Thursday 19 June 2014

CANCER, PESTICIDES AND YOU...What Can YOU Do To Save Yourself ?

DID YOU KNOW THAT MANY CHEMICALS USED ON CROPS, INCLUDING COTTON, CAUSE CANCER?
A new report Breast Cancer Pesticides and You from Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia , shows just that. And women and children are the most at risk.



WORRYING FINDINGS
RATES OF breast cancer are escalating throughout Asia in the wake of rising use of pesticides and other chemicals.

Pesticides that cause cancer, disrupt the natural hormone system or alter the development of the mammary gland and contribute to the global epidemic of breast cancer.

There are CRITICAL PERIODS when exposure to even very low levels of pesticides can result in breast cancer later in life: in the womb, early childhood, menarche, the age of first childbirth, and around menopause.

AROUND ONE HUNDRED COMMON PESTICIDES ARE LINKED TO BREAST CANCER...causing mammary tumours or growth of breast cancer cells in laboratory tests, or elevated rates of breast cancer in exposed women.

OTHER LIFESTYLE FACTORS...LIKE LACK OF EXERCISE, BEING OVERWEIGHT AND EATING MEAT AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS have been shown to cause around 50% of cases of breast cancer...

THE OTHER 50% CAUSED BY WHAT???
Some chemicals have been identified as either mammary carcinogens or likely to be contributing to breast cancer because of their influence on naturally occurring hormones.


COMMON CHEMICALS IN DAILY LIFE...INCLUDING PESTICIDES..
These chemicals are flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, solvents, dyes, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), bisphenol A and phthalates which are used in plastics, parabens, styrene, mercury, and pesticides.

Many pesticides known from laboratory studies to cause mammary tumours in rodents have been poorly, if at all, studied from a human breast cancer perspective. AND COTTON IS ONE OF THE MOST PESTICIDE INTENSIVE CROP ON THE PLANET :(

CAN WE ASSUME THEY’RE SAFE? OR IS ‘BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY’ A BETTER APPROACH?

MORE CHEMICAL AND PESTICIDE USE = MORE CANCER
The increasing incidence of breast cancer, and other cancers, has paralleled the global proliferation of synthetic chemicals since World War 1.

As countries industrialise and take up industrial agricultural practices, their breast cancer rates escalate towards those of the already chemicalised societies of the western world.



PESTICIDES ACCUMULATE IN YOUR BODY...
Many chemicals, including pesticides, persist in the environment, accumulate in body fat, and can now be found in the breast tissue of women the world over.

THE MORE PESTICIDES YOU’RE EXPOSED TO...THE MORE LIKELY YOU’LL GET CANCER
Pesticide exposure, in combination with genetic pre- disposition, age at exposure, and hormonal condition, has a cumulative effect on breast cancer risk. The lag in time between the chemicalisation of agriculture and the escalation of breast cancer rates is accounted for by the typically late onset of breast cancer—over 78 percent of breast cancer cases occur in postmenopausal women.

HOW PESTICIDES ARE INVOLVED IN BREAST CANCER
A GROWING BODY OF evidence, backed by laboratory studies, links exposure to pesticides with breast cancer. While a simple 'cause and effect' relationship between individual pesticides and breast cancer is difficult to demonstrate, studies suggest a number of ways in which pesticides may be instrumental in the breast cancer epidemic...

BY INITIATING CANCER...MANY COMMON PESTICIDES HAVE CAUSED TUMOURS IN LAB ANIMALS
By causing mutations in a gene, chromosomal damage, DNA damage, or formation of free radicals that cause oxidative stress leading to cancer. Pesticides have caused increased incidence of mammary tumours in rats and/or mice in laboratory studies .



PESTICIDES COMPROMISE THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
By compromising the immune system and affecting a women’s defences against cancer, for example, by reducing the ability of Natural Killer T-cells to destroy tumour cells

PESTICIDES DISRUPT THE BODY’S HORMONES
By disrupting the endocrine (HORMONE) system in MANY ways ...

The endocrine system is a complex system OF GLANDS AND HORMONES that regulates various biological and physical processes. These glands include the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, pancreas, adrenal, testes and ovaries.

It also regulates functions such as physical and mental development, reproduction, metabolism, immunity and behaviour.

Researchers who tested 200 pesticides found that more than a quarter had effects on female reproductive cells. Over one third had effects on male reproductive cells.

