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.
