Beef contains significant quantities of the most toxic organic chemical known - dioxin. This chemical is toxic in the trillionths of grams. The dioxin comes from microscopic particles of ash from incinerators that have settled on grass and crops eaten by the beef cattle, pigs, and chickens. Some fats that are not used are turned into excess cholesterol and deposited on artery walls throughout the body. This is atherosclerosis, or blockage of the blood vessels, the cause of heart attacks and strokes.
Beef production is the major cause of the destruction of the world's rainforests.
The high price of beef encourages ranchers to burn the forest to create new rangelands. Thousands of species of plants and animals have already been destroyed forever, as well as straining the earth's ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. At current rates, the rainforests will be totally destroyed in 30-50 years. The constant pounding of the hoofs of cattle disturbs and eventually destroys the delicate root systems which keep the topsoil layer intact. Erosion by winds or storms removes the topsoil, leaving the sand or clay subsoil layer behind.