GMO Cotton — The Ugly Facts!

Cotton is now one the most used fabrics and most of us wear or use some form of cotton or cotton blend  products daily.  Cotton is in your bed sheets, towels, and even in those cotton balls and swabs that you use in your bathroom. If  they are not organic then they are probably genetically modified.  Did you realize that 90% of the cotton worldwide  is genetically modified, also known as Bt cotton. Wearing and using  GM cotton means that you are exposing your body to  pesticides, herbicides, that contain  many chemical toxins. Statistically we absorb more than 60% of what our skin comes into contact with.

Whether you are aware of it or not chances are that you are supporting the GMO industry and this business is not for the light-hearted – it  is Ugly and Tragic! Let me explain more.

Why Is Most of the Cotton Genetically Modified & The Tragic Results?

• According to The Telegraph, British author Simon Ferringo says that only 12 countries in the world actually grow genetically modified cotton, but these genetically modified cotton producer account for the majority produced in the world.

• Cotton is genetically modified in the US and other countries to control pests.  The sad and tragic truth is that the pesticides don’t control the bad bugs  –  many pests have grown immune to many of the toxic pesticides. Unfortunately, the farmers and their families suffer from devastating health problems.  Even though the farmers use the toxic pesticide as directed there is still so much contamination. There is no way to stop the constant pollution that effects humans, wildlife, and the environment.  These toxic chemicals contaminate the ground and water, kill beneficial insects and soil micro-organisms.

• Many of these pesticides used are some of the most hazardous pesticides on the market including aldicarb, phorate, methamidophos and endosulfan. These pesticides are many times a broad spectrum organophosphates which were used in World War II as a toxic nerve gases and agents.

•  According to Amy Leech of the Soil Association  — ” Cotton farming, in particular, is said to be a “toxic business. It uses a lot of pesticides—putting in peril the lives of women, men and children in cotton farming communities. 77 million cotton workers suffer poisonings from pesticides each year.”

• It’s a dirty and toxic business! The big corporations make the cotton crops resistant to pesticides, which in turn they encourage the  farmers to use even more toxic pesticides that has little or no effects on the crops. It’s a no win situation for the farmers.  The fact is that the cost of cotton cultivation has jumped because of the constant rising prices of pesticides. But  Bt cotton or GM cotton production in the last five years has reduced. This has pushed some farmers into drastic situations.

•  The tragic results follow!  As reported earlier this year from Natural News, GM cotton is having tragic effects in India. The suicide rate among Indian cotton farmers has skyrocketed since the introduction of Monsanto’s Bt cotton in 2002. Why? Because the price of seeds has increased sustainability, with little alternate options, farmers are being stretched thin. About one Indian farmer killed himself every 30 minutes in 2009, for a grand total of 17,638 in that year alone. Their harvests are low and prices are high. The suicide phenomena has become known as “The GM Genocide.” Farmers are killing themselves due to the greed and domination of the GMO industry

What Can And Has Be Accomplished:

Finding organic cotton is becoming harder every day and prices have increased every year. Some retailers have formed a “sustainable cotton consortium”. The companies, known as The Better Cotton Initiative, include Tesco, Sainsbury’s, H&M, Adidas, M&S, and Nike. These companies have little control over what type of cotton whether is GM cotton, but they are working hard to find sustainable and eco-friendly options.

According to a spokesman for the group — Larger brands tend to do a lot of ‘blending’  which means they are using non-organic with organic.   Organic cotton is in short supply because of the greed and control of the big GM corporations.  That is why the campaign is pressing big brands to sign up and drive the demand for organic, non-GM cotton.

We are exposed to GMO’s regularly  from foods to clothing and they have many serious ill effects on our health, such as infertility, birth defects, organ damage, neurological disorders, and sadly  we haven’t yet begun to understand the full impact of our long-term  health. Not only does GMO’s effect our health, but it also causes devastation to our environment.  The negative environmental impact and health dangers the corruption of big corporations seems to never stop. Not only our health, but literally the many tragic deaths that destroy family’s forever. We all need to take a stand against these companies so that we can clean up our environment, be informed, and make healthy and responsible choices.

But we’re not just at risk from the foods we eat but from all GMO products, cotton is just one of many products that contaminant our bodies. Let’s all make it our goal to Live Green and support Organic Production of all products. Become an activist and speak your mind, write to your senators, congressman, sign every petition you can and let them know that we are all fed up with our family’s health and the environmental impact that Big Corporations such as Monsanto has caused. We are the only ones that can stop their control. It is not going to be easy but we can do it one step at a time, one day at a time!

http://www.terryseyeongreenmag.blogspot.com/         http://www.eyeonbeauty.info/

About the author

Marla

Website

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog! I believe in living green, organically, and natural in every aspect of our lives. My mission is to help educate you on how to live green, help save our environment and to help you and your family live a happier, healthier life!