A MENTALLY UNSTABLE DIET: DON'T PANIC GO ORGANIC
A new report from the Mental Health Foundation indicates that dietary changes over the last fifty years have played a negative role in human mental health. Industrial agriculture has introduced pesticides and altered the body fat composition of animals due to the diets they are now fed. As a result, the population's intake of omega-3 fatty acids has decreased, and the consumption of omega-6 fatty acids has increased. According to the study, this unequal intake, combined with a lack of vitamins and minerals, is associated with depression, concentration and memory problems. Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said, "We are well aware of the effect of diet upon our physical health. But we are only just beginning to understand how the brain as an organ is influenced by the nutrients it derives from the foods we eat and how diets have an impact on our mental health." http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/diet060202.cfm

ALERT: Public comments are currently being taken on whether the EPA should register the carcinogen methyl iodide as a legal pesticide (Feb. 21 deadline). EPA has indicated it would allow farmers to apply up to 400 lbs. of the carcinogenic chemical to each acre. Unlike many other pesticides, methyl iodide vaporizes quickly, causing it to drift far distances. Although the state of California has categorized it as cancer causing, and the EPA admits it causes thyroid tumors, the chemical is on the verge of being given the green light by the EPA for widespread use on tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, tobacco, melons, potatoes and other root crops. Send a quick message to the EPA here, advising them to start promoting safe methods of food production. Take action:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/oca/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2488


A new study by John Hopkins University has found a chemical pollutant from the production of grease-proof food wrapping and Teflon (PFOA) in the umbilical chords of nearly every baby tested. The test found that 298 out of 300 blood samples from umbilical chords tested positive for PFOA, which has been categorized as a likely carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board. The EPA has also accused DuPont of covering up a 1981 study that found PFOA passed from DuPont's pregnant employees to fetuses. Late last year, DuPont agreed to pay a record $10.25 million fine for failing to tell the EPA about its studies that found PFOA to be "extremely toxic".
http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/teflon2.cfm