Monsanto’s notorious Roundup herbicide, used extensively in cotton production, contains the active ingredient glyphosate which disrupts female hormones and is implicated in causing breast cancer .

RESEARCH CONTINUES...
The mechanisms by which pesticides might increase the risk of breast cancer through their effects on the hormonal system are varied and complex. Iti s not possible to give a ‘clean bill of health’ to any pesticide regarding its relationship to breast cancer.



WHAT CAN YOU DO?
There are many ways in which we can make our bodies stronger and less suceptable to cancers and other serious illness.

*DIET by eating fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and pulses and choosing organic as much as possible

*EXERCISE by taking at least half an hour’s exercise (enough to sweat) every day

*LIMITING EXPOSURE TO TOXIC CHEMICALS in daily life - by avoiding or minimising the use of any kind of chemical products.

These include toiletries, cosmetics, cleaning products, flame retardants, plastics and most chemical products found in stores.

CHECK ONLINE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THESE CHEMICALS
At Nukleus we find and share information about these dangerous chemicals. As you understand more about their health impacts, you can make informed choices for the welfare and safety of yourself and your loved ones.

We believe this is as important to you as it is to us...which is why we want to give you the choice of chemical-free innerwear and basics.

DO YOU WANT TO RISK YOUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING BY WEARING INNERWEAR DRENCHED IN CARCINOGENIC CHEMICALS? Or might it be wiser to be better safe than sorry and choose organic? YOUR BODY, YOUR CHOICE...

All images Nukleus organic cotton tees and innerwear. Click here  to see our full range and find a store near you.


 Nukleus, the small brand with the big heart...caring for you...and the Planet.
INTERNATIONAL STYLE, MALAYSIAN PRICES...WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE, LAH?






Saturday 17 May 2014

THE TERRIFYING TRUTH ABOUT PESTICIDES AND THE ENVIRONMENT - ESSENTIAL INFORMATION WHICH THE CHEMICAL COMPANIES DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE


Do you ever wonder what happens when pesticides and agrochemicals enter ‘the environment’? Nukleus has uncovered facts about toxic pesticides - information which chemical companies like Monsanto would prefer you didn’t know - which reveal horrific contamination of soil, water, even air, and the widespread destruction of birds, insects and other wildlife.

WE’VE READ REPORTS THAT CHEMICAL COMPANIES LIKE MONSANTO DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE
And what we found shocked even us.

AN ASTONISHING PICTURE OF HARM
One report reveals the way in which most of the developing world’s cotton farmers work and the hazardous pesticides which contaminate their environment and threaten their health. It talks about an astonishing picture of the harm caused by pesticides.

Pesticide Clearly Labelled as Poison


EARTH, WATER, AIR, ANIMALS, BIRDS AND INSECTS...AND HUMANS...SICK AND DYING, POISONED BY CHEMICAL PESTICIDES...
According to a report from the UK's Pesticide Action Network, The Deadly Chemicals in Cotton ‘Cotton is the world’s most important non-food agricultural commodity.'

US$ 2 billion of chemical pesticides are used in its production every year, of which almost half are considered toxic enough to be classified as hazardous by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Cotton accounts for 16% of global insecticide use – more than any other single crop. Almost 1.0 kilogram of hazardous pesticides is applied for every hectare of cotton.

In India, home to over one third of the world’s cotton farmers, cotton accounts for 54% of all pesticides used annually – despite occupying just 5% of land under crops. ‘

HALF A CENTURY OF POLLUTION : THE TRAGEDY OF UZBEKISTAN
In Uzbekistan, the world’s second largest cotton exporter, toxic agrochemicals applied to cotton 50 years ago now pollute the country’s land, air, food and drinking water. Despite the substantial damage that these chemicals cause to human health and the environment, Uzbekistan’s leaders still allow the use of cotton pesticides so toxic that they were banned under the Soviets.

THE DIRTIEST CROP IN THE WORLD?
*Insecticides account for 60% of all agrochemicals applied to cotton.
*Insecticides act by impairing biological processes such as the nervous and reproductive systems – which are common among all animals; including humans.
  • Cotton farmers apply US$ 1,310 million of insecticides to cotton each year: far more than is applied to any other single crop, making it the world’s ‘dirtiest’ crop.
  • Despite accounting for just 2.5% of global cropland, cotton in responsible for the release of 16% of global insecticides.

