“How are corporate agribusinesses polluting our water”
Corporate agribusinesses could potentially be the number one polluter to the water supply today, harming marine life and even humans if the polluted water is consumed. With runoff of an abundance of chemicals from the usage of fertilizers and animal manure, agribusinesses create a huge threat to the health of the environment and all life relying on water purity. Agriculture is cited as” a leading cause of groundwater pollution in the United States” and “the leading source of impairment in the Nation's rivers and lakes” (Ongley 10). Over the past 200 years, as machine usage and the human population began to dramatically increase, so did pollution. Corporate agribusinesses focus on mass producing …show more content…
Nutrients runoff into our clean waterways and, even though it is purified, can put our lives at risk if we ingest harmful chemicals. Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide from pig waste can cause asthma and neurological disorders (Luoma, 2004). Humans are also effected by marine animals if eaten. Chemicals are taken in and are bioaccumulate when smaller, infected, fish are eaten by larger marine organisms. Marine life that is contaminated with chemicals from runoff effect the humans that consume them. We are even unsafe when swimming in these contaminated rivers, streams, or lakes. An example of how our drinking water is effected was in an article in environmentflorida.org, stating that, in Iowa, nitrate runoff from agribusinesses have polluted the Raccoon River so severely that Des Moines is suing three counties for failing to stop contamination of its main drinking water …show more content…
These people may argue that agribusinesses are necessary for the world’s rapidly increasing population growth. The consumption of dairy and meat products continues to increase dramatically as population continues to rise. To meet the demand of dairy and meat consumption, agribusinesses must continue to thrive (Leyonhjelm, 2012). Relying on only small-scale farming will result in an inability to keep up with the demand of the people. While large-scale businesses focus on global food product, small-scale farms focus on meeting the demands of the locals (Trevors, 2010), which makes it very difficult for these small businesses to provide for a large quantity of
Corporate agribusinesses could potentially be the number one polluter to the water supply today, harming marine life and even humans if the polluted water is consumed. With runoff of an abundance of chemicals from the usage of fertilizers and animal manure, agribusinesses create a huge threat to the health of the environment and all life relying on water purity. Agriculture is cited as” a leading cause of groundwater pollution in the United States” and “the leading source of impairment in the Nation's rivers and lakes” (Ongley 10). Over the past 200 years, as machine usage and the human population began to dramatically increase, so did pollution. Corporate agribusinesses focus on mass producing …show more content…
Nutrients runoff into our clean waterways and, even though it is purified, can put our lives at risk if we ingest harmful chemicals. Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide from pig waste can cause asthma and neurological disorders (Luoma, 2004). Humans are also effected by marine animals if eaten. Chemicals are taken in and are bioaccumulate when smaller, infected, fish are eaten by larger marine organisms. Marine life that is contaminated with chemicals from runoff effect the humans that consume them. We are even unsafe when swimming in these contaminated rivers, streams, or lakes. An example of how our drinking water is effected was in an article in environmentflorida.org, stating that, in Iowa, nitrate runoff from agribusinesses have polluted the Raccoon River so severely that Des Moines is suing three counties for failing to stop contamination of its main drinking water …show more content…
These people may argue that agribusinesses are necessary for the world’s rapidly increasing population growth. The consumption of dairy and meat products continues to increase dramatically as population continues to rise. To meet the demand of dairy and meat consumption, agribusinesses must continue to thrive (Leyonhjelm, 2012). Relying on only small-scale farming will result in an inability to keep up with the demand of the people. While large-scale businesses focus on global food product, small-scale farms focus on meeting the demands of the locals (Trevors, 2010), which makes it very difficult for these small businesses to provide for a large quantity of