people being put to the test. In fact the entire world, with all its peoples and governments, are going to be tested against the sheer power of nuclear contamination that knows little of time and space. Radiation moves rather freely through space and some forms of it stay around for so long we might as well say forever. This catastrophe comes at an especially bad moment compounding other disasters just waiting to happen in areas of finance, economics, agriculture, worldwide pollution and toxicity, massive nutritional deficiencies in vital minerals and other nutrients. Taking the first hit though are the Japanese people and they are showing us their character. One of my faithful readers KazBradly from Australia wrote, “Regarding Japan, I was meditating the other night and was sending love and appreciation to the Japanese people who were trying so hard to contain their disaster and all I could feel was the wonderful sense of love, honor and duty that the nuclear plant employees had whilst they were risking their lives for the greater good. Even in disaster, there is beauty to be found.” She also forwarded a letter that she had received from a woman named Ann who is living in Japan; “Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front doors open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, ‘Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another. Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials.’ “Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group. And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation yes, but fear or panic, no. “Somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide . My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don’t. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that is much larger than myself.” This is a good moment to remember one of the most certain facts of life. We are all going to die eventually, though depending on one’s beliefs, perhaps it is only our bodies that turn to dust. With this nuclear disaster getting worse by the moment, and with the one plutonium reactor getting completely out of hand, death is edging closer to millions of people. Things are getting seriously out of hand all over the world actually. When you calculate looming food shortages and horrendous price increases, radically changing climate, impending financial and economic collapse with revolution and government oppression, worldwide pollution and toxic poisoning of populations, we should be able to see that the quality of life for billions of people is on the downswing. Some, if not many, people are actually happy about such events as they feel that a reduction of the world population would be a good thing. They have for years been building their underground shelters. Today companies in the business of helping people dig holes in the ground are booming, yet I wonder what kind of life they will find there. A friend of mine insisted that I was wrong to be building my Sanctuary above ground and that I too should dig a hole for myself and my family. Thanks but no thanks; I would rather die above ground. I cannot even convince my wife to move out of the comforts of the beautiful coastal city we live in on the northeast coast of Brazil to the relative safety of my retreat and survival center in the interior highlands; imagine my chances of getting her to live in a hole. Life, in part, is actually a long preparation for death. How we die is important as is how we live. The Japanese are in the lead showing us that no matter how difficult things can get, one can live and die with dignity. Link to the video THE REALITY DETACHED AMERICAN . If we are not paying attention to what is going on in Japan and the rest of the world there is no chance we will prepare and no chance we will open our hearts. The news is dire and now the Japanese government is beginning to encourage people to evacuate a larger band of territory around the nuclear complex. Before you know it they will be evacuating Tokyo and the rest of northern Japan and the world’s third largest economy will go down like a rock and pull the world’s economy down with it. For all the references, sources and more articles on radiation and chemical toxicity please visit Dr. Mark Sircus blog .

Testing expert says labeling GMOs does not increase food costs

(NaturalNews) Prof. Chris Viljoen from the GMO Testing Laboratory at the University of the Free State in South Africa recently wrote a piece in BusinessDay countering false claims that mandatory labeling requirements for genetically-modified (GM) foods increase food costs. According to his analysis, mandatory GM labeling is good for both business and consumers. In contrast to current U.S. policy, many nations around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, China, Brazil, and the entire European Union, require that food containing genetically-modified (GM) ingredients be labeled as such. And South Africa is now considering joining them as well. But the proposition has sparked a wave of misinformation from naysayers who insist that labeling requirements will increase food costs. According to Viljoen, one such claim that mandatory labeling will increase food costs by up to 20 percent is patently false. An comprehensive study out of the EU found that GMO labeling requirements, depending on their stringency, increased food costs in Europe by a mere 0.17 percent at the most, which is hardly significant. Viljoen also states in an article that there is virtually no cost increase for businesses to have their foods laboratory tested for GMOs, since such foods already have to be tested for other things like contaminants, additives, and colors. And in mose cases, producers already know if a conventional product they sell contains GM ingredients because many popular staple crops like corn and soy are almost always GM unless they are organic or specifically sold as non-GM. So any contention that testing is unreasonably burdensome and costly is pure nonsense, he says. The real issue is not cost, but rather the effect that labeling has on consumer preference. Powerful biotechnology companies like Monsanto know that if given the choice, consumers will almost always choose non-GM food over GM food. So they work overtime to prevent labeling policies from being enacted, which is what they have thus far successfully done in the U.S. Sources for this story include: http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx?id=133250

