Natural versus Synthetic Chemicals Is a Gray Matter
Scientific American - Energy & Sustainability 2013-04-10
Summary:
We consumers are bombarded with advertisements for natural and organic products. There are websites and news stories beyond counting dedicated to sharing the following message: "man-made is bad and natural is good". The growing popularity of this belief shows that this subject is in dire need of clarification.The idea that nature can harm us is not new. Have you ever heard of malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, botulism or tetanus? Why, then, are so many convinced that anything and everything natural is healthier for us than synthetic products? It's true that modern chemistry has brought us a number of toxic chemicals, like DDT and dioxins, but do you really think that nature's chemicals are any less harmful to you? In fact, the most toxic chemicals to humans are completely natural! Not only that, but there is much evidence that natural pesticides allowed in organic farming are just as toxic as synthetic pesticides. It would be wonderful if it were simply a black versus white topic. [More]