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I heard this story, and it misses much of the point of producing food
"organically." The *inside* of an orange might not be much changed if it
is grown on a farm with minimal load of fertilizer and pesticide or in a
giant grove where the soil is thick with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer
and Roundup. The point is much more what happens to the land, the soil,
and the air and water on the factory farm -- and elsewhere -- via the
production process for the chemicals used in such quantity, and the
agricultural runoff from the non-organic facility.

Organic is a huge topic, particualrly here in the Hudson Valley where a
lot of farmland is under organic tilth, and agriculture/husbandry has
survived because of strong local support for it. This was interesting,
but didn't touch the real issue. Maybe, this being NPR, they'll have a
follow-up.

Marc Taylor
Manager, Planetarium and Science Programs
Hudson River Museum
511 Warburton Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10701
914 963 4550 x223
Fax 963 8558
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Informal Science Education Network 
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Charlie Carlson
> Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2012 11:24 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Why Organic Food May Not Be Healthier For You
> 
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of 
> Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network 
> of science museums and related institutions.
> **************************************************************
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> 
> Here's an interesting story.
> 
> 
> 
> I found the following story on the NPR iPad App:
> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/09/04/160395259/why-orga
nic-food-may-not-be-healthier-for-you?sc=ipad&f=1001
> 
> Why Organic Food May Not Be Healthier For You by Allison 
> Aubrey and Dan Charles NPR - September 4, 2012
> 
> Yes, organics is a $29 billion industry and still growing. 
> Something is pulling us toward those organic veggies that are 
> grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
> 
> But if you're thinking that organic produce will help you 
> stay healthier, a new finding may come as a surprise. A new 
> study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds 
> scant evidence of health benefits from organic foods.
> 
> "There's a definite lack of evidence," says researcher 
> Crystal Smith-Spangler at Stanford University School of 
> Medicine, especially when it comes to studies of people.
> 
> She and her colleagues collected 200 peer-reviewed studies 
> that examined differences between organic and conventional 
> food, or the people who eat it.
> 
> A few of these studies followed people who were eating either 
> organic or conventional food and looked for evidence that the 
> choice made a difference in their health.
> 
> One study, for instance, looked at whether eating organic 
> food while pregnant would influence the likelihood of eczema 
> and other allergic conditions among children, and another 
> looked at whether eating organic meat would influence the 
> risk of a Campylobacter infection, a bacterial food-borne 
> illness. When the researchers looked at the body of evidence, 
> they found no clear benefits. But they say more research is needed.
> 
> It's important to note, though, that such studies have a 
> really hard time uncovering subtle effects of our 
> environment, or what we eat, on our health. Too many other 
> powerful influences get in the way. Also, these studies only 
> followed people for a very short time - about two years or 
> less. That's hardly enough time to document any particular 
> health benefit.
> 
> 
> Charles Carlson
> Senior Scientist
> exploratorium
> 3601 Lyon St.
> San Francisco, CA 94123
> [log in to unmask]
> Tel:   415-528-4319
> Fax:  415-885-6011
> Skype: sciskypecharlie
> MobileMe: [log in to unmask]
> Twitter: charliec53
> http://blogs.exploratorium.edu/whyintercept/
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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