When you talk to anyone interested in health and fitness topics, they usually know the concept and ideas behind the organic food market. But, in contrast, there is very little awareness of the agricultural products that are grown to provide textiles and the methods involved. We tend to forget that clothes also come from plants. While the use of non-organic cotton has not been shown to be directly bad for people’s health, it does have a very significant impact on those who grow the raw material and the environment in which we live.
Although cotton is grown primarily to provide a fabric for us to wear, it also produces valuable byproducts, such as cottonseed oil, which is extremely crude and requires chemical refining to make it edible. This is used along with the peels as an ingredient in many livestock feeds and also in human food.
Conventionally grown cotton is heavily treated with pesticides and insecticides, many of which are not used on other conventionally grown crops. Where do the chemicals go? Often seen in rivers, streams, and ultimately the sea. There is at least a chance that that chemical residue could make its way into the food chain. At least three chemicals used in production are perceived to be so dangerous that 120 countries agreed in 2001 to ban them, but so far this has not been implemented.
For example, an ingredient called endosulfan that is widely used in many pesticides and plays an important role in conventional cotton farming in controlling the boll weevil. This is still used in developing countries, although the World Health Organization has classified endosulfan as moderately dangerous due to its poisonous effects. The American Environmental Agency classifies it as highly dangerous.
It has broad-spectrum efficacy against insects and mites and is used as a contact poison. Because the patent has expired, it’s also a less expensive option to use. Because it is broad spectrum, it kills not only target organisms but also other non-target organisms and is associated with many cases of poisoning that occur in developing countries. Many people are careful to avoid genetically modified foods but are blissfully unaware that the cotton they use comes from genetically modified plants, but this is a whole new discussion.
The National Cancer Institute has reported that environmental factors are responsible for 80-90% of all cancers. These include lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, and alcohol, which are widely reported and discussed; but other factors include radiation, infectious agents, and chemicals in the water, air, and soil. In short, food for thought.