In the 1970s, Erma Bombeck created a sensation with her humorous book The Grass Is Always Greener Over The Septic Tank. We will leave it to readers to speculate as to why her thesis might be true, but suffice it to say that while there may be some natural fertilizers that promote the growing of crops, there is a whole range of the waste products from our industrial society that are toxic. When plants and animals are raised in areas where those toxins are prevalent, the results are poisonous products that may look like food but are actually dangerous to human health.
For decades, we have been vigorously on the lookout for places in our homes that have been painted with lead-based paint, because if it is ingested, especially by young children, it can lead to a host of negative outcomes, including delayed growth, delayed cognitive development, learning problems, behavioral problems, lower IQ scores, and hyperactivity. Homes with surfaces covered in lead paint require extensive and expensive remediation before they can be sold. CONTINUE READING