Ultraviolet 101

by Gene Franks

Although ultraviolet light has several water treatment applications, such as reducing chlorine and chloramine, its main use by far is for microbe control.

Getting rid of microbial water contaminants can be done with chemicals, like chlorine or chloramines, by very tight filtration, as with ceramic filters, or by disabling the microbes with ultraviolet light.

Ultraviolet, UV, is not new. As early as 1877, the germicidal properties of sunlight were known.

Landmark events in the development of modern UV treatment include the use of mercury lamps as an artificial germicidal light source (1901), the development of quartz as a UV transmitting medium (1906), and finally the development of the first genuine drinking water application of ultraviolet as a disinfectant in France in 1910.

The technology is, therefore, a century old, and it is used world wide. Nevertheless, it is still unknown to many US state and local regulating agencies, who continue to accept chlorination as the only acceptable way to purify water.

UV treatment works not by “killing” bacteria, protozoa, and viruses, but by altering their DNA so that they cannot reproduce or infect. If chlorination is like chemical warfare directed at microbes, UV is more like a spaying and neutering program.

UV Light

UV light in the 200 to 300 nanometer (nm) range is the most effective at treating bacteria and viruses. (Visible light falls in the 400-700 nm area.) For most practical UV applications in water treatment today, the light is generated by a mercury vapor lamp, or in a gas mixture that contains mercury. Mercury is the gas of choice because the light it puts out is in the germicidal wavelength range.

Lamp output depends on concentration of mercury within the lamp, and the concentration depends on pressure. Low pressure lamps (called LP), the most common, produce UV light primarily at 253.7 nm, an ideal treatment wavelength. Some newer lamps are called “low pressure/high output” (LPHO) and some applications now use mixed vapor lamps called “amalgam” lamps. These require more electrical input and generate more UV output. LPHO lamps are roughly twice as powerful as LP, and amalgams may be about four times as powerful as LP.

The Delivery System

The standard way to treat unsafe water with UV is to send it though an elongated chamber where it is exposed to the intense light from the mercury lamp. UV bulbs are long and narrow to allow prolonged exposure as the water passes the length of the lamp.

The lamp itself is inside a “quartz sleeve,” which protects it from contact with the water, and on the other side of the sleeve there is normally a metal reflective chamber. The water enters one end of the chamber, flows past the lamp to exit at the other end, and is in the process exposed for some time and at close proximity to the UV dosage put out by the lamp.

UV Lamp, on left, and a quartz sleeve (for a smaller unit).

UV dosage is typically measured in units called “Joules,” and it is most frequently expressed in terms of “mega Joules per square centimeter,” or mJ/cm². (Microwatts per second per square centimeter, expressed as µWs/cm2, and mJ/cm2 represent the same dosage and the two systems are used interchangeably.) The higher the number, the higher the dosage.

UV Dosage

The UV dosage received by the water increases as the flow rate of the water decreases, so a UV unit that puts out a dosage of 16 mJ/cm² while treating water at a flow rate of eleven gallons per minute (gpm) will be rated as 40 mJ/cm² if the flow rate is decreased to 4.5 gpm.

Put another way, a UV system rated by its manufacturer to treat water at 40 mJ/cm² at 4.5 gpm will be delivering a dosage of 16 mJ/cm² even if the user exceeds the recommended limit and runs the water at eleven gpm.

The tendency now in UV dosage is to follow the “more is better” view we’ve all been indoctrinated in. If ten nuclear bombs will destroy the world, to be safe we need ten thousand. The most common concerns, E. coli, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium, are effectively eliminated at less than seven mJ/cm². The minimum dosage now recommended by NSF, however, is 40 mJ/cm².

Factors That Affect UV Effectiveness

First, there is the age of the lamp. UV lamps lose strength with time, and almost all manufacturers assume a once-a-year replacement when they design their units. It is a mistake to believe that if the lamp is still burning all is well. UV lamps should be replaced once a year, and when replaced they should still be burning strong.

Then there is flow rate. The unit should be sized to provide adequate protection at the highest possible flow rates, but practicality should tell you that in most residential situations, most water is used at a couple of gallons per minute and a great deal of the time—most of the time, in fact—no water at all is being used.

