Showing posts with label environmental groups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environmental groups. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Is Big Pharma Funding the Radical Anti-Silver Environmentalist Groups?


At least one reader feels I’m not doing a very good job of exposing the idea that Big Pharma is manipulating or even orchestrating the radical environmental groups that have been attacking antimicrobial silver. I’ll let you decide…
Hi, Steve Barwick here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...
After publication of my latest article, “How Many Scare Tactics and Lies About Antimicrobial Nanosilver Can Friends of the Earth Cram Into a Single Email?” (see article here) several readers wrote to politely chastise me.
One felt that my article was too long and laborious to read, and that I needed to give a short series of “action steps” instead of so many details.
I wrote back explaining that the time to take action was long past…
…that I’d written many, many articles since late 2008 urging colloidal silver users to act against the egregious tactics of the radical environmentalists who have been trying to force the EPA to restrict the public’s access to silver-based products…
…and in those articles I’ve provided a number of “action steps” that could be taken, particularly when public comments on the matter were being requested by the EPA.
Finally, I explained that there’s not much left to do now but sit back and wait as the EPA wrangles over new regulations for products containing antimicrobial silver.
Will the new regulations affect the sale of safe, natural colloidal silver?
We simply don’t know yet, because the EPA and the radical environmentalist groups behind the drive to regulate silver as a “pesticide” have become very tight-lipped about it…
…ever since they got their hands slapped by colloidal silver users during the initial stages of the campaign to force the EPA to regulate silver-based products as “pesticides.”
My best guess at the moment is that the EPA will implement new rules and regulations regarding the use of antimicrobial silver in consumer products such as computer keyboards, kitchen cutting boards, toothbrushes, shampoos, soaps, etc. But I’m betting they’ll initially leave colloidal silver out of the fray.
However, after the regulations have been set in stone, I have little doubt the radical environmentalists will start pushing the EPA to include over-the-counter colloidal silver products in their regulations, in accord with the Friends of the Earth White Paper that recommended all colloidal silver products be either banned, or regulated as “drugs.”
Big Pharma’s Influence
Another reader felt I have failed to drive home the contention that the radical environmental groups behind the campaign to regulate silver-based products are being orchestrated by Big Pharma.
Here’s my response to that charge…
Back in early 2009 I wrote an article voicing my strong suspicions that Big Pharma might be funding the radical environmental groups that were working so hard to remove all products containing antimicrobial silver – including colloidal silver – from the marketplace:
"The environmental groups behind the petition to regulate silver particles as ‘pesticides’ get the bulk of their funding, to the tune of millions of dollars a year, from donations from corporate and individual sponsors, as well as from government grants.
My best guess is that Big Pharma is funding these groups through one or more surreptitious pathways to pursue this avenue of silver regulation.
After all, who stands to benefit more than Big Pharma from restricting silver’s availability to the general public?"
I later published an article by intrepid natural health journalist Tony Isaacs, who exposed how Big Pharma appeared to be using its charitable foundations to fund the radical environmentalists.
In the preface to that article, I wrote:
Boy did we hit the nail on the head. It now appears that at least two big drug companies -- Merck and Pfiizer -- have for many years been using charitable foundations to pour tens of thousands of dollars…
…and in some cases even millions of dollars worth of funding into some of the very environmental groups now actively engaged in promoting the petition to have "nano-silver" products regulated as "pesticides."
Tony’s article, which you can read at the link above, went on to expose exactly how the radical anti-silver environmentalists were being funded to the tune of millions of dollars in some cases, by certain charitable foundations associated with Big Pharma.
Finally, in October of 2009 I wrote an article about the lawsuit threat received by natural health journalist Tony Isaacs for exposing the links between the radical environmentalists and Big Pharma’s charitable foundations.
Here’s an excerpt from my lead to that article:
In a recent twist in the battle between environmental groups and colloidal silver users, a spokesman for the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) has not-so-subtly threatened to sue investigative reporter Tony Isaacs over his articles…
…in which he reported finding funding links between charitable foundations associated with major drug companies such as Merck and Pfizer, and environmental groups directly associated with the petition to force the EPA to regulate silver-based products, including some of the leading brands of colloidal silver.
Since that time, I’ve referenced and linked to these articles on numerous occasions.
Nevertheless, at least one reader feels I’m not doing a good enough job of hammering home the idea that Big Pharma appears to be orchestrating the environmentalist campaign to have antimicrobial silver more stringently regulated by the EPA.
Indeed, one well-known colloidal silver manufacturer has repeatedly written me, politely chastising me for failing to do a good enough job of exposing what he believes to be the manipulation of environmental groups by Big Pharma in a quest to censor and heavily regulate silver-based products.
Here’s his most recent email, which I received after posting my latest article titled “How Many Scare Tactics and Lies About Antimicrobial Nanosilver Can Friends of the Earth Cram Into a Single Email?”:
Hi Steve,
Another superbly written and very passionate piece you’ve written here.
And another well-intended, equally passionate suggestion from me. This time it’s very concise and to the point:
I wish to God your pieces on this subject all focused heavily on the core – CORE – issue behind all this, which is that big pharma is funding and orchestrating all of this and using the environmental groups as their front men…