Combination of essential oils halts PMS

(NaturalNews) When a young woman is moody or bursts into tears easily, it’s not unusual for someone to joke “oh, it must be near her ‘time of the month’.” But if you actually suffer from Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS), the truth is there’s not much funny about it at all. In addition to mood swings, PMS can cause abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, clumsiness, constipation or diarrhea, confusion, fatigue, anxiety and more. And, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) these symptoms typically get worse in a woman’s late 30s and 40s. Mainstream medical doctors often prescribe side effect-laden pain pills, birth control pills and/or antidepressants for severe symptoms. But a new study just published in BioMed Central’s open access journal Reproductive Health found a natural way to halt PMS — taking essential dietary “good” fats including gamma linolenic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and other polyunsaturated acids along with vitamin E (combined in a pill) for several months. Edilberto Rocha Filho and colleagues at the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, carried out a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 120 women with PMS. The research participants were divided into three groups and treated with 1 or 2 grams of the essential oil-containing pill or a placebo. Symptoms were recorded over a 6 month period, and cholesterol and prolactin (a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that is involved in reproductive health) levels were measured, too. The results showed that the women who took 1 gram of the supplement pill experienced a significant reduction in PMS after 3 and 6 months of evaluation. However, the women receiving the higher, 2 gram dose of the essential oils had an even more dramatic improvement in their symptoms at the 3rd and 6th month evaluations. Taking the essential oils over time produced no statistically significant differences in prolactin or total cholesterol levels from baseline. Few side effects were reported and these were mild and insignificant. In fact,the researchers noted there was no evidence that any negative symptoms were directly related to the fatty acid containing pills. “The administration of 1 or 2 grams of essential fatty acids to patients with PMS resulted in a significant decrease in symptom scores. Furthermore, the administration of the dietary supplement did not result in any changes in the total cholesterol in the patients evaluated,” Dr. Filho said in a press statement. “The negative effect of PMS on a woman’s routine activities and quality of life may be significant, in addition to the repercussions on economic costs resulting predominantly from a reduction in productivity. Essential oil capsules can now be said to show much promise as a treatment,” he added. For more information: http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content/8/1/2 http://www.naturalnews.com/premenstrual_syndrome.html http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001505.htm

