Organic milk seems to be the best bet to avoid being contaminated by radiation. Although there is no guarantee after the milk leaves the factory, at least you will know the cow did not ingest more than is said safe by all the major agencies, including the EPA.
This does not give comfort to some who remember how the the EPA gave a guarantee after 9/11 that the air was safe to breathe, causing a false sense of security leading to sickness and death. Now they say the milk is perfectly safe even though it registers radioactive at levels higher than they themselves have deemed safe from Arkansas to PA.
Let's face it, this disaster in Japan is not going away any time soon. Scientists estimate a decade or more until the issue is resolved. Then there is the daunting task of trying to clean it all up, if it is even possible.
The EPA says our water, milk and air is safe...is it?
So, today the EPA says the radiation is safe, but what about after ingesting the stuff for days, weeks, months, and years. What about the children, who are most succeptable.
The EPA reported that Athens and Knoxville found radiation in milk recently. Thanks to either the quick disposal of the milk or somehow getting off of the list, Tennessee as of this article being published, was no longer on the ever updating list. This is not to say they will not return. The degree of contamination placed TN 5th and 6th for milk contamination in the nation.
There is still radiation being detected in the rain water. It has radioactive Cesium 134, radioactive Cesium 137, and radioactive iodine 131, all of which can and do cause cancer. The locations which tested, and tested positive, are Knoxville, and three locations in Oak Ridge. Drinking water also tested positive for Radioactive Iodine -131 in two locations in Oak Ridge. Tennessee is not alone in this. It is worldwide.
Arkansas discovered milk as having 300% more radioactive material than is safe by EPA standards. PA is also said to have higher levels in their milk than is safe.
Why the smoke and mirrors?
There is the issue about the EPA recently talking behind closed doors to increase all of the “safe levels” of radiation to a more “acceptable” or higher number after an accident like Fukushima of Japan.
PEER issued a statement saying that the EPA is wanting to raise the acceptable “safe” levels of radioactive particles in drinking water so high that drinking one glass would give you your lifetime dose, if it was the full allowable amount in the water. They want to exceed the [Maximum Contaminate Limits under the Safe Drinking Water Act] or MCL. They want to exceed the limits in one instance to 7 million times the current MCL's. Maybe for a city they love they will go with the other two numbers thrown out there which are 100x or 1000x the current MCL's. Why the huge range difference for the increase? We can only speculate, but there is nothing to stop the “7 million times” being the final number considered safe in any given disaster. The next decade will be more of the same uncertainty unless TN takes control of their food!
Will organic milk give you the security you want?
Sadly, the answer to this is no, at this time. It is the best choice, but as stated already, there is no guarantee that the milk will stay radiation free from the cow to your table. There are too many stops in between to guarantee this.
If Tennessee had food sovereignty laws in place, locals could sell extra milk to you from their cows which you would be able to touch and see are being well taken care of. As is, the Tennessee state government is all in the citizens business with regards to their food. You are not allowed to have that fresh from the cow, full of enzymes and good acidophilus, still intact milk. Instead you can only purchase what they sell you in the stores, which is ultra pasteurized. No good properties survive that process! Furthermore, you have no control of the milks origin. It could have come from an area filled with radiation. You have no real way to know. Regional food is safer by far. Buying local has many benefits to the local economy as well.
What can you do?
Call your state Representatives, Governor,and Mayor, to get the ball rolling in your area. This is how Americans begin taking back their lives. More importantly, this is how Tennesseans take back their lives! Ask for Food Sovereignty. Tell them you wish to be able to have full control over what you eat. With some doing, this can be achieved, just as it has been in 2 other states in the past few months.
You say, “what is food sovereignty”? This is where the people have full control over their food. No laws can stop any citizen from a state which has this law, from having or eating their own fresh organic foods. No laws can be against selling fresh from the cow milk to your friends and neighbors—even if you want to give it away! No laws can limit what you can or cannot sell at the farmers market! No laws can be made against what you can plant! So to be frank, it is freedom from the government or states interferance in communities or individuals lives to set their own guidelines. Furthermore, no state or country can force any unwanted food on the people of a food sovereign state, or prevent them from having the healthy organic food they want.
This brings to mind Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMO foods. As is, food companies are not required to inform the public if they're products contain GMOs. Seventy percent of all food products in supermarkets today contain GMOs. Genetically Modified Organisms have been proven to cause a host of illnesses. Three GMOs have been proven to cause organ damage. Food sovereignty in the state of Tennessee would put the power in the hands of the people instead of the Federal or State Governments, big businesses, etc. The farmer would not be under any laws or pressure to plant GMO crops or be limited on what he or she could plant.
There is no better way to ensure your food is safe and healthy than to control where it comes from and how it is prepared. If you are afraid, don't be. This country has survived for over 230 years and has only had these new modern interferences into food over the past 100 or so years. Tennessee survived quite well before. Now look at all the illnesses and obesity plaguing the citizens of this state. It is time to make a stand! TN wants food sovereignty! TN wants access to healthy food without restrictions! TN wants to be able to know their milk is free from radioactive material! TN wants food sovereignty!
Conclusion:
The right to grow your own food, save the seeds if you desire, milk a cow and share it with neighbors, have chickens and sell the extra eggs, these are just some freedoms that are at risk of being taken away or have already been taken away. Not everyone is cut out to farm, that is not the point. Tennesseans are capable of making their own choices. One great choice, if you love organic food, is to ask for this measure to be implemented so those wishing to step up can provide organic food to the farmers markets or neighbor to neighbor. As it is, there are so many regulations in most areas, that it is almost impossible to farm organically and make any money on the excess, which is only fair. Not knowing where your food came from is also an infringement on the rights of every Tennessean!
So, pick up the phone or e-mail your representatives and get the ball rolling with regards to food sovereignty. It will not happen overnight but if you make your voices heard Tennessee, you can ensure a brighter, healthier future for you and your children! You can ensure your food is safe and free of radioactive material and toxins.
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