First it was the First Family’s organic garden at the White House that was found to be tainted with toxic sludge (see my blog post from August 1, 2009).  Now, federal regulators at EPA and USDA apparently see no problem with contaminating the “fruited plains” of  America with toxic waste  from coal-fired power plants and putting our health at risk.

As a speaker and writer on wellness and well-being, once responsible for the national promotion of fruits and vegetables, American citizens must awaken to a frightening reality.  Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the federal government is encouraging farmers to spread toxic waste on their fields to loosen the soil and as a form of fertilizer.  The substance is is a synthetic form of the mineral gypsum, and contains mercury, arsenic, lead and other heavy metals, derived by power plant “scrubbers” that remove acid-rain-causing sulfur dioxide from plant emissions. How can this be healthy?  Heavy metals and soils containing them can have negative effects on human health.

Here’s a bit of dirt on American soil today–it’s become depleted, nutritionally bankrupt, from modern farming methods and the widespread use of agricultural chemicals. Many fruits and vegetables today are sadly not the nutritional powerhouses they once were. For example, research shows that you’d have to eat 43 bowls of spinach today to equal the iron content from just one bowl in 1953! Nutrient deficiencies depress and kill cells in the immune system, making it more vulnerable to illness and disease.

With current federal proposals, our already nutritionally deficient soils would serve as a  dumping ground for toxic waste, making it fertile soil for increasing health issues.

While debate  rages on about health care reform, we should also be addressing a decisive factor of our nation’s health crisis–policies that  no longer safeguard or protect us from increasing toxic exposure, threatening our health and well-being. Ill-conceived policies have allowed the pollution of our air, water and soil; our bodies are suffering that impact.  Millions are being diagnosed with diseases linked to environmental issues, unheard of just decades ago. Our bodies are weighted down and toxins are taking a toll upon health.

As citizens, we deserve clean air, clean water, and food that nourishes our bodies instead of polluting them with hazardous waste. While officials might downplay the health implications of their recommendations There are no real safe standards for toxic agents which put our health at risk.