Also a factor is general absorption of the UV light for unintended purposes. UV makers usually require that water have less than seven grains per gallon of hardness, less that 0.3 ppm iron, less than 0.05 ppm manganese, and that it be generally clear and free of particulate and tannins. All of these can create situations where the light is absorbed and, therefore, its anti-microbial activity is diminished. Hardness, for example, can form scale on the outside of the quartz sleeve which blocks the passage of light and greatly diminishes dosage.

A related factor is called shadowing. It is primarily caused by particles in the water which can allow microbes to “hide” from the light and not receive adequate UV dosage. The commonly accepted practice in UV treatment is to put a sediment filter of 5 microns or less in front of the treatment chamber to screen out any particles that could allow shadowing. Even if the water looks perfectly clear to the eye, putting a five-micron filter in front of the UV unit is a good idea.

UV as a Germicidal Treatment. Pros and Cons

The good thing about UV is that in addition to being a very effective treatment for microbes, it is relatively simple and inexpensive to buy and to maintain. It adds no chemicals to the water and leaves no “by-products.” It is very safe, if you follow a couple of simple rules (like don’t stare at a burning UV lamp because it can damage your eyes, and remember that treatment chambers can be hot to the touch). Compared to ozone, chlorine, or even hydrogen peroxide, UV is a very safe home treatment. Also compared with other treatments, UV requires little maintenance.

The main disadvantage of UV as germicidal treatment is that it has no residual effect. Bacteria are treated when they pass the lamp, but contamination that occurs downstream of the lamp is not treated. Chlorine, by contrast, stays in the water from the point of treatment to the final point of use and prevents reinfection. The need for a constant supply of electricity can be seen as an additional disadvantage. If the power goes out, you should not use the water.

Above, a very basic UV system. The quartz sleeve, lamp inside, inserts into the stainless treatment chamber. The simple control system provides both visual and audible warning of UV lamp failure. The system comes in 2, 6, 8, and 12 gpm versions. The lamps provide strong UV dosage (30 mJ/cm2 at the end of the lamp’s life). Very easy to install, the unit wall mounts with two simple clips.

Number of dogs believed to be living in the United States–78.000,000.

Estimated percentage of these dogs that are in the country illegally– 23.9%.

Daily excrement output of these dogs, in tons–30.000.

Yearly excrement output of these dogs, in tons–10,000,000.

Number of 18-wheel tractor trailer trucks that would be required to haul away 10,000,000 tons of dog manure–267,500.

Length in miles of the caravan made by these 267,500 manure wagons if they were lined up bumper to bumper–3800.

Rank of the roundworm as the most common dog excrement parasite — #1

Percentage of Americans who tested positive for roundworms in a CDC study – 14%.

Number of canines required to generate enough bacteria in three days to close 20-miles of beach –100.

Approximate percentage of Americans who don’t pick up their dogs’ feces–40%

Percentage of US households that have at least one dog–60%.

Numerical rank of dog waste among the largest contributors of bacterial pollution in urban watersheds– 3 or 4.

According to a Seattle study, the percentage of watershed pollution that can be attributed to dog wastes–20.

Average daily output in pounds of feces per day per dog–3 to 4.

Pounds of excrement produced by 1000 dogs in a week — 750.

Percentage of the total residential waste stream that was found to be dog waste in a San Francisco study — 4%

Sharper’s Index

Gazette columnist B. Bea Sharper Ferrets Out the Facts that Harper’s Misses

B. Bee’s Second Series of Random Number Wisdom

Average time it takes blood to complete a complete circulatory cycle among vertebrates: 10 to 30 seconds.

Average time for a complete circulatory cycle among many insects: 30 minutes.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

The longest recorded flight of a chicken : 13 seconds.

Distance that the cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves for each gallon of diesel that it burns: 6 inches.

Number of persons in two billion who will live to be 116 or older: 1.

Number of cows required to make enough leather for a year’s supply of NFL footballs: 3,000.

Percentage of people who use personals ads for dating that are already married: 35.

Percentage of total weight of the world’s humans as compared with the total weight of the world’s termites: 10%

Average speed of catsup leaving the bottle: 25 miles per year.

