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Green Living
Now News, Edition Nine
Is
Nuclear PowerThe Answer to Global Warming?
Some people, mostly
people in the nuclear industry who are not biologists,
geneticists, or physicians think nuclear is a good alternative to
fossil fuels.
World-renowned physician, writer and anti-nuclear activist, Helen
Caldicott,
and other experts, say NO WAY, and I agree with them. Here's what's
wrong with nuclear power:
A. Problems with Waste Disposal and Bioaccumulation
Every nuclear reactor
produces about 20-30 TONS of highly
radioactive waste per year. Most of it has a very long life (the
most
common plutonium isotope has a half life of 24,400 years!) and
would have to be isolated from the ecosphere for hundreds of
thousands of years. Problem is there isn't any really safe place
to store it. And, as it leaks, it bio-concentrates up the
food chain-
algae, crustaceans, little fish, big fish, and us.
For example, Oak Ridge Labs dumped low levels
of radioactive
Cesium-137 into Par Pond (the largest of the Savannah River Site's
former reactor-cooling reservoirs). It was only 3 hundredths of
a millionth of
a millionth of a curie. The bass that were caught there had 100
times
this amount in their flesh. That means that the bass ate things
that
contained Cesium-137 and it accumulated in their bodies. So, what
happens when people and other mammals eat that bass? What about
when nuclear waste lands on the grass (as it has), is eaten by dairy
cows,
or beef cattle, and we consume the beef and milk?
B. Carcinogens
"Plutonium, the most significant
element in nuclear waste, is so
carcinogenic that hypothetically half a kilo evenly distributed
could
cause cancer in everyone on Earth. Lasting for half a million
years,
it enters the body through the lungs where it is known to cause
cancer.
It mimics iron in the body, migrating to bones, where it can induce
bone
cancer or leukemia, and to the liver, where it can cause primary
liver
cancer. It crosses the placenta into the embryo and, like the drug
thalidomide, causes gross birth deformities. Finally, plutonium
has a
predilection for the testicles, where it induces genetic mutations
in the
sperm of humans and other animals that are passed on from generation
to generation. Significantly, five kilos of plutonium is fuel for
a nuclear
weapon. Thus far, nuclear power has generated about 1,139 tons of
plutonium," according to Helen Caldicott.
Caldicott says that every male (that
includes animals) in the
northern hemisphere has a small amount of plutonium in their gonads.
And all it takes is a single mutation in one gene to kill you. Most
people
don't realize that we are degrading our evolution (I didn't know
until I
read the interview
with Helen Caldicott.
C. Contributes to global warming.
The process of uranium enrichment for fuel
for nuclear power
releases huge amounts of CO2. More CO2 is released when
decommissioning a reactor, transporting, and long term storage
of waste. Yes, that's the same CO2 that contributes to global
warming.
Additionally, uranium enrichment is responsible
for 90% of CFC-114 into
the air in the U.S. CFC's are banned internationally by the Montreal
Protocol because they destroy the ozone layer. Caldicott says that
CFC
gas is 10,000-20,000 times more potent than CO2 as a global warmer
and heat trapper. So, basically anyone who says that nuclear
power is
the answer to global warming is lying or is grossly misinformed.
D. Accidents- think Three Mile Island and
Chernobyl
These weren't the only accidents, just the best remembered. The
U.S. Department of Energy spends over $4 billion each year for
the restoration and management of sites contaminated by nuclear
materials. Need I say more? (For more info on nuclear accidents
in
the U.S., click here).
E. Terrorism & Transporting Nuclear Waste.
Clearly attacking a nuclear power plant or a shipment of nuclear
waste
traveling across the country is a desirable target for terrorists.
This is
what the site, "Three
Mile Island Alert" has to say about potential terrorism,
"Considering the fact that a nuclear plant houses more than
a thousand
times the radiation as released in an atomic bomb blast, the magnitude
of
a single attack could reach beyond 100,000 deaths and the immediate
loss
of tens of billions of dollars. The land and properties destroyed
(your insurance
won't cover nuclear disasters) would remain useless for decades
and would
become a stark monument reminding the world of the terrorists' ideology.