DESIGNED TO KILL
Pesticides are designed to kill pests...but the damage doesn’t stop there...
*They work by impairing biological processes and systems, like reproduction and the nervous system.
*They affect not only the physiology of the species they are intended to control, but also other species, AND humans.
  • Of the 201 agrochemicals classified by the WHO as being either ‘Extremely’, ‘Highly’ or ‘Moderately’ hazardous, insecticides are by far the biggest group (52%).
* In 1984 in the world’s worst man-made chemical disaster, a cloud of toxic gas leaked from a factory in Bhopal, India, manufacturing aldicarb (WHO Ia) and carbaryl (WHO II) for use in Indian cotton production. 20,000 people were killed: 120,000 people were injured.

Glyphosate is the world’s best-selling chemical herbicide. Glyphosate-containing herbicides, such as Monsanto’s Roundup are used in the production of genetically modified crops like chemical cotton in India.
Scientific studies have questioned glyphosate’s safety. There have been calls for glyphosate-containing herbicides to be banned in Europe. New research by Friends of the Earth has detected glyphosate residues in the urine of 44 percent of people tested, from 18 different European countries.

Glyphosate-containing herbicides are used to control plants considered to be weeds. But other plants, animals, insects and micro-organisms are also exposed to glyphosate-containing herbicides:
  insects flying through spray
  from eating treated crops, or by eating prey that has been feeding on treated crops
  chemicals washed by the rain into groundwater, streams, rivers and coastal waters

DID YOU EVER WONDER WHY HUGE CORPORATIONS LIKE MONSANTO TARGET POOR INDIAN FARMERS?
Indian cotton farmers use US$ 344 million of pesticides annually.
  • This is 55% of the country’s total expenditure on agricultural pesticide
  • cotton accounts for just 5% of India’s total cropland
  • A staggering US$ 235 million is spent trying to control bollworm alone.

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE ANIMALS, INSECTS, BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE BEING SPRAYED? THESE WARNINGS ON PESTICIDES GIVE US AN IDEA OF THE HARM THEY CAUSE...
Many different hazardous pesticides used on cotton crops have been detected in rivers, streams and wells in the USA, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Australia, Greece and in West Africa.
Endosulfan has adverse effects on aquatic systems, and is highly toxic to fish, birds, bees and other wildlife.
Methyl parathion is highly toxic for aquatic invertebrates, and moderately toxic to mammals such as rats, dogs and rabbits. It has been implicated in the deaths of waterfowl and the acute poisoning of fish, birds, cattle and wild animals. In 1995 a mixture of methyl parathion and endosulfan led to the death of over 240,000 fish in Alabama, when heavy rain washed the pesticides washed from the cotton fields and into rivers.

Indian Farmer Preparing Herbal Pesticide
ORGANIC COTTON HELPS WILDLIFE, PEOPLE AND NATURE
●  Global consumption of cotton has almost doubled in the last 30 years.
* Purchasing decisions made by consumers directly impact production methods and so both environmental security and social equity.
●  Organic cotton production works in harmony with Nature, using natural methods of pest control.
Cultivating Organic Cotton in India
  • Consumer demand for organic cotton currently stands at between US$ 800 million and US$1 billion, and is growing rapidly.
  • Organic cotton is environmentally and socially sustainable alternative to chemical cotton.
  • Demand for organic products among consumers is growing. In a 2005 survey almost half of British consumers reported buying organic products, with many stating environmental concerns. 



     
LOOK FOR THIS SECRET INGREDIENT OF TRULY ORGANIC PRODUCTS
Comprehensive labeling allows consumers to make informed choices about the type of cotton they buy. This ensures transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain. Organic cotton can be a powerful force for improving the lives of millions of cotton farmers.

By buying organic cotton clothing, you are helping make the world a better, more sustainable place.

NUKLEUS, THE SMALL BRAND WITH THE BIG HEART...CARING FOR YOU AND THE PLANET

Pesticides: general term referring to poisonous chemicals designed to kill anything seen as a 'pest'. Includes insecticides, aimed at poisonous chemicals designed to kill insects. Herbicides: poisonous chemicals designed to kill unwanted plants.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

ORGANIC COTTON - IT'S A HEALTH THING...


Health is important to all of us. But sometimes we struggle to make healthy choices. We get into bad habits, then face the consequences: sickness and crippling medical bills for ourselves or our family .