Percentage of Russian government income that comes from vodka sales: 10.

Number of muscles in a cat’s ear: 32.

Average number of people who choke to death each year on ballpoint pens: 100.

Gallons of water required to produce a pound of wheat: 25.

Gallons of water required to produce a pound of meat: 2,500.

Percentage of typing done by the average person’s left hand: 56%

Percentage of harmful organic waste water pollution attributable to humans: 10.

Percentage of harmful organic waste water pollution attributable to livestock: 90.

Average pounds of paper consumed per person each year in the United States: 560.

Average pounds of paper consumed per person each year in Nigeria: 7.

Number of possible ways to make change for a dollar: 293.

Estimated percentage of the generic diversity of the world’s 20 key food crops that has been lost in just the past 50 years: 75%.

Gallons of water required to produce a ton of paper from virgin wood pulp: 24,000.

Number of dimples on a regulation golf ball: 336.

Amount contributed to members of Congress in the period 1987-96 by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association: $1,422,434.

Amount received during the same period from meat industry lobbyists by Senator Phil Gramm of Texas: $611, 484.

Percentage of American grain that is fed to livestock: 70%.

Number of people in the U.S. killed each year by assault rifles: 250.

Number of people in the U.S. who die each year from cancer related to pesticides: 10,400.

Percentage of all pesticides used in the world that are used on cotton: 25%.

Average number of American soldiers who died per year during the 12 years of the Viet Nam War: 4,800.

Number of medical schools in the United States: 127.

Number of these schools that don’t offer even one course in basic nutrition: 102.

According to a Life magazine report, percentage of babies born to Gulf War veterans who have been born deformed: 67%.

Number of Americans who die prematurely each year because of alcohol abuse: 125,000.

Percentage of Britons opposed to Monsanto’s efforts to introduce genetically altered foods before the company staged an advertising blitz in 1998 to gain public support: 44%.

Percentage of Britons opposed to Monsanto’s efforts to introduce genetically altered foods after the 1998 advertising campaign: 51%.

Percentage of the American population that is made up by three out of four Americans: 75%.

Number of Americans who miss work each day because of digestive health problems: 200,000.

Approximate number of people on earth who have the same birthday as you: 9,000,000.

Number of bombs the United States has dropped on Iraq since 1990: Thousands.

Approximate cost of a single “smart bomb” dropped on Iraq: $1,100,000.

Number of year-long jobs paying $10 per hour that could be paid for by the price of a single bomb dropped on Iraq: 60.

Number of $10 meals that could have been purchased for the price of a single bomb dropped on Iraq: 1,000,000.

Number of four-year scholarships to a top private American university that could have been paid for by the cost of a single bomb dropped on Iraq: 10.

Number of computers that could have been bought for American schools for the cost of a single bomb dropped on Iraq: 1,000.

According to an audit commissioned by the EPA, percentage of violations to federal safe drinking water rules that are not reported: 88.

Percentage of Americans who believe that the sun revolves around the earth: 18%.

Percentage increase in American children aged two to four taking psychiatric drugs like Prozac and Ritalin between 1991 and 1995:  50%.

Percentage of these children who were 2-year-olds: 10%. 

Read BB Sharper regularly in the Pure Water Occasional.

Sharper’s Index

Gazette columnist B. Bea Sharper Ferrets Out the Facts that Harper’s Misses

B. Bee’s Third Series of Miscellaneous Number Wisdom

Amount that Americans spend annually on lawn equipment: $40, 000, 000, 000.

Number of chemicals estimated to be in use in the United States: 75.000.

Number of chemicals currently monitored under U.S. drinking water standards: 75.

Rank of cancer among the killers of children in the United States: #2.

Rank of automobile accidents among the killers of children in the United States: #1.

Estimated number of leaking underground gasoline storage tanks in Texas: 21,000.

Percentage of the 2,700 most widely used chemicals for which human health effects data exists: 7%.

Estimated percentage of violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act that are not reported: 90%.

Number of plastic bottles sold daily by the Coca Cola Company,  sponsor of national America Recycles Day: 20,000,000.