With more than 100 reactors in the United States alone, if one is
successfully destroyed, just threatening additional attacks could
instill
the sort of high impact terror which is being sought by a new breed
of terrorists."
F. The Black Market
Nuclear material getting into the wrong hands could be deadly. To
read more about this, click here.
G. Nuclear Power Is Used Primarily to Generate
Electricity
From the Daily
Grist, "Thing is, nuclear is primarily used to generate
electricity,
and that's not what we're using most oil for. Fewer than 600,000
of the roughly
20.5 million barrels of oil the U.S. uses every day go to generating
electricity,
and replacing that amount wouldn't make much of a dent in imports.
Nuclear
might free up some of the natural gas now used to produce electricity,
but
other uses for natural gas are highly underdeveloped. Nuclear could
also help
make heavy oil into more usable light oil, but that application
is speculative at
best and extremely expensive. Or we could conserve energy ... but
what fun is
that?"
So, what do we do?
Americans are unaccustomed to conserving energy.
Look at the Hummer
and SUV's that fly off the car lots. Europeans have the same standard
of
living as we do, but use 50% less energy. We can do so much better,
and
frankly if we want life on this planet to survive, we must do better.
I agree
with Helen Caldicott that vehicles that get a pathetic 10 mpg should
be banned. Thankfully sales of hybrid vehicles have grown significantly
recently. So, if you're considering buying a new car, how about
a
hybrid? If not, please avoid, trucks, vans and SUV's.
Buy energy efficient "Energy Star"
appliances.
Conserve electricity-shut off unnecessary
lights, and appliances, including
computers.
Take action here
Sources:
1. http://www.ccnr.org/open_letter.html
2. http://www.boston.com:80/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/05/09/why_nuclear_power_is_not_the_answer
3. http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/050405EB.shtml
4. http://environment.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.citizen.org%2FCMEP%2F
5. http://www.ienearth.org/nuclear_waste.html
6. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/bush/keller.htm
7. http://www.tmia.com/security
8. http://www.lutins.org/nukes.html
2.
Personally Prohibit Pesticides, Please
I'm not sure how old
I was when I learned the truth about pesticides.
As a child I thought that pesticides were just sprays used outside
on
gardens or golf courses to kill bugs and weeds. I didn't realize
that the
substances that we slathered and sprayed on ourselves to repel
mosquitoes, ticks, and other irritating insects, were also classified
as
pesticides. Nor did I realize that the monthly spraying for cockroaches
in our NYC apartment could pose any health risks to us. I hated
it when
the masked bug man arrived at our door carrying his metal canister
with
attached spray hose. What a stinky (toxic) fog he left for us to
breathe.
So why didn't he bring masks for my little sister and me to wear
while we
did our homework that afternoon? Even some disinfectant sprays and
antibacterial soaps contain pesticides and carry risks to the user.
I'm
sure that my parents were not aware that these products were toxins
(the Greek word for poison), or at least they didn't know that they
should
be concerned back then.
Health Effects of Pesticides
Sadly, insects are only one piece of the pesticide poison puzzle.
According to Dr. Herbert Needlemen and Dr. Philip Landrigan in their
book,
"Raising Children Toxic Free", "Although specifically
designed to kill insects,
unwanted plants, and fungi, many pesticides are also highly toxic
to the
environment, to humans and particularly to children. They can cause
cancer,
damage the nervous system, the lungs, and the reproductive, immune
and
endocrine systems." Pesticides are synthetic poisonous chemicals
designed to kill or repel pests. They include: herbicides (weed
killers),
insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides."
According to the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free
lawns, of the 30
pesticides most commonly used in lawns and gardens:
13 are probable or possible carcinogens (cancer)
14 are associated with birth defects
18 are associated with reproductive problems
20 are associated with liver or kidney damage
18 can cause neurotoxicity (poisonous to nerves or nerve tissue)
11 are suspect or known endocrine disruptors
28 are sensitizers and/or irritants that can cause inflammation
or an
allergic reaction
Chemlawn and Your Neighbors
Home pesticide use has risen 42% between 1998 and 2001, and
pesticides are applied more intensively to lawns than in agriculture.