We can choose. But how would it be to have to work day in and day out with chemicals which you know are toxic, which are destroying your health and that of your family...but to have little or no choice about this?

Imagine having to work in an environment which you knew was making you sick. And imagine that you were so poorly paid that when you got sick, you were unable to afford to pay for the medicine and healthcare which you needed.

This is the grim situation faced by cotton farmers across Africa and Asia growing non-organic cotton. As PAN (Pesticide Action Network) show in their video Moral Fibre  of farmers in Benin ....

Drinking canned milk to feel better

'After treatment [of the cotton with pesticide] I feel burning on my arms, I have digestive trouble and dizziness for up to 72 hours. It's so bad that if we weren't dependent on cotton as a cash crop we'd all stop growing cotton,' says one farmer, speaking with his identity concealed. 'After treatment we usually buy concentrated milk and drink that...sometimes three tins to make ourselves feel better.'

The anonymous farmer's observations are confirmed by British toxicologist, Dr V Howard. 'Organo-phosphates were developed from nerve gases. People who are exposed from them can get very ill, or die.'
The label is clear
Another farmer, Ernest Agbolewafi, who stopped growing cotton because of the impacts of pesticides on his and his family's health, comments, 'After treatment [spraying the crop] I used to get itching then a bad rash which spread all over my body and began to ooze liquid. One day I fainted. My neighbours took me to the health centre, but I didn't know where I was until evening. I'm really anti cotton as a result of my experience.
This farmer stopped growing cotton


The health impacts of pesticides are not small. According to PAN, 220,000 people have died from pesticide poisoning, while one million have been made ill.

Dizziness, breathing problems, nausea, headaches, and weakness are the result of pesticide exposure, as well as reproductive health issues and impacts on the foetus. In one cotton growing area of Benin, there were 314 acute poisoning cases and 61 deaths.

Farmers cannot afford to buy protective clothing...and even if they do, it's unsuitable for use in tropical climates with high humidity and temperatures around 40C. So it's common for farmers to spend fifty per cent of their income on health care costs, particularly if family members are affected.
 
Label indicates protective clothing required


As the anonymous farmer observes, "Pesticide companies should really look at the products they're making and start making them less toxic. If you sit down and do a detailed costing, I lose a lot of money because of the impact on my health. They should be responsible for public health and develop products which don't harm people."

We may have a long wait before the likes of Monsanto come up with a solution. And of course there is still the question of toxic residues left in cotton clothing...so what is the answer?

"We can't allow our clothing to kill the people who grow the fibre that goes into it," says Simon Ferrigno of PAN. While British designer Katherine Hamnett is just one of a growing number of fashion industry leaders who is pushing for change. "By using organic cotton, I can make clothes without having blood on my hands," she says.
At Nukleus we believe that simple changes can make such a huge difference, not just for us at home, but for people far away in other places.

In India, more than 80%of all cotton seeds are now Bt GMOs(genetically modified organisms), largely due to the collaboration between US transnational corporation (TNC) Monsanto and the Indian government. In other countries like Benin and other African nations, Bt seeds are not such a major issue but the farmers are still plagued by the high input costs of pesticides/chemicals.

And the high input costs of growing non-organic or Bt cotton - hugely expensive pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, boosting the profits of TNCs like Monsanto and Bayer - also contribute to farmers’ financial problems and their inability to pay for healthcare.

With organic cotton, using cheaper and natural methods of pest control, and fertilizer, input costs are reduced, so farmers’ profits increase. For the farmers and their families it’s a win won situation, since they are no longer forced to work with the deadly poisons which are the pesticides. Not only are they healthier, but they have more profits to set aside for other family commitments, like healthcare, or education. A simple and easy solution, not just for the farmers, but for consumers.

Organic cotton farmers in India/Nandan Saxena

Organic cotton clothing gives consumers peace of mind. Not only because of the benefits of wearing a non-toxic product close to our skin, but we can also relax in the knowledge that we are helping improve the health of others...and the environment.
We benefit because, particularly with innerwear, which lies close to the skin and we wear all day long, we know that there are no toxic chemical residues leaching their way from the fibres into our bodies. And, in the same way, during the production process, no toxic chemicals are leaching from the organic cotton factories contaminating the natural environment.