Number of these bottles that are made from recycled plastic: 0.

Year in which the United States Congress granted citizenship to Native North American Indians: 1924.

Number of the top ten U.S. counties for per capita marijuana arrests that are in Texas: 5.

Your chances of being arrested for a marijuana offense if you live in Hudspeth, Texas (population 3,079): 1 in 15.

Number of people killed worldwide each day by waterborne diseases: 25,000.

Amount of money pharmaceuticals companies have contributed to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) between 1993 and 2000: $26, 400,000.

Percentage of Americans over 12 who have Herpes: 21%.

Fraction of America’s prisoners at the turn of the century who were incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses: 1/4.

Approximate annual cost of incarcerating these non-violent drug prisoners: $9,400,000.000.

Number of words in Archimedes’ Principle: 6

Number of words in the Pythagorean theorem: 24.

Number of words in the Lord’s Prayer: 66.

Number of words in the Ten Commandments: 179.

Number of words in the Gettysburg Address: 286.

Number of words in the Declaration of Independence: 1,300.

Number of words in the U. S Government’s regulations on the sale of cabbage: 26,911.

Amount spent in 1999 by the National Institutes of Health on clinical research: $18.000.000.000.

Amount spent on clinical research during the same period by the top ten pharmaceuticals companies: $23.000.000.000.

Amount that Colin Powell was paid to give a mediocre address to the 1999 American Librarian Association Convention about “volunteerism:”: $70,000.

Annual earnings of General Motors for pay-per-view sex films aired through its DirectTV subsidiary: $200,000,000.

Percentage of Black men in the United States who are not allowed to vote because they are in jail or have a felony conviction: 13%.

Fraction of the world’s prisoner’s that are now behind bars in “the land of the free”: 1/4.

Day in January which should be made a national holiday because on that day in 2001 “Drug Czar” Barry McCaffrey’s resignation became effective: 6.

Total number of  U.S. marijuana arrests in 1999: 704,812.

Percentage of these arrests that were for simple possession: 88%.

Total number of marijuana arrests (a record for any U. S. presidency) made during the Clinton Administration: 4,175,357.

Number of families who, together, own 95% of the wealth of Mexico: 14.

Number of the poorest people in the world who now own almost as much wealth as the richest 350: 350,000,000.

Number of children made homeless by wars during the last 10 years: 30,000,000.

Number of people estimated to be slaves in the year 2,000: 27,000,000.

Year by which Time magazine predicted,  in 1966,  that production by  machines would in effect make everyone in the United States independently wealthy: 2000.

The hottest year ever recorded: 1998.

Second hottest year ever recorded: 2001.

Gazette Columnist Bee Bea Sharper Describes an Imaginary World Village of 100 People in Exact Proportion to the Current Earth Population

• Precise number of people in the proportional imaginary world village described in the following items: 100.
• Number of these 100 people who would be Asians: 57.
• Number of Europeans: 21
• Number of Americans (North and South): 14.
• Number of Africans: 8.
• Number of females: 51.
• Number of males: 49.
• Number of Christians: 30
• Number of Non-Christians: 70
• Number of people who would own 59% of the world’s total wealth: 6.
• Number of these six very wealthy people who would be U. S. citizens: 6.
• Number of people who would live in sub-standard housing: 80.
• Number of people who would be able to read: 30.
• Number who would be suffering from malnutrition: 50.
• Number who would be near death: 1.
• Number who would be near birth: 1.
• Number who would have a college education: 1.
• Number who would be heterosexual: 89.
• Number who would be homosexual: 11.
• Number who would own a computer: 0.
• Number of reasons we have for being tolerant and understanding of each other: many.

Sharper’s Index

Special Animal Manure Issue

Pure Water Gazette columnist B. Bee Sharper Ferrets out the facts that Harper’s misses.

Introduction

by Gene Franks

The Agriculture Committee of the U. S. Senate, directed by chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), performed an extensive study of the state of our nation’s manure.  Although the findings of Harkin’s committee were called “staggering” by the Associated Press, the story was essentially ignored except for a few page 22 newspaper stories.  Our numbers columnist, Bee Bee Sharper, intrigued by the big numbers that figure into animal manure statistics, decided to turn the committee’s findings into a column.  B. Bea’s numerical facts are taken from an excellent article on the Harkin findings, Pamela Rice’s  “Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Manure,” which appeared in the Fall 1999 issue of Vegetarian Voice. Here are B. Bea’s findings.