…and the reason for this drive is solely to keep the “information flow” censored about the far-reaching antimicrobial benefits of silver…
…because that information allows colloidal/ionic silver manufacturers (and consumers who make it themselves) to compete with the multi-billion-dollar antibiotic industry.
It could readily get out of control with more information flow and cost them billions of dollars, with a big B.
Period!
THAT is what this is all about, and that’s what you should be saying from the rooftops in these pieces.
Everything else you’re saying is also of course vital and priceless.
BUT it still seems like “maybe” they’re right and “maybe” you’re just disgruntled for competitive reasons (some people think environmental groups are generally genuine, man)…
…UNTIL you shine the spotlight on that one core bottom-line fact, at which point it all falls right into place!
People then understand that the money that the environmental groups are taking from big pharma has a direct motivation and thus clearly a direct tainting effect on those groups.
They understand that the cries from the environmental groups should now, therefore, suddenly be taken with an enormous grain of salt for that reason alone (without having to digest, research, and make judgments about all the other phenomenal supportive things you point out, or, better yet, in addition to it).
And, they see by virtue of understanding that core issue that, indeed, it is the very benefits that silver provides that is so incredibly threatening to big pharma in the first place…
…hence their elaborately orchestrated campaign to ultimately do one thing and that is censor what was becoming an out-of-control flow of information enlightening the public about the antimicrobial benefits of silver.
Your articles on this subject should have ten times the impact with that core issue spelled out clearly and repeatedly.
I hope that resonates this time.
(Sigh.)
-- Name withheld
Have I Failed to Cover All of the Bases?
Well, there you have it.
I’m not particularly convinced I’ve done a bad job reporting on the craziness being perpetrated by radical environmental groups who’ve been working overtime to push the EPA to more stringently regulate commercial products that incorporate antimicrobial silver into their makeup.
And frankly, I don’t see anyone else out there writing the number of articles I’ve written on this subject.
Furthermore, I believe there’s much more to the story than the glaring likelihood that these environmental groups are being manipulated, orchestrated or otherwise influenced by Big Pharma.
For example, I believe it’s important to cover the numerous lies the environmentalist groups have told…
…the unbelievable levels of sensationalism they’ve engaged in…
…the dirty tricks they’ve pulled…
…the two-faced way they’ve operated…
…the ridiculous scare tactics they’ve engaged in…
…the poorly constructed studies they’ve touted…
…and much more.
Each of these topics are, in my opinion, vital parts of the story that need to be told.
Here are just a few of the articles I’ve written since the radical environmentalist groups first unleashed their campaign against antimicrobial silver in late 2008:
In the future, I’ll continue to do my part and cover this evolving story with the attention to detail I feel it deserves.
And I’ll continue to voice my opinion on the idea that the radical environmentalists are – wittingly or unwittingly – doing the work of Big Pharma in their attempts to restrict access to antimicrobial silver…
…and that integrating antimicrobial silver into commercial products is in my opinion the ONLY sure-fire answer to the growing infectious disease crisis faced by this nation as well as the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, Big Pharma views antimicrobial silver as the #1 competition to their failing prescription antibiotic drugs.
So for that reason alone I’ll continue to write about colloidal silver…
…and the many phenomenal infection-fighting benefits of antimicrobial silver in general…
…as well as the radical environmentalist crusade to prevent the general public from having access to commercial products that utilize antimicrobial silver…
…and the ongoing battle to prevent the people from learning more about the many healing and protective benefits of colloidal silver.
I know I can’t please everyone. I’m not everybody’s cup of tea. But I’ll do the very best I can.
And hopefully in the meantime, rather than merely criticize, others might step in and pick up the slack where they feel I fall short.
So until the next issue, I remain…
Yours for the safe, sane and responsible use of colloidal silver,
Steve Barwick, author
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Important Note and Disclaimer: The contents of this Ezine have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Information conveyed herein is from sources deemed to be accurate and reliable, but no guarantee can be made in regards to the accuracy and reliability thereof. The author, Steve Barwick, is a natural health journalist with over 30 years of experience writing professionally about natural health topics. He is not a doctor. Therefore, nothing stated in this Ezine should be construed as prescriptive in nature, nor is any part of this Ezine meant to be considered a substitute for professional medical advice. Nothing reported herein is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The author is simply reporting in journalistic fashion what he has learned during the past 17 years of journalistic research into colloidal silver and its usage. Therefore, the information and data presented should be considered for informational purposes only, and approached with caution. Readers should verify for themselves, and to their own satisfaction, from other knowledgeable sources such as their doctor, the accuracy and reliability of all reports, ideas, conclusions, comments and opinions stated herein. All important health care decisions should be made under the guidance and direction of a legitimate, knowledgeable and experienced health care professional. Readers are solely responsible for their choices. The author and publisher disclaim responsibility or liability for any loss or hardship that may be incurred as a result of the use or application of any information included in this Ezine.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Why do the environmentalists have such a dread fear of silver nano-particles?