The Nukleus organic cotton mission is to turn everyone into a winner, creating more health for people and a less polluted environment. It’s a simple and responsible solution to so many issues. The organic cotton farmers have from a healthier, less risky and more profitable lifestyle.
Nukleus Innerwear for him...

Organic cotton products are a healthy option, for us and the environment, too. So when you buy organic cotton, you can feel healthier and less stressed...and congratulate yourself on taking action that makes a real and positive difference...to everyone....and the planet.

We all face a confusing array of choices every day. And of course worrying about anything is stressful, and we all want to be less stressed. So doesn’t it make sense to make a few easy decisions to improve our health: exercise a bit more, eat more healthy food, cut down on sugar...and buy more organic cotton products?

Tuesday 11 March 2014

WHAT IS THE TRUE COST OF COTTON?

You’re a small-scale farmer in India.

For the small scale farmer, debt is a huge problem
You used to combine growing cotton with growing food crops, but then the government started telling you about a new wonder cotton which would make you rich. Ads appeared on TV...happy farmers, like you, only with plenty of money for daughters‘ weddings and for parents healthcare crops. The ads, from companies like Monsanto - American, ‘modern‘ and therefore good in your eyes - promised a better, more successful farming life if you used their special genetically modified (GM) Bt cotton seeds. You trusted them, turned over your entire crop production to cotton....and, then, as the years progressed, like tens of thousands of small scale farmers, you started to wonder what you’d let yourself in for.

The ads hadn’t explained how costly the new Bt seeds would be and that producing chemical cotton is an expensive process, with no guarantee of success.

According to a farmer in the 2007 documentary Cotton for my Shroud, seeds used to be 30 rs per kg. Then hybrid seeds went on the market at around 200 rs per kg, then Bt seeds cost 4-5000 rs per kg. This huge increase in the cost of basic seeds is out of all proportion to an increase in yield. And with one kg of seeds needed to sow one acre, farmers are facing a substantial outlay. Fertilizer, which used to cost 30 rs per pack is now rs 200.

Most shocking is the increase in the cost of pesticide. Previously pesticide was around 30 rs per litre. But with the advent of Bt GM cotton, the average cost of pesticide produced by transnational agrichemical giants like Bayer, Dupont, and Monsanto, is around rs 8000 to 15,000 per litre.  

Simultaneously, the output and fertility of the land has decreased, as the soil is weakened by continual sowing and resowing with the same, chemically dependent cotton crops. Soil has no chance to replenish itself as it is not possible to plant alternative crops due to high outlays. Overuse and over-reliance on scarce water supplies means that irrigation becomes increasingly difficult.

As one farmer observes, ‘You keep sowing an unprofitable crop and your loss keeps growing. Those who accumulate heavy losses, when the banks shut their doors, go to moneylenders. If the debt is unpaid the moneylenders take their land, and house.’

And if the cotton crop survives and the market price is reasonable, the corporate lobby applies pressure to government, and cotton is imported. Local rates crash again and more farmers die. A report submitted to the Indian parliament suggested that there were around 291,000 farmer suicides from 1995 till Aug 2011... about one suicide every 30 mins.

Countries like the US, which gives $4 billion subsidy to its cotton farmers, are constantly scouting for new markets. Under pressure from the WTO (World Trade Organisation), the Indian government removed all quantitative restrictions on imports. Cheap cotton from rich countries benefitting from substantial subsidies, made cotton production even less profitable for Indian farmers.
The local cotton market...competing with US$ 4 billion subsidies
And the trend of expensive Bt cotton continues to this day. Vivekananda Nemana of the blog India Ink reports that at a recent UN summit on GMOs in Hyderabad, south India, organised by the pro-biotechnology International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), representatives from the group said GM cotton was a success. Farmers no longer suffered from bollworms, which once ruined large sections of their crop, and saved time and money.

The farmers themselves told a different story. According to one, T Venkatesh, ‘We’re getting higher yields, but we’re not better off. Our costs have gone up much faster than the price of cotton.’

Another farmer, Srinivas Reddy agreed. ‘We buy our seeds on the black market and we pay three, sometimes five times as much as we did for normal seeds. But nobody is selling non Bt seeds anymore.’ Costs for farmhands and pesticides had also gone up, he said.

