http://www.time.com/time/...81,00.html


1. During the 1960 & 1970's India was introduced to America's "Green Revolution" in which traditionally organic farming was upgraded using various "modern" farming methods.

2. Indians started growing large amounts of cotton and other non-traditional crops, which are susceptible to pests. As a result, chemicals sold to them by American companies started being used to control these pests, and as the pests become more resistant to the chemicals higher doses and various lethal combination have been employed.

3. American chemical companies have touted that the chemicals are safe if used as suggested and that strict instructions are provided with each canister of their chemicals---what the neglect to say is that the canisters are written in English and that a large number of rural farmers are not highly educated.

4. The cancer rate in India is so high that a train running from certain rural regions to Punjab to Delhi has been dubbed "The Cancer Express". This crisis has not only sky-rocketed the cancer rate of rural farmers but of regular citizens in surrounding areas of Punjab as well.


5. "Earlier, we used less water, traditional crops and organic manure. Now, it's all chemicals," says Sarmukh Singh, a 93-year-old patriarch in Jhajjal. "We've got our land addicted, but we don't know how to fight this addiction."

6. There are now have large populations of farmers going in debt to purchase chemicals that are making them and neighbors sick.

This is one of the reasons I'm going to start using Bamboo sheets and clothing as much as possible now. The Indians may be dumping deadly combination of chemical into their environment, but who's to say we in the west are much safer?




Picture (below): passengers await boarding of the cancer express to treat their ailments.

[Edited 7/7/09 7:35am]

bump

ThirdandFinal said:

thanks