Why do the environmentalists have such dread fear of silver nano-particles?

I’ve received a number of queries asking me why the radical environmentalists seem to be so fearful of products containing silver nano-particles, including colloidal silver, and do I think there is actually any truth to their assertions that products containing silver nano-particles could cause harm to the environment.

No Real Cause for Alarm

As I stated in my blog post of Feb. 25, titled "Colloidal Silver and NanoSilver: What's the Difference?" there is no reason whatsoever for these radical environmental groups to be involved in this issue.

There has never been any problem with colloidal silver and the environment, and there has never been a problem with so-called “nano-silver” and the environment.

So what's the real reason the radical environmentalists trying to force the Environmental Protection Agency to pull out all stops and regulate silver as a dangerous “pesticide”?

I’ll answer that question in just a minute. But first, let’s take a look at some of the reasons the environmentalists cite for regulating silver.

Environmentalists Claims v/s Reality

As I explain in the February 25th blog post, the environmentalists constantly bring up the case of the film manufacturing industry which produced a chemical silver compound known as silver halide as a byproduct of film processing and manufacturing.

Many years ago, members of the film industry illegally dumped a number of tons of that caustic chemical silver compound into San Francisco bay. Over time the clams at the bottom of the bay began to absorb the massive amounts of this illegally dumped chemical form of silver, and it caused them to quit breeding. That's about the only environmental "catastrophe" the environmentalists can point to, involving a form of silver.

Of course, the bay is fine today. The claims are doing fine, too. And there is basically no film industry any more (thanks largely to the advent of digital cameras).

What’s more, the EPA now regulates silver spills very carefully. Yet by the EPA’s own standards, silver entering the environment from outside sources has been demonstrated to be so safe that even spills as high as 1,000 gallons don’t need to be reported to the EPA.

Now, if you spill as little as three gallons of chlorine, you are supposed to report that to the EPA and have the cleanup handled by a HAZMAT crew. But 1,000 gallons of silver can be spilled, and it’s basically no big deal.

Isn’t that amazing? Yet the radical environmentalists would have you believe some poor guy in Bakersfield, California washing his diabetic foot stockings that have silver nano-particles embedded into the fabric, or some natural health proponent in Boise, Idaho spraying a little bit of colloidal silver into his kitchen sink to keep the microbial count down, is going to cause an environmental catastrophe.

No Real Chance of Harm

The bottom line is that the chances of any product containing tiny silver nano-particles causing harm to the environment is just about nil, because it would have to be introduced into a relatively closed environment (like a lake, or a bay) and literally tons of it would have to be dumped into the enclosed environment in a relatively short time in order to cause any harm.