In June 2013, the news magazine India Today reported that Andhra Pradesh faced an acute shortage of Bt cotton seeds, driving up black market prices to as high as 2,000 rupees per packet and leading to a profusion of bootlegged seeds.
Though proponents of GM agriculture, as well as some independent studies, say that higher yields offset the costs of the seeds, farmers have seen other costs rise as well. The Andhra farmers said their crops were now affected by aphids, which replaced the bollworms that Bt cotton was designed to resist. The new pesticides require fewer applications, they said, but are far more expensive.
The old pesticide used to cost us 200 rupees per litre,’ said one farmer, who has been planting Bt cotton for six years. ‘Now I have to pay between 2,000 to 3,000 rupees. And I need to apply it more and more every year.
Some critics of GM seeds see a never-ending cycle of rising costs – and debts –  for farmers.
Farmers buy the seeds, and the costs of the pesticides, which they buy from the same companies, are probably tenfold what they used to pay,’ said Shivani Shah, a campaigner for Greenpeace in India. ‘So it’s creating a system of dependency. It is a deliberate idea of increasing costs and increasing royalties – there is no intention of reducing those costs through economies of scale.’
Lim Li Ching, a researcher with the Third World Network, a nonprofit devoted to developmental issues, said the increased costs from the rise of aphids was an expected turn of events. ‘As ecologists have pointed out from the start, you take out a target pest, you’re likely to have secondary pests coming because that’s how ecology works: you vacate one niche, you’ll have another niche take its place,’she said.
Higher seed and pesticide costs have left small farmers in India – and other developing countries – more vulnerable to failed monsoons and other climate change-related dangers.
For small farmers, the consequences can be tragic. When weak monsoon rains led to crop failures in 2005, hundreds of debt-ridden Bt cotton farmers in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra committed suicide by drinking pesticide. A PBS documentary on the suicides by Chad Heeter reported that the indebtedness was largely due to expensive GM seeds and pesticides. And each growing season, the suicides of indebted cotton farmers continue.
As a small business, trying to carve a niche in the competitive fashion industry, Nukleus understands the plight of small scale farmers. We acknowledge and honour the persistence of farmers who switch from chemically-dependent GM/Bt cotton to organic cotton...a process that takes three years, in which they will have little or no income. These farmers, like Nukleus and our fans have a vision of a better, more sustainable world, in which cotton does not cost the earth.

Not all cotton needs to cost the earth

We salute and support the organic cotton farmers of India, who are struggling so valiantly to make a decent living for themselves and their families...and we salute our fans who make this possible. Buying organic cotton items may cost a little more, and we are all financially challenged. But spending a little more cash is an investment in our health, and the future, for ourselves and the planet...because we’re worth it.

Tuesday 4 February 2014

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GMOs

Nukleus is committed to empowering our customers on the importance of using organic cotton. Key to understanding the cotton issue is to understand the seeds issue. In this blog we will be looking at seeds and GMOs. We were startled and shocked by what we found and share so you can make more informed choices about the kind of cotton products you buy and why organic cotton is safest.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE GMOS?
GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) have been created by the GM (genetic modification) process. According to GMO Myths and Truths, a heavily researched and sourced report produced by the Non GMO Project :
GM is completely different from natural breeding and poses different risks. Natural breeding can only take place between closely related forms of life (e.g. cats with cats, not cats with dogs; wheat with wheat, not wheat with tomatoes or fish).
But GM crops have had genetic material from other species inserted into them eg non-plant into plant, with the hope that this will give the target plant specific properties. But there can be unexpected and unwanted changes in the GMO plant. These could include toxic and allergenic effects, poor crop performance, and generation of characteristics that harm the environment. This is a far-cry from the corporate ballyhoo in the case of cotton, about increased yield. With organic cotton, as sourced by Nukleus, you can be sure that your cotton garment is safe and not harming the environment.

FOREVER POISONED
These unexpected changes are especially dangerous because they are irreversible. Even the worst chemical pollution diminishes over time as the pollutant is degraded by physical and biological mechanisms. But GMOs are living organisms. Once released into the ecosystem,they do not degrade and cannot be recalled, but multiply in the environment and pass on their GM genes to future generations.

Nukleus thinks the environment it too important to risk this kind of contamination.

POTENTIAL HEALTH HAZARDS
Corporates say that their GMOs are safe. We're not so sure. When independent scientists in France analysed data on GM Bt maize they found that Monsanto’s own feeding trial on rats revealed serious health effects – including liver and kidney toxicity – that had been hidden from the public.