Updated timeline of mysterious animal deaths

(NaturalNews) Here’s an updated timeline of the mysterious animal deaths now happening around the world. Conventional explanations for these deaths now border on the outlandish: A bird die-off event in Romania is now being blamed on “drunkenness,” for example. Here’s the updated list through January 14, 2011, in reverse date order: 01.14.11 – 200 cows found dead in Wisconsin, allegedly caused by a virus http://www.wsaw.com/news/headlines/Dead_Cows_Found_in_Portage_County_113634654.html?ref=654 01.14.11 – 100 dead carp found in U.K. pond, unknown causes http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3352539/Dead-100-fish-add-to-animal-mystery.html 01.14.11 – 730 African grey parrots die during flight, blamed on possible exposure to carbon monoxide http://www.mg.co.za/article/2011-01-14-outrage-over-dead-parrots 01.13.11 – 300 “grackles” birds found dead on highway in Alabama, blamed on blunt force trauma http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1346957/Now-300-dead-birds-fall-sky-Alabama-longer-scientists-saying-normal.html?ito=feeds-newsxml 01.11.11 – Thousands of gizzard shad fish float to the top of Lake Michigan and wash up on the shores near Chicago, blamed on cold weather (http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/has-oido/details/bizarre-animal-deaths-reach-chicago-fish-population/4236/) 01.10.11 – Countless fish found dead in U.K. brook, unknown causes (http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/environment/concern_as_fish_die_in_beauty_spot_brook_1_2224957) 01.08.11 – 100 dead “starlings” birds found dead on highway in California, allegedly all hit by a truck http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110111/ARTICLES/110119891/1350?Title=Dead-bird-mystery-solved 01.08.11 – Dozens of dead “starlings” birds turn up in Romania, blamed on “drunkenness” (you can’t make this up…) http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/offbeat/article234617.ece 01.07.11 – More than 1,000 dead turtle doves found in Italy, unknown causes (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8246678/More-than-1000-turtle-doves-fall-from-the-sky-in-Italy-in-latest-mass-bird-death-case.html) 01.06.11 – 40,000+ dead Devil crabs washed ashore in the U.K., unknown causes (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20027655-503543.html) 01.05.11 – Hundreds of dead birds found on highway in Texas, unknown causes (http://www.ktre.com/global/story.asp?s=13787277) 01.05.11 – Large amount of dead fish wash up on New Zealand beaches, unknown causes (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10697906) 01.05.11 – Up to 100 jackdaw birds found dead on road in Sweden, unknown causes (http://www.thelocal.se/31262/20110105/) 01.04.11 – Several dead manatees found on Florida coast, unknown causes (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/fl-treasure-coast-manatees-20110104,0,7714948.story) 01.04.11 – Thousands of dead fish wash up on creek in Florida, unknown causes (http://www.wftv.com/news/26367953/detail.html) 01.04.11 – Hundreds of dead fish was ashore on St. Clair River in Ontario, Can., unknown causes (http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/01/04/16757321.html) 01.04.11 – Hundreds of dead black birds found on highway in Louisiana, suffering from internal injuries and blood clots (http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/112843019.html) 01.03.11 – Dozens of dead birds show up in a woman’s backyard in Kentucky, unknown causes (http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Woman-reports-dozens-of-dead-birds-in-her-yard-112830524.html) 01.03.11 – Tens of thousands of dead fish wash ashore in Chesapeake Bay, Md., blamed on cold water (http://www.wbaltv.com/r/26357581/detail.html) 01.03.11 – 100 tons of dead fish wash ashore in Brazil, unknown causes (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/100-tons-of-fish-die-near-brazil.html#) 01.03.11 – 100,000+ dead drum fish found in Arkansas river, unknown causes (http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=136401&catid=2) 12.31.10 – 5,000+ birds found dead in Arkansas, suffering from massive trauma and blood clots (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/03/arkansas.falling.birds/index.html?hpt=T2) 12.29.10 – Dozens of fish found dead in San Antonio, Texas, unknown causes (http://www.ksat.com/news/26316464/detail.html) 12.28.10 – 70 bats found dead in Tucson, Ariz., unknown causes (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/12/28/20101228tucson-70-dead-bats-found.html) 12.27.10 – Scores of dead fish wash ashore in a lake in Haiti, unknown causes (http://www.france24.com/en/20101227-authorities-probe-dead-fish-haitian-lake) 12.23.10 – Hundreds of dead sea creatures wash ashore in South Carolina, blamed on cold water (http://www.abcnews4.com/Global/story.asp?S=13735801) 12.23.10 – Ten tons of mostly dead fish found in fishing net in New Zealand, unknown causes (http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/4477740/Enlisted-to-help-with-deadly-haul) 12.22.10 – More than a hundred dead pelicans turn up in North Carolina, unknown causes (http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2010/12/28/topsail_voice/news/doc4d120c21c2083603738750.txt) 12.18.10 – Thousands of dead fish turn up in bay in Philippines, unknown causes (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20101218-309667/Residents-gather-eat-dead-fish-floating-in-barangay-Ibo) 12.17.10 – Dead fish wash ashore at lake beach in Indiana, blamed on winter storms (http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/Dead_fish_wash_up_on_Washington_Park_beach_112105654.html) 12.15.10 – Thousands of dead fish wash ashore on Florida beach, blamed on cold weather (http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/december/183768/Dead-fish-turn-up-in-Cocoa) 12.13.10 – Thousands of dead barramundi fish wash up in Australia, unknown causes (http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story/2010/12/13/barramundi-found-dead-after-flood/) NaturalNews will continue to cover this story in the days ahead. Watch NaturalNews.com for more breaking news on this topic.