But the radical environmentalists don’t care about the facts. They constantly cite, for example, the idea that certain types of clothing that now have tiny silver nano-particles embedded into the fabric in order to help prevent infection (such as the new diabetic foot stockings, designed to prevent diabetic ulcers from becoming infected) could allow silver particles to leach out into the environment when they are washed in the washing machine. This, they claim, has the potential to create an environmental crisis.

What they NEVER tell you, as I pointed out in more detail in the February 25th blog post, is that whenever silver nano-particles leach from products they are embedded in, such as diabetic foot stockings, or computer keyboards, or whatever, they almost immediately begin to bond (in a process called “agglomeration”) with salts, minerals and other substances in their immediate environment, forming larger particle agglomerates.

Thus, the tiny silver nano-particles completely lose their nano-scale properties, becoming essentially inert.

Ludicrous Assertions

What’s more, the likelihood of enough people washing enough concentrated loads of clothing containing silver nano-particles (remember, it would take literally tons of the little particles to contaminate an enclosed waterway), and having those silver particles end up in a single enclosed environment such as a lake or bay, is just about nil.

In fact, it is ludicrous to even think about it. But this is the kind of thing the environmentalists scream about. Apparently, the idea that even a single silver nano-particle might somehow find its way into the environment gives them nightmares. They have simply demonized silver nano-particles to the point you’d think we were talking about the ebola virus.

No Harm to Plant Life, Either

As for the idea that these tiny silver nano-particles might somehow harm plant life in the environment, there is simply no evidence silver ever has, or ever will, do so.

For example, wheat and other grains are chock full of tiny particles of silver. For some reason the grains absorb silver from the ground at a higher rate than other plants. Perhaps that why they’re so good for you. And of course, their relatively high silver content causes them no harm whatsoever.

My wife sprays colloidal silver directly onto her tomato plants during growing season in order to keep the tomato fungus off them. She gets big beautiful tomatoes every time. Similarly, she recently purchased a Goji berry tree off of e-Baythat developed a leaf fungus after it arrived. She quickly sprayed it with colloidal silver, and it completely recovered and is thriving.

So the shrill cries of the environmental groups about the so-called “dangers” of silver are absolutely ridiculous on all counts.

Who’s Paying Them to Conduct This Campaign Against Silver?

The radical environmental groups behind the drive to demonsize silver get the bulk of their funding, to the tune of millions of dollars a year, from donations from corporate and individual sponsors, as well as from government grants. Our best guess is that Big Pharma is funding them through one or more surreptitious pathways to pursue this avenue of silver regulation.

After all, who stands to benefit the most from restricting silver’s availability to the general public?

As I stated in the Feb. 25 blog post, it is Big Pharma (the major drug companies) who stand to gain the most:

"Big Phama failed to get colloidal silver banned by the FDA back in 1999, succeeding only in having the FDA ban the mention of silver’s powerful antibiotic qualities from product advertising and labeling.

Of course, that backfired on them. The FDA’s 1999 'Final Ruling' on colloidal silver only served to incense the public about bureaucratic meddling in their health care choices. As a direct result of the anger generated by the FDA’s 'Final Ruling,' more people today know about and regularly use colloidal silver than ever before.

So now they are trying to restrict colloidal silver by using paid shills within the environmental movement to promote the spurious idea that 'nanosilver is harmful to the environment.'”

Their Hypocrisy Points to Who They Are Working For

Isn’t it interesting that the environmentalists are making such an outcry against silver as a possible environmental pollutant, and yet they are saying absolutely NOTHING about the tons of pharmaceutical drugs that are poured into our nations waterways every year, to the point that those drugs are now turning up in the drinking water of 46 million Americans living in our major cities?

The fact that the radical environmental groups basically ignore a real problem (potentially dangerous drugs in the drinking water of 46 million U.S. homes) in order to focus so heavily on a fabricated problem (tiny particles off silver going back into the environment they originally came from) pretty much tells you who they are working for.

Simply use the process of deduction. They won’t go after the medical/pharmaceutical industry in order to stop tons of potentially dangerous drugs from being dumped into America’s drinking water sources. But they will go after products containing silver nano-particles, which the medical/pharmaceutical industry has a history of opposing.

As Sherlock Holmes would say, “It’s elementary, my dear Watson.”

Regards,
S. Spencer Jones

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