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A Little Bit of Poison Does You Good



I found this serious info bite on the British Agrochemicals Association
(BAA) web site ( http://www.baa.org.uk/grape.htm ). I thought you might
appreciate this beautiful new justification.

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A Little Bit of Poison Does You Good

Dr Lithgow of Manchester University has reviewed evidence that shows the
lifespan of animals can be increased by up to
40% by exposure to small amounts of harmful chemicals. Low grade stresses
tend to strengthen, not weaken biological
systems. Exercise makes us fit and strong by stressing our muscles, lungs
and heart. At the level of the cell, detoxifiying
enzymes are kept in trim by regular low-dose exposure.

According to Dr Lithgow, if you take human cells and expose them to mild
stress, they do fantastically better when they are
subsequently severely stressed. The scientific term is hormesis and is an
important theory in countering the environmental
anxiety-mongers.

Environmentalists argue that if high level exposure to a substance is
harmful then low level exposure over a number of years
can similarly be expected to be harmful. This line of argument means that
no matter how minute the levels of pollutant a scare
story can always be fashioned. This new evidence should help dispel some
fears.
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Bill Vorley
Director, Environment and Agriculture Program
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
2105 First Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 55404-2505
Phone-Direct 	(01)-612-870-3436
Phone-General	(01)-612-870-0453
Fax		(01)-612-870-4846
Email:          bvorley@iatp.org
URL:            http://www.iatp.org/iatp


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