• Pounds of waste produced each year by farm animals in the United States: 2.74 trillion.

• If this waste were loaded on the boxcars of a single train (Heaven forbid!), the number of times this train’s length would reach around the earth: 12.5.

• Human population of a city that would create the same amount of excrement as the dairies in California’s Central Valley: 21,000,000.

• Estimated number of manure-generating animal-feeding operations in the United States: 450,000.

• Percentage of rivers that have been identified by the EPA as “impaired” in which agricultural runoff from animal waste is the largest problem: 60%.

• Number of Olympic-size swimming pools that would fit into one of the innumerable large “lagoons” (temporary excrement storage facilities) spread throughout the United States: 200.

• Percentage of the older lagoons in North Carolina that are leaking enough to contaminate groundwater: 50%.

• Number of separate noxious gasses that contribute to the foul odor which emanates from hog barns: 150.

• Number of dead birds that are composted or incinerated by the poultry industry each year: 160,000,000.

• Factor by which U.S. animal excrement exceeds human: 130 times.

BIRTH CONTROL–THE
NATURAL WAY

How to Sow or Not to Sow–The Natural Way

by Barbara Feldman

Today in an age of increasing health and environmental concerns, more people are deliberating about conceiving children, and some are deciding not to have children at all. Whether you plan to have children soon, plan to wait, or have decided not to add to the global city’s already overcrowded sandboxes, you can take charge of your reproductive life in a way that enhances your health and the environment.

Picture the smallest grain of sand that you could possibly see in your garden. Now add to that picture something 2,000 times smaller. Amazingly, each of us began from the union of an egg (barely visible to the naked eye) and one sperm, 2,000 times smaller.

Our earliest ancestors lived within puzzles of myth and instinct combined, but had few real clues as to how pregnancy occurred. For ages it was unknown that males had any role. Throughout history humans used various ceremonies, rites and practices to deal with the awe, fear, and reverence they felt toward the mysteries of fertility. From today’s educated perspective, some of these beliefs and practices may seem quite bizarre. Three hundred years ago, not long ago in human history, “ovists” argued with “spermists” as to whether the tiny model of the parent (we might say the blueprint or pinkprint) was contained in the egg or the sperm. In educational texts of that time, faces are actually drawn on sperm.

Some of today’s misinformation may sound as amusing as the strange beliefs of the past, but unplanned pregnancies are of far more concern now than they were in tribal communities and in times of sparse human population.

Today, even though scientific knowledge of fertility is extensive, the average person is still not privy to the simple basics that can benefit all our lives. Just randomly ask where conception takes place, how long sperm live, or when in the cycle ovulation takes place, and you will discover a major lack of education even among those with letters after their names. In fact, even in these highly scientific, technological times, important life choices are based on beliefs about human reproduction invented out of distorted fragments of scientific facts pieced together by personal imaginations.

Although reproductive knowledge has come a long way since the drawings of sperm with faces, today’s “authorities” often distort and even block widespread dissemination of accurate information. You don’t have to be a professional scientist to gain self-reliance and understanding with reference to your personal “packet of seeds.” It’s never too late to learn the simple, practical basics about our reproductive system. But, how much healthier society would be if we began teaching children early, and gradually added to their knowledge, as with other scientific information.

When it comes to Birth Control–The Natural Way there are a number of details to consider, yet the overall application, once learned, is easy.

Changes in a woman’s fertility signs clearly delineate the fertile time each cycle in present time. This is NOT the unreliable rhythm method. A century of accumulated knowledge and scientific research plus over thirty years of practical application, stand behind this approach. By learning the fascinating facts of reproduction, you can replace the “hand-me-down” myths and take charge. Don’t be surprised to discover that what you’ve considered to be facts turn out to be half-truths or fanciful explanations.