Timeline of recent mysterious bird, fish deaths

(NaturalNews) The recent mysterious deaths of birds and fish are causing alarm among naturalists around the world. Birds are literally falling dead out of the sky, and fish are washing up dead on shores and rivers across North America and around the world. The reaction from the mainstream media seems strangely subdued, as if they’re all just blowing this off as some unexplained quirk about the natural world that should be largely ignored. NaturalNews readers think differently. We are concerned when thousands of dead birds fall out of the sky for no apparent reason. The sky itself may not be falling, but previously live animals are clearly falling out of it. If that’s not enough reason to wonder what the heck is happening to our planet, then what is? These are clear signs that something is wrong. Red flags from nature, if you will. Here’s the timeline of recent deaths that have been reported: 12.13.10 – Thousands of dead barramundi fish wash up in Australia, unknown causes (http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story/2010/12/13/barramundi-found-dead-after-flood/) 12.15.10 – Thousands of dead fish wash ashore on Florida beach, blamed on cold weather (http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/december/183768/Dead-fish-turn-up-in-Cocoa) 12.17.10 – Dead fish wash ashore at lake beach in Indiana, blamed on winter storms (http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/Dead_fish_wash_up_on_Washington_Park_beach_112105654.html) 12.18.10 – Thousands of dead fish turn up in bay in Philippines, unknown causes (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20101218-309667/Residents-gather-eat-dead-fish-floating-in-barangay-Ibo) 12.22.10 – More than a hundred dead pelicans turn up in North Carolina, unknown causes (http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2010/12/28/topsail_voice/news/doc4d120c21c2083603738750.txt) 12.23.10 – Hundreds of dead sea creatures wash ashore in South Carolina, blamed on cold water (http://www.abcnews4.com/Global/story.asp?S=13735801) 12.23.10 – Ten tons of mostly dead fish found in fishing net in New Zealand, unknown causes (http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/4477740/Enlisted-to-help-with-deadly-haul) 12.27.10 – Scores of dead fish wash ashore in a lake in Haiti, unknown causes (http://www.france24.com/en/20101227-authorities-probe-dead-fish-haitian-lake) 12.28.10 – 70 bats found dead in Tucson, Ariz., unknown causes (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/12/28/20101228tucson-70-dead-bats-found.html) 12.29.10 – Dozens of fish found dead in San Antonio, Texas, unknown causes (http://www.ksat.com/news/26316464/detail.html) 12.31.10 – 5,000+ birds found dead in Arkansas, suffering from massive trauma and blood clots (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/03/arkansas.falling.birds/index.html?hpt=T2) 01.03.11 – 100,000+ dead drum fish found in Arkansas river, unknown causes (http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=136401&catid=2) 01.03.11 – Dozens of dead birds show up in a woman’s backyard in Kentucky, unknown causes (http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Woman-reports-dozens-of-dead-birds-in-her-yard-112830524.html) 01.03.11 – Tens of thousands of dead fish wash ashore in Chesapeake Bay, Md., blamed on cold water (http://www.wbaltv.com/r/26357581/detail.html) 01.03.11 – 100 tons of dead fish wash ashore in Brazil, unknown causes (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/100-tons-of-fish-die-near-brazil.html#) 01.04.11 – Several dead manatees found on Florida coast, unknown causes (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/fl-treasure-coast-manatees-20110104,0,7714948.story) 01.04.11 – Thousands of dead fish wash up on creek in Florida, unknown causes (http://www.wftv.com/news/26367953/detail.html) 01.04.11 – Hundreds of dead fish was ashore on St. Clair River in Ontario, Can., unknown causes (http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/01/04/16757321.html) 01.04.11 – Hundreds of dead black birds found on highway in Louisiana, suffering from internal injuries and blood clots (http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/112843019.html) 01.05.11 – Hundreds of dead birds found on highway in Texas, unknown causes (http://www.ktre.com/global/story.asp?s=13787277) 01.05.11 – Large amount of dead fish wash up on New Zealand beaches, unknown causes (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10697906) 01.05.11 – Up to 100 jackdaw birds found dead on road in Sweden, unknown causes (http://www.thelocal.se/31262/20110105/) 01.06.11 – 40,000+ dead Devil crabs washed ashore in the U.K., unknown causes (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20027655-503543.html) 01.07.11 – More than 1,000 dead turtle doves found in Italy, unknown causes (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8246678/More-than-1000-turtle-doves-fall-from-the-sky-in-Italy-in-latest-mass-bird-death-case.html) 01.10.11 – Countless fish found dead in U.K. brook, unknown causes (http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/environment/concern_as_fish_die_in_beauty_spot_brook_1_2224957) 01.11.11 – Thousands of gizzard shad fish float to the top of Lake Michigan and wash up on the shores near Chicago, blamed on cold weather (http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/has-oido/details/bizarre-animal-deaths-reach-chicago-fish-population/4236/) NaturalNews will continue to cover this story in the days ahead. Watch NaturalNews.com for more breaking news on this topic.

