Transgenic Cotton

Hazardous pesticides, derived from chemicals developed for warfare and not suitable for food crops, have been used to cultivate cotton for more than fifty years.

Hazards of Cotton in our Food Supply, Ruth Chant, Theoretical Physicist, 2013

Cotton is considered the world's dirtiest crop due to its heavy use of pesticides. Aldicarb, cotton's second best-selling insecticide and most acutely poisonous to humans and wildlife, is still used in 25 countries, including the US, where 16 states reported finding it in their groundwater. The dangers were recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency and they signalled it to be phased out in 2018.

Understandably, cotton is often described as a “toxic” business.

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