Only 10-15 percent of the pesticides sprayed on cotton actually make it to the organisms they are trying to kill. The other 85-90 percent has the potential to leak into groundwater (Deep Trouble).
While the pesticides produced today are made to be broken down quickly in air, soil or water, scientists are finding “pesticides are far more persistent in groundwater than they are in soil”. This is an alarming fact considering fifty one percent of the United States drinking water supply comes from groundwater (Deep Trouble).
Groundwater in seven states tested positive for Aldicarb, the toxic nerve poison used on cotton fields (State of the World 2004
The situation in other cotton producing countries is even worse.
In India, where arsenic containing pesticides have been used on cotton, groundwater can contain as much 50 times the amount the World Health Organization considers acceptable (India Today).
All this for a new pair of jeans?