To begin this overview of fertility awareness, here are some basic facts. Girls are born with all their eggs. At puberty (today’s average age is twelve) eggs begin ripening in response to a cyclic process. Within each cycle usually one egg is released. By menopause (average age 50-51) the number of eggs is substantially reduced; remaining eggs no longer ripen nor are released, and menstrual cycling ceases. Boys, however, begin to produce sperm at puberty and continue to do so for the rest of their lives.

After an egg is released from the ovary (ovulation), it is picked up by one of the fallopian tubes and if not fertilized within 24 hours begins to disintegrate. Sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract on the average two to three days (up to five days on the extreme) when fertile cervical mucus is present.

About 8-10 days of each cycle are fertile and can be determined by three primary signs: 1) Changes in the cervical secretion, which can easily be observed on toilet tissue or fingers. The purpose of this normal secretion is to protect and guide sperm toward the egg. 2) Change in the basal body temperature. 3) Changes in the cervix observed by touching the cervix. Observing these fertility signs takes only a few minutes a day.

I was more fortunate than most of my peers. My mother always comfortably and truthfully answered my questions about sex. So, at the age of four in the sandbox, I began my career in sex education by telling my playmates: “Baby sisters and brothers don’t come from the stork–they come from your mommy’s belly.”

Today, through Family Awareness/Birth Control–the Natural Way workshops I share my mother’s legacy with other women and their partners in an educational sandbox. As we sit together in a circle, students ventilate emotions and recite the litany of misleading information about birth control from medical doctors and popular media. Common statements from doctors are: It’s unreliable. You can’t know. You can get pregnant anytime. Here’s your prescription for the Pill.
The fact is: When there’s no egg, you can’t get pregnant. When taught by a qualified teacher and the rules are followed, natural birth control can be just as effective as, if not more effective than, the Pill. Once the medical tyranny and misinformation are set aside, these simple biological facts can be used for self-empowerment. Please do not confuse this approach with the outdated, unreliable rhythm method of the 1930s. The Calendar Rhythm Method used the lengths of a woman’s past cycles to predict the fertile days in each succeeding ng cycle. Birth Control–the Natural Way does not guess. The day-by-day changes in your fertility signs are a direct indication of hormonal changes in present time.

Many common misconceptions are replaced by fad. There is a common belief that the menstrual period is an infertile time. While this may be true for some, it may not be true for others, and it may vary from cycle to cycle. If ever there were shame in the garden, it is that so many women continue to believe mistakenly that their normal secretion is a “discharge” or an infection in need of treatment. Some doctors have actually prescribed vaginal suppositories rather than education. Like chemical merchants who sold our farmers on toxic fertilizers, many doctors do not respect natural cycles and want to fix what is not broken.

Don’t be dissuaded by thoughts that you have to be “regular” to use Birth Control–the Natural Way:: This method is especially helpful to those women whose cycles vary significantly in length, who are just off the Pill, who are breastfeeding, weaning their children, or entering the time of pre-menopause. These women can also gain confidence by knowing when they are potentially fertile.

It’s your choice when it comes to deciding what to do during the 8-10 fertile days each cycle. Most effective is to postpone intercourse during the fertile days. Some couples choose “outercourse.” Others choose to use barrier methods during the fertile days. Realize, though, that the effectiveness statistics of barrier methods are inflated. Statistics are based on using a diaphragm or condom, for example, for each and every act of intercourse throughout the cycle, even though during two-thirds of most women’s cycles they couldn’t possibly conceive. And, as you may have discovered, condoms can break and diaphragms have been known to slip, even when instructions are followed perfectly.

Many enlightened folks are no longer turning themselves over to doctors, drugs, or devices. We’ve learned the hard way that synthetic hormones in the Pill, for example, affect virtually every organ of the body, deplete nutrients, can reduce the sex drive, and produce a long list of other side effects. All this is done to suppress the release of the egg and may be called “the no seed approach.”

The IUD (inter-uterine device) changes the uterine environment by setting up a minor irritation or infection. Conception is still possible with an IUD in place, although the possibility of implantation on the irritated uterine lining is significantly reduced. This is the “unsuitable soil approach.” Cases of serious pelvic inflammatory disease attributed to an IUD have resulted in infertility, hysterectomy, and death.