Sunscreen chemicals absorbed into body, found in 85 percent of human milk samples

(NaturalNews) Before you apply creams, lotions, cosmetics and sunscreens to your skin, it might be a good idea to find out what’s really in them. What’s more, you need to know those ingredients aren’t necessarily just coating the outside layers of your skin. For example, as NaturalNews previously reported, UCLA scientists have recently discovered nanoparticles in cosmetics and sunscreens can enter and wander throughout the body, potentially disrupting body functions on a sub-cellular level (http://www.naturalnews.com/027603_nanoparticles_cosmetics.html). And now, for the first time, a study just published in the international science journal Chemosphere has shown that a group of chemicals known as UV (for ultraviolet radiation) filters are turning up in humans internally — and the phenomenon is widespread. In fact, the investigation, conducted by a Swiss National Research Program called Endocrine Disrupters: Relevance to Humans, Animals and Ecosystems , found UV filters, which are common in cosmetics and sunscreens, were present in 85 percent of human milk samples tested. What does this mean for adults, much less babies taking in this contaminated milk? The alarming truth is, no one knows. For the study, during the fall and summer of 2004, 2005 and 2006, human milk was sampled from mothers who had given birth at the University Women’s Hospital in Basel, Switzerland. The research participants also answered detailed questionnaires in order to document their use of different types of cosmetic products and sunscreens. When the women’s breast milk was analyzed, tests revealed the milk samples contained a huge list of chemicals including persistent organic pollutants (POPs), synthetic musk fragrances, pesticides, phthalates, parabens, flame retardants (polybrominated diphenylethers), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) — and cosmetic UV filters. What’s more, the UV filter chemicals were surprisingly widespread; they were comparable in concentrations to PCBs, which have long been known to contaminate the environment. “Research on the effects of endocrine disrupters (chemicals interfering with hormone actions) has shown that it is of utmost importance to obtain information on simultaneous exposure of humans to different types of chemicals because endocrine active chemicals can act in concert. Information on exposure is particularly important for the developing organism at its most sensitive early life stages. Human milk was chosen because it provides direct information on exposure of the suckling infant and indirect information on exposure of the mother during pregnancy,” research team leaders Margret Schlumpf and Walter Lichtensteiger said in a media statement. The analyzed data of the milk samples obtained from individual mothers were then compared with the information collected through the questionnaire about cosmetic and sunscreen use. While exposure patterns differed between individuals, Dr. Schlumpf, who is a scientist at the University of Zurich, pointed out that the total reported use of products containing UV filters was significantly correlated with the presence of those chemicals in breast milk. In all, a total daily intake of each individual chemical found in the breast milk tests was calculated for each baby who was fed with breast milk. The results showed some infants were taking in daily amounts of PCBs and several pesticides that were far above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reference for supposed “acceptable” levels. Little is known about the health significance of babies drinking in UV filters through their mothers’ milk. In a statement to the media, the scientists noted that information on the relationship between the exposure of human populations to ingredients in cosmetics and sunscreens and the presence of these constituents in the human body has been sorely limited. And before the new Swiss research findings, the data on UV filters being present inside the human body was virtually non-existent. “This study once again emphasizes the importance of global research on the impact of contaminants in the human environment and the need for continuous critical assessment of our priorities in environmental health and consumer habits. I am sure that this investigation will also spark debate at the upcoming first Environmental Health conference in Brazil, February 2011″, Gert-Jan Geraeds, Executive Publisher of Chemosphere said in a press statement. For more information: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authored_newsitem.cws_home/companynews05_01729 http://www.naturalnews.com/sunscreen.html