A report by the Toxics Action Center on the popular lawn care service,
Chemlawn, found that more than half of the products they use include
ingredients that the EPA or World Health Organization has identified
as
possible carcinogens (cancer causing). One third contain suspected
endocrine disruptors. One quarter contain reproductive toxins, and
40%
of the ingredients have been banned in other countries. Do you want
this stuff on your lawn? Even if you don't choose to use pesticides,
if
your neighbors do, then pesticides are blowing in your open windows,
landing on your patio furniture and organic garden patch, as well
as on
to your children's toys. And, they're landing on you, your children,
and
your pets. Not good.
Kids and Pesticides
As you can tell, I am not a big fan of pesticides, but I am especially
concerned about the impact of pesticides on children. There is a
great
deal of evidence that pesticides are a danger to children's health.
Why are
children more at risk than adults? Children have lower levels of
detoxifying
enzymes; therefore their bodies cannot process out certain toxic
chemicals
as easily as adult bodies can. Additionally, children's bodies are
continually
growing and developing, thus making children more vulnerable to
the ill effects
of toxic chemicals, like pesticides. According to the American Journal
of
Epidemiology, "More children with brain tumors and children
with other
cancers were found to have had exposure to insecticides compared
to
children without cancer or tumors." Not surprisingly, links
have been found
between childhood cancer and exposure to flea collars on pets and
home pesticide
'bombs'. Additionally, bladder cancer in dogs is associated with
a lifetime exposure
to flea and tick dips. If your children are anything like my daughter,
they often
play on the ground, or carpets, where pesticides accumulate. And
who usually
spends the most time playing with (hugging, dressing up, etc.) the
family pets?
Our children, of course.
So, why do we use this toxic stuff? Because we've been taught that
a
diversity of plants in our yards and gardens is unappealing, and
that only
toxic synthetic chemicals can get rid of the unwanted weeds, insects
and
others that have invited themselves into our homes, yards, and gardens.
In addition to all of the potential health problems that we (and
our domestic
pets) can develop from exposure to pesticides, there are other problems.
For instance, pesticides, just like antibiotics, kill the "good"
and the "bad".
In a healthy, natural, balanced system, the "good" bugs
often eat many of
the "bad" bugs, but if we kill them all off, then nature
doesn't have a chance
o do her work. What's worse, insects are able to breed pesticide-resistant
strains and increase their populations. Ironically, the use of pesticides
has
increased crop losses due to insects.
What To Do:
1. The first and most important step is to
immediately stop using
synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. You want to
encourage
your lawn to have a healthy defense system of microorganisms, fungi,
and insects (like ladybugs) to fight off destructive bugs, diseases
and
weeds (plants misplaced). Just as our bodies have an immune system
and "good" bacteria to fight off the bad bacteria and
viruses, our lawns
need them too.
2. Purchase an excellent natural DEET-free
insect repellent, such as
Bite Blocker.
3. Next you'll want to check your soil's
pH, grass grows best in the 6.0-6.8
range. Add lime if it's too acid, and in the unlikely event that
it's too
alkaline, add sulfur or gypsum.
4. When you mow, mow high, 2 ½ to 3 inches is best.
Leave the grass
clippings (a good source of nitrogen fertilizer) on your lawn to
increase
the organic matter. A few shredded leaves provide a dose of
phosphorus.
5. In the fall or early spring, sprinkle
approximately ½ to 1 inch of organic
matter on your lawn, like sifted compost, manure, peat moss, or
alfalfa meal.
6. Every spring, when the weather warms and
the grass begins to grow again,
it is a good time to vigorously rake your lawn to remove thatch
(a thick layer
of dead roots). Then you need to help your lawn breathe by poking
holes
into the soil. Spiked golf shoes or a pitchfork work well, or
you can rent a
machine that digs out tiny cores of dirt. Aerating your lawn will
help to allow
air, water and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the soil.
