Food Poisoning: Is Factory Farming Making us Sick?

FOOD POISONING IS FACTORY FARMING MAKING US SICK? THE NEED TO FEED BILLIONS OF PEOPLE EFFICIENTLY (AND MAKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OFF IT) HAS GIVEN RISE TO LARGE-SCALE ANIMAL FARMING OPERATIONS. BUT ARE THESE MEGA-OPERATIONS HELPING FEED US OR MAKING US ALL SICK? THE RISE OF THE FACTORY FARM FACTORY FARMS, MORE ACCURATELY CALLED CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEED OPERATIONS (CAFOS), ARE LARGE-SCALE INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURAL FACILITIES THAT RAISE ANIMALS (USUALLY AT HIGH DENSITY AND KEPT IN CONFINED SPACES) FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. 5% 50% PROPORTION OF FOOD CAFOS AMONG ANIMALS ALL U.S. ANIMAL FARMING OPERATIONS THAT COME FROM CAFOS DUE IN PART TO THESE MASSIVE FACTORY FARMS, SINCE 1960 . .. MILK PRODUCTION HAS MEAT PRODUCTION HAS EGG PRODUCTION HAS DOUBLED TRIPLED QUADRUPLED 1960s NOW SUCH OPERATIONS ALSO HAVE INTRODUCED MEANS TO MAKE ANIMALS GROW HEAVIER MORE QUICKLY; CHICKENS, FOR INSTANCE, GROW TWICE AS LARGE IN ABOUT HALF THE TIME. 16 WEEKS 1920 2013 GROWTH TIME 5 POUNDS 2.2 POUNDS 7 WEEKS WEIGHT THE FILTHY TRUTH IN ADDITION TO THE MORAL AND ETHICAL PROBLEMS WITH KEEPING ANIMALS IN TINY PENS WHERE THEIR NATURAL BEHAVIORS ARE STUNTED, THERE'S THE VERY REAL PROBLEM OF WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THE WASTE THEY PRODUCE. THESE OPERATIONS CAN HOUSE UPWARDS OF.. 1,000+ 10,000+ 10,000+ BEEF COWS HOGS CHICKENS THAT ADDS UP TO TONS AND TONS OF – WELL, POOP 200 ANIMALS EACH 300 MILLION TONS ANNUAL MANURE PRODUCTION OF ANIMALS FROM CAFOS; THAT'S 65% OF THE WASTE FROM ALL ANIMAL OPERATIONS IN THE U.S. AND IT'S MORE THAN DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF WASTE PRODUCED BY THE ENTIRE U.S. HUMAN POPULATION. THIS MANURE CONTAINS A VARIETY OF POTENTIAL CONTAMINANTS, SUCH AS THESE CONTAMINANTS FIND THEIR WAY TO THE GROUNDWATER AND EVEN POLLUTE THE AIR GROWTH HORMONE NITROGEN IN ADDITION TO THE ANTIBIOTICS MANURE CONCERN IS COPPER THE POSSIBILITY THAT SULFATE KEEPING ANIMALS IN SUCH CLOSE QUARTERS ENCOURAGES E COLI PHOSPHORUS/ ANIMAL BLOOD INFECTIONS THAT ARE THEN PASSED TO CONSUMERS. THE RISKS OF FACTORY MEAT CAFOS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE PRIMARILY TO THREE PATHOGENS THAT ALSO MAKE PEOPLE SICK. MRSA : CAMPYLOBACTER AND SALMONELLA E. COLI : CAMPYLOBACTER AND SALMONELLA ARE MOST COMMONLY : · FOUND IN EGGS AND POULTRY, AND BOTH PATHOGENS HAVE RECENTLY SHOWN SIGNS OF DRUG RESISTANCE. METHICILLIN-RESISTANT INTRODUCTION OF A GRAIN-BASED DIET, STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS CAN BE SPREAD BY HUMAN AND ANIMAL CARRIERS AND HAS BECOME ABUNDANT RATHER THAN A GRASS-BASED DIET, HAS RAISED E COLI RATES AMONG COWS. WHILE E COLI IS ALWAYS PRESENT IN COWS POSITIVE TESTS FOR SALMONELLA IN OUR ENVIRONMENT. EUROPEAN STOMACHS, GRAIN-BASED DIETS HAVE GIVEN STUDIES HAVE SHOWN A LINK BETWEEN MRSA AND FACTORY PIG FARMS. RISE TO MORE HARMFUL STRAINS, SUCH AS O157H7, WHICH HAS FOUND ITS WAY INTO WATER, PRODUCE AND MEAT IN RECENT YEARS. 80,000 16% | 23.4% 4.4% 6.5% FARMS ORGANIC FREE- WITH FLOCKS RANGE CAGED FLOCKS HENS PERCENTAGE OF FOODBORNE ILLNESSES ANNUAL MRSA INFECTIONS IN CAUSED BY STRAINS OF E. COLI HUMANS, THOUGH MANY CASES OCCUR IN HOSPITAL SETTINGS 62% CHICKEN SOLD IN SUPERMARKETS CONTAMINATED WITH CAMPYLOBACTER THE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT FROM MISMANAGEMENT OF THE TONS OF WASTE PRODUCED BY THESE MASSIVE OPERATIONS EXTENDS TO BOTH THE AIR AND WATER. WASTE AND PATHOGENS IN DRINKING WATER EXCESS NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS IN WATER RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS FROM DUST AND ODORS FISH KILLS TOXIC ALGAL BLOOMS SOURCES HTTP://www.UCSUSA.ORG • HTTP//www.CDC.GOV. HTTP//www.ORGANICCONSUMERS.ORG • HTTP//NEWS YAHOO.COM. HTTP//wwW.EPA.GOV HEALTH-SCIENCE-DEGREE.COM ---..