While this book was written in 1962, it seems that we are still facing some of the issues it addresses in a real way. Sam found this articleyesterday. What do you think about it?
Blair, that link to Sam's article came up as a 'Bad Gateway' when I clicked on it... will you create the link again or send it to me if others aren't having trouble? Thanks!
Ok, Adam and I read the article. Actually, someone had told me about it yesterday and I was totally freaked out. Then I read the article, which re-confirmed how disturbing the information is.
I absolutely think are society still faces similar issues that Rachel Carson started fighting back in the 60's.There is so much we as consumers and members of society don't know about our environment. And it seems that the bits of information that are uncovered and shared with the public come 20-30 years too late.
A couple of things have been on my mind lately: 1.) why infertility issues seem to become more commonplace and 2.) why allergies (particularly food allergies) are increasing in prevelance. While I can't prove it, I'm convinced it has something to do with all of the junk (i.e. pesticides, hormones, pharmaceuticals) we are unknowningly ingesting. I don't care if they are trace amounts, taken in daily over a life time there must have consequences.
I read about that in the newspaper just the other day and immediately thought of Silent Spring and how, though 45 years have passed, we still face the problem of contaminated water that is doing all sorts of bizarre harm to fish, yet government officials and scientists tell us there's nothing to worry about.
The pharmecutical traces in drinking water is a tough situation because even though some of it is due to people flushing expired or unused prescriptions down the toilet, the traces are also coming from medications that people actually swallow. There's nothing we can do about that, so it seems like something needs to be done to clean the water that we are drinking.
It's irritating and kind of scary that the government hasn't set requirements for testing and that they don't look like they are too concerned about it the results of this survey. It seems like we haven't progressed much since 1962.
This article was a perfect fit. It just goes to show how negligent we have been with our water. A major point which is addressed repeatedly in Silent Spring is the general attitude of complacency prevalent in America (whether intentional or not), which has its repercussions in everything from our unhealthy food production practices to our liberal use of harmful chemicals to the neglect of our water supply. Follow this complacency with a large dose of convenience, and the combination is deadly. We are poisoning ourselves at a much more efficient rate nowadays, and we are largely unaware of it.
I wish this book would snap me out of my complacency a bit more. I have been reading labels on things a lot more between this book and "The Omnivore's Dilemma". I wish I knew more chemistry. Its pathetic how laws are set up to protect consumers, but then companies camouflage all of the labels that are required to be there by law.
As for the article, it makes me want to move to the mountains where I can drink water from a clean spring - though that option seems like it doesn't exist. It's really frustrating that there really isn't any way to escape all of the chemicals and carcinogens that we face everyday. However, I think Blair and I are going to slowly convert over to buying as much organic stuff as we can afford. I guess we should reduce our exposure where possible. I want to know what pesticides are in use today and what the studies on them show.
Yeah, this article was sca-ry! I agree with Cassidy--it's frustrating that the govt. doesn't have stronger regulations for testing water... and it's suspicious that some cities wouldn't even talk about their water.
I saw an ad yesterday promoting tap water and there's been a push for that lately. The taste of tap water doesn't usually bother me too much, but I still feel safer after drinking it through my Britta. The mad amount of waste that stems from bottled water is crazy, but after reading that article it makes me want to be more cautious about what I'm drinking. But is bottled water even going to make a difference? Will Sam's fresh spring in the mountains even make a difference?
Another thing the article made me think of was that if we're putting even the slightest dose of pharmaceuticals into our bodies, is it possible to start building up an immunity to those meds? What if we were to need them in the future? Or are the doses just too small? Either way, it makes me nervous...
9 comments:
Blair, that link to Sam's article came up as a 'Bad Gateway' when I clicked on it... will you create the link again or send it to me if others aren't having trouble? Thanks!
I couldn't get the link to work either.
Sorry guys! It should work now.
Ok, Adam and I read the article. Actually, someone had told me about it yesterday and I was totally freaked out. Then I read the article, which re-confirmed how disturbing the information is.
I absolutely think are society still faces similar issues that Rachel Carson started fighting back in the 60's.There is so much we as consumers and members of society don't know about our environment. And it seems that the bits of information that are uncovered and shared with the public come 20-30 years too late.
A couple of things have been on my mind lately: 1.) why infertility issues seem to become more commonplace and 2.) why allergies (particularly food allergies) are increasing in prevelance. While I can't prove it, I'm convinced it has something to do with all of the junk (i.e. pesticides, hormones, pharmaceuticals) we are unknowningly ingesting. I don't care if they are trace amounts, taken in daily over a life time there must have consequences.
I read about that in the newspaper just the other day and immediately thought of Silent Spring and how, though 45 years have passed, we still face the problem of contaminated water that is doing all sorts of bizarre harm to fish, yet government officials and scientists tell us there's nothing to worry about.
The pharmecutical traces in drinking water is a tough situation because even though some of it is due to people flushing expired or unused prescriptions down the toilet, the traces are also coming from medications that people actually swallow. There's nothing we can do about that, so it seems like something needs to be done to clean the water that we are drinking.
It's irritating and kind of scary that the government hasn't set requirements for testing and that they don't look like they are too concerned about it the results of this survey. It seems like we haven't progressed much since 1962.
This article was a perfect fit. It just goes to show how negligent we have been with our water. A major point which is addressed repeatedly in Silent Spring is the general attitude of complacency prevalent in America (whether intentional or not), which has its repercussions in everything from our unhealthy food production practices to our liberal use of harmful chemicals to the neglect of our water supply. Follow this complacency with a large dose of convenience, and the combination is deadly. We are poisoning ourselves at a much more efficient rate nowadays, and we are largely unaware of it.
I wish this book would snap me out of my complacency a bit more. I have been reading labels on things a lot more between this book and "The Omnivore's Dilemma". I wish I knew more chemistry. Its pathetic how laws are set up to protect consumers, but then companies camouflage all of the labels that are required to be there by law.
As for the article, it makes me want to move to the mountains where I can drink water from a clean spring - though that option seems like it doesn't exist. It's really frustrating that there really isn't any way to escape all of the chemicals and carcinogens that we face everyday. However, I think Blair and I are going to slowly convert over to buying as much organic stuff as we can afford. I guess we should reduce our exposure where possible. I want to know what pesticides are in use today and what the studies on them show.
Yeah, this article was sca-ry! I agree with Cassidy--it's frustrating that the govt. doesn't have stronger regulations for testing water... and it's suspicious that some cities wouldn't even talk about their water.
I saw an ad yesterday promoting tap water and there's been a push for that lately. The taste of tap water doesn't usually bother me too much, but I still feel safer after drinking it through my Britta. The mad amount of waste that stems from bottled water is crazy, but after reading that article it makes me want to be more cautious about what I'm drinking. But is bottled water even going to make a difference? Will Sam's fresh spring in the mountains even make a difference?
Another thing the article made me think of was that if we're putting even the slightest dose of pharmaceuticals into our bodies, is it possible to start building up an immunity to those meds? What if we were to need them in the future? Or are the doses just too small? Either way, it makes me nervous...
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