7. Synthetic fertilizers are not a good choice
as they disperse too quickly and
encourage overgrowth. You'll want to feed the soil with ingredients
like:
compost, composted manure (chicken droppings are terrific) bone,
fish, or
feather meal, seaweed or fish emulsion (stinky at first but the
smell quickly
dissipates). Read labels carefully. Even though a product may
say "natural"
or "organic "it doesn't mean that it really is. You can
call the company and
ask them to send you the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which
gives
a bit more information.
8. It's also important to plant the right
type of grass seed for your area.
Check with your county's extension agent, or a local garden shop.
For the
Northeast, Kentucky bluegrass and fescue is usually the best. Plant
cool
season grasses in the late summer or early fall (six weeks before
frost).
Springtime is the second best time to plant.
9. Water the roots, not the grass. Generally
one inch of water every week
will do the trick. A built-in irrigation system is the best. A good
second choice
would be an impulse sprinkler that resets itself. If you use a hose,
be sure
to water long enough to soak the soil, not just the grass. Check
by putting
your finger into the soil, if it's only wet on the top, it's not
enough water to
reach the roots. Superficial watering creates shallow roots.
10. Decide which weeds you can learn to love
and which you can't. Leave
5-10% of your lawn's white clover because it actually adds nitrogen
and
aerates your soil with its strong root system. Dandelions, before
they go to
seed, are a pretty color and make a good addition to a healthy salad
or stir-fry.
If you can't stand dandelions dig them out by hand when they're
blooming and
at their weakest. Violets and wild onions are also a nice addition
to your lawn.
Overseed bare patches immediately. Herbs and hardy perennials can
replace
grassy areas. They look nice and are easier to maintain. Reevaluate
your
need to have a totally weed-free green grass carpet.
11. If gypsy moths and other leaf eating
caterpillars and moths are taking
over, try the biological control: Bacillus thuringiensis
(B.t.). For Japanese
beetles and other white grubs, apply milky spore disease. For other
soil dwelling
insects, including grubs, beneficial nematodes have proven
effective.
Beneficial nematodes are not to be confused with the plant pest
nematodes.
To find these products, check your local lawn and garden supply
store or
search the Internet for organic lawn and garden mail order companies.
12. You may also want to try horticulture
oils (preferably the vegetable oil
variety as opposed to the highly refined petroleum products), and
Diatomaceous
Earth (microscopic fossils of a type of green algae). Both of
these products
are often available at lawn and garden stores.
13. Encourage butterflies, ladybugs, and
bees with butterfly bushes and flowers.
Toads like little ponds. Install bird and bat houses and provide
birdseed to
attract our winged friends.
14. Enjoy your outdoor space. Perhaps
wind chimes and a meditation bench
would make a nice addition. What about a water or edible vegetable
and
herb garden?
15. Once you have gotten your lawn into good
shape, share information with
your friends and neighbors. Invite them over for a garden party
and share
with them what you did.
Visit the Pesticide Free Lawns on the Beyond
Pesticides Website and sign the pledge.
3. Hormone
Replacement Therapy (HRT)--Is It Worth The Risks?
If you're on Hormone Replacement Therapy,
or considering it this is
a must read.
Women have been experiencing the natural end
of menstruation called
"menopause" for ages. So why does modern Western medicine
treat it
like a "disease" that requires pharmaceutical intervention?
At menopause, a woman's ovaries produce less
of the hormones
estrogen and progesterone. For some women this results in
symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings,
and vaginal dryness. And, some experts believe that lower
hormone levels can increase the risk for osteoporosis and heart
disease.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has been recommended
as
a way to reduce or eliminate these symptoms. But, like all drugs,
HRT's come with side effects, big ones! A randomized, controlled
trial, the Women's Health Initiative, was conducted by the National
Institute of Health. More than 16,000 women, ages 50-79, took part.
But guess what? The trial was stopped ahead of schedule in 2002
because researchers found that taking hormones actually
increased the risk of certain chronic diseases, such as: strokes,
heart attacks and blood clots, and breast cancer!
And it gets worse…they found that women
who took hormones not
only had a 24% greater risk of getting breast cancer, but their
cancers were harder to detect, got to a more advanced stage,
and were harder to treat. Another troubling side effect was
that
women taking hormones had more abnormal mammograms, even
after taking them for as little as one year. Hard to read mammograms
make breast cancer harder to detect. (I'm not a big fan of mammograms
as the radiation contributes to cancer development. So, I'm going
for a thermal breast imaging scan in the next two weeks, as an
alternative to mammograms. I'll tell you about my experience in
a future newsletter article).