GMO soy bringing poverty, poor health to South America

(NaturalNews) Multinational biotechnology giants like Monsanto continue to spread their genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) around the world in the name of ending world hunger and reducing poverty, but a new report out of Sweden has found the exact opposite to be true. According to a recent piece in SvD, a Swedish newspaper, the transition of South American agriculture from small-scale, localized, diversified farming to primarily large-scale, industrialized, GMO soy farming is destroying the environment, increasing poverty, and harming human health. GMO soy is destroying local food “The multinationals are talking about solving climate problems and food supply through GMO, but they are really only interested in making money,” explained Jorge Geleano, an advocate for small farmers’ rights in South America, to SvD. “Their methods destroy traditional farming that provides food for our population and replaces it with soy, which goes into animal feed to provide meat for the West.” According to Galeano, thousands of family farms in his native homeland of Paraguay have been forced off their land in order to make room for large GMO soy plantations. A nation that was once highly self-sufficient and that grew a lot of its own native foods like potatoes, sweet potatoes, legumes, and lentils, Paraguay has literally been transformed into a corporate-dominated, industrial soy-producing machine. And other South American countries are facing the same peril. GMO soy is destroying people’s lives Galeano explained to SvD that he helped try to lead a resistance back in 2005 along with about 40 other families that refused to give up their land to the GMO-giants. But these families were ultimately forced off the land anyway, their houses burned down, and even some of their friends and family members gunned down by armed paramilitary forces for not complying with orders. So the only place left for these displaced farmers and their families to go is into the urban slums, because they no longer have their land or crops, and have ultimately lost their livelihood and sustenance. According to statistics, roughly 27 percent of Paraguayans now live below the poverty line as a result of the invasion of GMO soy, and that number continues to increase. GMO soy is destroying land and the environment It is not only people that are bearing the brunt of biotech greed, though; the environment in South America is suffering tremendously as well. Sensitive ecosystems like the Amazon Rainforest and the Cerrado, a large and very fragile savannah, have been bulldozed in many areas to make room for more GMO soy. And there is no end in sight to this practice. In Brazil, 1.2 million hectares of rainforest have already been leveled to cultivate GMO soy. And in Argentina, about 18 million hectares of land are now growing the crop, which represents more than half of the nation’s entire growing areas. And all of the GMO crops, as well as many non-GMO crops, are regularly doused in highly dangerous chemical pesticides, which ruin both the environment and human health. “In Brazil, the toxic and hazardous pesticides paraquat and endosulfan are still used,” explained Jaime Weber, a friend of Geleano that works to promote sustainable and non-toxic organic agriculture in Brazil. “It is a myth that these are not used on GM crops. GM soybeans are sprayed just as much with paraquat [as non-GM].” Paraquat is linked to Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders (http://www.naturalnews.com/026177_Parkinsons_disease_pesticides.html) while endosulfan is known to disrupt the endocrine system. “Both the spraying of conventional farming and GMO cultivation [pose] severe health risks to farm workers and those living around the fields,” added Weber, noting that the large, industrial farms routinely violate safety standards and spray in irresponsible and dangerous ways because they know they can get away with it without penalty. Unsustainable growing methods are causing desertification throughout South America as well. The land used to grow GMO soy is heavily burdened with rigorous chemical applications and is also overused. So much of it becomes infertile after just a few years, which leads growers to continually seek out new land while abandoning the old land. Eventually, there will be no more fertile land available. Stop supporting GMO soy You can do your part to stop the GMO soy takeover by no longer purchasing products with non-organic soy ingredients. Avoid products that contain any sort of soy derivative — this includes ingredients like soybean oil, soy lecithin, and soy protein. If it is not organic soy, it is most likely GMO soy. And contacting manufacturers to demand that they remove GMO soy from their products will also help. You can also support candidates like Francis Thicke (http://www.naturalnews.com/030206_Francis_Thicke_Iowa.html) that are dedicated to ending the reign of GMO terror over humanity, as well as the destructive corporate farming practices that are destroying small-scale farms. (If you are unfamiliar with Thicke, it is worth taking some time to check out his run for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture). Ultimately, it is up to the People to stand up and speak out against the worldwide hostile takeover of food. It is a tough battle, but getting the word out, organizing food protests, and working hard to get the right people into key positions of power can have a significant impact. Sources for this story include: http://www.gmwatch.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12598:gm-soy-increases-poverty-threatens-health-in-south-america-farmer-advocates

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