Dear Friends--This post is not specific to Tompkins County, but I'm certain it is of concern to many of our residents. This abridged e-mail was forwarded from the ProMed mailing list to the SAFETY mailing list. See the link, below. See also the note from the moderator of ProMed, which is not part of the linked article. Emerging contaminants are becoming of increasing concern and are currently being discussed as one of the factors in the City of Ithaca water source decision. Enjoy your veggies in good health..... And compost like mad! Tom
>Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 09:38:56 -0500 >Sender: SAFETY <[email protected]> >Poster: List Moderator <[email protected]> >Subject: ANTIBIOTIC CONTAMINATION, FOOD SUPPLY - USA >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >ANTIBIOTIC CONTAMINATION, FOOD SUPPLY - USA >***************************************** >A ProMED-mail post ><http://www.promedmail.org> >ProMED-mail is a program of the >International Society for Infectious Diseases ><http://www.isid.org> > >Date: 6 Jan 2009 >Source: Environmental Health News [edited] ><http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/antibiotics-in-crops> > > >Consumers have long been exposed to antibiotics in meat and milk. >Now, new research shows that they also may be ingesting them from >vegetables, even ones grown on organic farms. ....rest deleted... Following is the editorial note from the moderator of ProMed: >[In some ways, this article supports how _E. coli_ was found in the >spinach plant in 2006. However, the article and perhaps the research >does not deal with the variety of human wastes from septic systems on >farms and other rural areas that also have antibiotic residue from >pharmaceutical agents used to treat various human maladies. > >I would wonder how many residues and subsequent antibiotic resistant >strains come from human beings who have not finished their >prescriptions and thus promote the development of antibiotic >resistance in bacteria. I would also wonder what percentage of actual >viruses in humans are treated with antibiotics in an effort to >prevent secondary bacterial infection and may thus be an overuse of >antibiotics and/or another mechanism of promoting antibiotic resistance. > >It is always a double edged situation. If antibiotics are not used in >animals, then illnesses can and do spread through flocks and herds. >The loss of the food producing animals eventually translates into >higher food costs further increased by higher transportation costs. >However, how much blame are humans willing to take regarding their >own antibiotic use or misuse? How much are we willing to pay for food >without antibiotics? Shouldn't organics or antibiotic-free production >of animals be a choice for whomever vs. enforcing the higher cost on >all of us? How much more poverty will that create and how much more >stress on the health care system will that produce because of >malnourishment? > >These are all issues worthy of consideration, but as some of these >questions are points to ponder and may be rhetorical, this thread >will not become a discussion line for the questions presented here. - >Mod.TG] ****************************************** Tom Shelley 118 E. Court St. Ithaca, NY 14850 607 342-0864 [email protected] http://www.myspace.com/99319958 (Last updated 12-22-08.) http://www.facebook.com/129295929#/home.php (Just updated 12-31-08.) Compost Educator and Sustainability Scion Buy products in glass, not plastic! Recycle all of your glass bottles. The percentage of PET recycled is declining. PET Recycling Rages Graph Source: National Association for PET Container Resources, American Plastics Council Note: 39% of plastic recycled in 2003 was PET. _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