In a one million women study in Britain, researchers
found that HRT
not only raised the risk of getting breast cancer, it also increased
the risk of dying from it. Using a combined estrogen-progestin
hormone therapy raised the breast cancer risk the most (50%).
Estrogen only therapy raised the risk by 30%, regardless of the
brands,
doses, or methods of administration.
When HRT was first introduced, it was known
to increase breast and
endometrial cancer rates, but was downplayed. They also thought
that the risk increase was just with long term use. And, estrogen
only therapy was said to cause less breast cancers, but more
endometrial cancers in women who still had their uterus.
Additionally, the American Cancer Society says
that breast cancer
survivors should find a different treatment for menopausal symptoms
other than HRT. Why? Because a Swedish study found that HRT
significantly raised the risk of reoccurrence in women previously
treated for breast cancer. That study was also terminated
early
because of the clear connection between hormone use and
cancer reoccurrence.
The only good news is that stopping hormone
therapy seemed to
reduce the risks of getting breast cancer fairly quickly. Women
who
stopped HRT within the previous year ad a 14% greater risk than
women who didn't use HRT. Women who had quit five or more
years previously had about the same risk as women who had never
used hormones.
According to www.premarin.org, "About a
third of the approximately
fifty-five million post menopausal women in the United States are
on estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), or hormone replacement
therapy (HRT), and of them, about 49% currently use PMU based
products (down from a high of 79% in 1999). This is AFTER these
studies came out!
An article about HRT wouldn't be complete without
my mentioning
PMU. What's PMU? Pregnant (Horse) Mare Urine. Ayerst Organics
LTD (they have the gall to use the word "organics" in
their company
name) is the world's only producer of PMU. They're a subsidiary
of Wyeth Inc. the world's eighth largest drug maker. You don't
have to be a horse lover, like me, to be disgusted by this story.
Normally, horses are kept in stalls that are
8 feet by 12 feet. This
gives them ample room to move around and lie down. Most horses
have daily turnout on a pasture, where they can munch grass
(which they've done for eternity), or in an outdoor paddock in the
winter. Horses are wanderers and herd animals by nature.
In contrast, "Premarin" mares are
impregnated, fitted with a UCD
and normally kept tied up throughout their last six months of preg-
nancy in stalls just 8 feet long, by 3 1/2 feet wide, by 5 feet
high!
Often the mares are purposely dehydrated to make the urine more
concentrated. Just before foaling they are taken "off line"
and allowed
to foal in outside paddocks, sometimes in the dead of winter with
Canadian subzero temperatures.
Premarin.org reports that, "Foals removed
from the mare are
sometimes fattened on feedlots and then sold for slaughter. The
ones not sent to feedlots go straight to the meat auctions, or are
sold to resale agents. A small number are sold by foal rescue
operations to mostly U.S. rescue organizations." Tom Hughes
(Canadian Farm Animal Care Trust) has publicly stated "Most
of
the foals from the average PMU farm will be sold purely for meat."
This is really sick. PMU foals adversely impacted by PMU
production is currently estimated by HorseAid to be at over
75,000 per year."
A retired Canadian PMU farmer, Ollie Bracken,
stated in a 1995
interview that he retired from PMU farming because, "When you
have to see a colt being born and then have to destroy it, it's
rough
because they're just babies. I just didn't think it was right to
continue what I was doing." He's one of many that have "retired"
from the PMU industry.
What To Do:
Stop taking HRT. Tell all the women in your
life too.
Read well known herbalist, Susun Weed's,recommendations
for
treating
menopausal symptoms with herbs
Regarding the horses: consider adopting a PMU
foal. I'm adopting
One in September. To find out more about PMU adoption go to:
(www.pmurescue.org) The rescue
organization we're going through is in
Vermont.
Here's a link to a lawsuit
against the HRT drug Prempro
The sources for this article were primarily
the American Cancer Society,
and Premarin.org.
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