Methods using spermicides (diaphragm, foam, suppositories, and contraceptive sponge) make up the ‘deadly pesticide approach.” With this approach, invasive substances are used to kill microscopic male seeds.

Whether drug, device, or chemical is used, these high-tech inventions create a warlike attitude of varying degree toward a very intimate and natural aspect of our lives. When fertility awareness is applied to prevent pregnancy, neither partner needs to sacrifice health. Bio-gardeners are at peace making love without weaponry because they know when pregnancy can and cannot occur.

As Birth Control–the Natural Way becomes more widely known and practiced, fewer people will be singing the “Birth Control Blues.” To promote an age of growing peace and environmental consciousness, choosing a birth control method that is personally peaceful and cooperative is another step toward making our global garden-city complex a better place to live.

How Much Does Food Really Cost?

by Hardly Waite, Pure Water Gazette Senior Editor

    There is a pervasive misconception about food prices in the United States because of the way we keep our books. We like to congratulate ourselves for having “cheap” food by world standards and to attribute this low cost to our efficient and highly productive food provision system. This is because most people are not aware that the price we pay for food at the market is only a tiny part of the real, complete price.. The real cost involves hidden dollars as well as non-monetary costs of far greater importance. Viewed in its totality, we pay more for food than any nation on earth.

For example, there are massive taxpayer-funded subsidies for transportation systems, including super highways, bridges, harbors, and airports that allow long-distance shipping of large quantities of food items. This makes food appear artificially cheap. People do not consider that without super highways local growers would be able to compete with multinational corporate farmers. These subsidized transportation systems greatly benefit large corporate food producers and actually work to the disadvantage of small local food producers by flooding their market area with cheap food brought in from great distances. What we pay for roads is part of the cost of food.

Publicly financed global communications systems also greatly aid large corporate food producers at the expense of small growers, and they, too, must be considered as part of the cost of food. One estimate is that U. S. corporations benefit from subsidies and externalized costs to the tune of $2.4 trillion per year. This corporate welfare comes out of our pockets.

Another potent subsidy item is university research, which is rarely if ever aimed at helping small farmers or local markets. Instead, it focuses on high-dollar technologies that benefit corporate agribusiness and do great harm to smaller producers and usually to the environment. For example, The Ecologist reports the case of a mechanical tomato picker that was developed at considerable public expense at the University of California. It greatly reduced labor costs for large tomato farmers, but its purchase price was so high that smaller growers could not afford to use it in their fields. “This one technology,” says The Ecologist, “helped to consolidate California’s 4,000 tomato farms into just 600 in about a decade.” Taxpayers paid a little less for tomatoes at the market, but they also got to pay for some very expensive research. The 600 surviving companies got fatter and richer, but 3,400 smaller tomato farmers, not to mention innumerable laborers who were replaced by the picking machines, would be hard pressed to see the benefits of this publicly financed research..

And then there are the direct subsidies we taxpayers give to “farmers.” When they talk about farm subsidies on the Ten O’ Clock News, people envision the Brown family keeping their little vegetable farm going with the help of an Agriculture Dept. check. Actually, in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom, a full 80% of the government’s financial help goes to the richest and largest 20% of the “farmers.” The needy farmers being fed at the public trough, of course, are multinational agribusiness conglomerates who use part of their subsidy checks to gobble up the family farms of the Browns and their neighbors who did not qualify for subsidies. Add the cost of farm subsidies into your food budget.

Perhaps the most intangible of the costs of agribusiness food, however, is the “health tax.” How do you estimate the cost to your health of consuming nutrient-depleted foods, drinking pesticide contaminated water, and breathing polluted air? Perhaps the greatest cost of all is hidden in the impact of corporate agriculture on the environment and the health of citizens. Air pollution, greenhouse gasses, soaring cancer rates, fossil fuel and water depletion–these are all hard items to assign costs to. But pay for them we do, each time we purchase a factory-raised chicken or a loaf of phony bread at the supermarket

The Pure Water Gazette urges its readers to support local growers and to resist the agribusiness effort to globalize food production and destroy small food producers. Buy locally and organically whenever you can. The slightly higher price you pay the local grower is a bargain.