Re: dioxin in beef ...and other animals

["Susan K. Snow" <sksnow@1stnet.com>]

  William Verick wrote:
  
  [snip]
  > 
  > Can anyone provide an answer or a source of information for the following question:
  > 
  > What measures can be taken by ranchers/farmers to reduce the amount of
  > dioxin accumulating in beef tissue?
  
  [snip]
  In my last email I responded to some of the measures that can be taken
  to reduce dioxin and other dangerous toxic chemicals in beef. 
  Unfortunately, I left another important matter out.
  
  There are a growing number of entrepreneurs that are reducing their
  corporate costs by <recycling> --dumping their hazardous wastes as
  fertilizer and spreading it over the land.
  
  It is my understanding that there was a news story on CNN's Moneyline on
  or about June 25-27 (a three-part story) about a site near Denver,
  Colorado where wheat fields are being treated with a fertilizer made
  from residues from a Superfund site and dewatered sludge from a
  wastewater treatment plant.
  
  Another thing ranchers and farmers can do to reduce the toxics in beef
  and other crops, is use just plain composted manure --nothing else--as
  fertilizer.  When they purchase other fertilizers, they are spreading
  hazardous wastes (even if the government has changed that name to
  biosolids and called it organic fertilizer) over their land.  While
  chlorinated dioxins and other persistent organic pollutants accumulate
  in fat, toxic metals including lead, cadmium, mercury accumulate in
  animal (and human) tissue.  Those who receive the most toxics are our
  children from the food we eat.
  
  Ranchers and farmers need to join with the environmental community --not
  oppose us.
  
  Susan Snow