This is relevant to GM/Bt cotton for two reasons: cotton seeds are used in animal and human food products and so enter the food chain. Secondly, if the company information on maize was inaccurate, how do we know what the potential health hazards of Bt cotton are? At Nukleus we would rather be safe than sorry.

HAZARDS OF Bt CROPS
Bt cotton is a genetically modified form of cotton, produced by Monsanto. Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria which produces toxins harmful to moths, butterflies and other insects.

With GM Bt crops the plant is engineered to express the Bt toxin in every cell. The plant itself becomes a pesticide, and people and animals that eat the plant are eating a pesticide.

GM Bt crops have many adverse health effects when fed to laboratory animals, including:
●  Toxic effects on the small intestine, liver, kidney, spleen, and pancreas
●  Disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system
●  Reduced weight gain
●  Immune system disturbances

These effects have been demonstrated from eating Bt products. And, while we do not eat clothes, the skin is the body’s largest organ, easily absorbing substances. Some may cause allergies, while over a longer time, exposure to toxic products can cause even more serious health problems. With organic clothing, you can have peace of mind.

GM Bt crops also have toxic effects on butterflies and other non-target insects, beneficial pest predators, bees and aquatic and soil organisms. At Nukleus, we don't want to damage ecosystems in this way, and believe we should preserve them by growing organic cotton.

GM COTTON AND ‘SAFE’ HERBICIDES
Over 75% of all GM crops, including Bt cotton, are engineered to tolerate herbicides, particularly Roundup, produced by Monsanto. Roundup is based on the chemical glycophosphate and marketed as a “safe” herbicide.

But many independent studies show that Roundup poses serious health hazards, including endocrine (hormone) disruption, DNA damage, cancer, birth defects, and neurological disorders.

And if glycophosphate remains in GM food, it would seem reasonable to assume that it remains in cotton fibres too...Organic cotton is not sprayed with these kind of toxins, which is one of the many reasons we at Nukleus advocate its use.

IMPACTS ON FARMERS’ HEALTH...
A report by doctors in Argentina showed the following health problems in people exposed to spraying of agrochemicals (mostly glyphosate) on GM Roundup Ready (RR) soy: increased incidence of birth defects, miscarriages, infertility, cancers, DNA damage (which can lead to cancer and birth defects), neurological developmental problems in children, kidney failure, respiratory problems, and allergies.

In one area, birth defects increased fourfold and rates of childhood cancers tripled in only a decade in areas where rice and GM soy crops are heavily sprayed. Is this happening in cotton farming communities in India and elsewhere? Until data is collected, we can't be sure...but we know that organic cotton farmers and their families are safe from these serious health risks.

AND ON YOU....
These issues are relevant not only to people living where GM crops are grown, but for consumers who eat products made from crops sprayed with agrochemicals. GM crops do not break down glyphosate, but absorb it, so the toxic chemical remains in the plant and is eaten by people and animals. It would seem logical to assume that Bt cotton would similarly be imbued with these toxins. With organic cotton, you know you are safe from these kind of potential hazards.

GM CROPS: A SOLUTION...OR A WORSE PROBLEM? WHAT DO FARMERS SAY?
Over the past decade, corporate and government managers have spent millions trying to convince farmers and other citizens of the benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops. But this huge public relations effort has failed to obscure the truth: GM crops do not deliver the promised benefits; they create numerous problems, costs, and risks; and ... consumers and foreign customers alike do not want these crops.

It would be too generous even to call GM crops a solution in search of a problem: These crops have failed to provide significant solutions, and their use is creating problems – agronomic, environmental, economic, social, and (potentially) human health problems.”
National Farmers Union of Canada

At Nukleus, we have spoken with many Indian farmers and they would agree.

To the ordinary person, wandering round the mall or shopping in a market, these concerns may seem distant. But they are real and important, which is why we at Nukleus believe that organic cotton – non-GMO, not sprayed by toxic chemicals, is best. By choosing organic cotton products you can have peace of mind, and don't need to be concerned about toxins in your body, the environment, or affecting the health of farmers. We wear clothes all our lives, against our skin and there’s no reason to jeopardise our health to look good. Sometimes safe is just a lot better than sorry.

We are heavily indebted to our friends at the Non GMO project for their work and the report. We would highly recommend them as a trusted resource for accurate and credible information on GMOs, presented in an accessible and coherent form.