A pesticide is, according to the EPA, “Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.” A “Pest” is defined as: insects, mice & other animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms, (bacteria & viruses).
You might think that ‘pesticides’ are only found in yard & garden applications or farm uses. Guess again. Some very common household products contain pesticides: mosquito & tick repellents for outdoor human use, pet flea collars, soaps, powders & sprays, antibacterial hand soap, kitchen, laundry and bathroom sanitizers, mice & rat poisons, disinfectant sprays, mold & mildew killers, cockroach and ‘household’ insect killers. If you use any of these products you are coming into direct contact with pesticides.
The “inert’ ingredient listed on the back of the containers are not safe either. They can be emulsifiers which are chemical mixtures that bind together the pesticide. They could be blended in to increase its effectiveness, or an ingredient which make the product able to be sprayed. Inert ingredients do not function like the pesticide. However, they are far from being benign.
382 inert ingredients on the EPA’s list are or at one time were registered as active (pesticide) ingredients. 75 compounds are potentially toxic while 8 are considered to be of “toxicological concern.”
American consumers have become spoiled brats. They demand a wide variety of foods available 12 months of the year, most of which are either never grown in their region or not in season. So, to get them what they want the grocery industry sources fruits & vegetables from all over the world, not just the United States. Some of these countries are using chemicals that were banned in the U.S years ago, which are highly carcinogenic and toxic even in small doses. Many are labeled “Not For Use On Food”.
Unless you eat strictly an organic diet, your food is filled with pesticides. The best way to get food with less pesticide residue is to establish a rapport with a local farmer who does not use pesticides. Also, for a farmer to be CERTIFIED ORGANIC there is a tremendous cost and time consuming record-keeping. Some farmers use methods that go ‘beyond organic’ and this has proved to be just as good – if not better – than the ‘certified’ crops.
A neighbor commented that her 8 year old granddaughter is ‘developing.’ I shook my head & thought, ‘ That’s too early.’ because it doesn’t seem right that an 8 year old should be heading into puberty. It should be at least around 11 or 12 at minimum. Studies over the past 20 years confirm that girls are maturing at an earlier age.
African-American girls have earlier onsets of puberty than White girls do by a year or two. Average age for the start of breast development are about 8.8 yrs. for African-Americans as compared to about 10 for Whites.A study done in 1997, Herman-Giddons was compiled from the journal, Pediatrics and confirms that the age trend is lower. Doctors and mothers report that indeed, girls are entering puberty much earlier than they did 30 or 40 years ago.
Why is this? Several indications are that the increased use of chemicals and pesticides over the last 40 years have played a role. These chemicals are endocrine disruptors, which throw the hormone levels off by mimicking other hormones, fooling the body.
Increased use of plastics in food containers (phalates) and personal care as well as all aspects of modern human life have shown to impact hormone responses. Artificial ingredients in food, personal care products all contribute to messing up one’s system. One study even focused on the hair products that African-Americans use versus that of White girls revealing that ingredients in African-American hair products were more likely to contain estrogen or placental products, again affecting hormonal responses.
Our lives are changing and chemicals are playing a large part. Do what you can to eliminate them whenever possible.
A recent article in Pesticide Action Newtork’s North America issue reports that a common structural fumigant, VIKANE (sulfuryl flouride) is 4,800 times more potent than carbon dioxide! Additionally, Dow recently has begun marketing VIKANE (sulfuryl fluoride) as a post-harvest fumigant for dry fruits, nuts, and grains under the trade name ProFume.
Health effects of this commonly used chemical range from blood and kidney toxicant, neurotoxin, and respiratory toxicant. Also, the July 2008 ferry accident in the Philippines where it was found that 20,000 pounds of Vikane had been aboard was spilled into the ocean.
Originally developed by Dow Chemical in the 60’s, it is used as a fumigant insecticide primarily in the Southeast for termites. However, it provides no protection from future infestations. It is also used in children’s lice preparations and for treatment of bed bugs, rodents, powder post beetles. It is widely used as a structural fumigant insecticide to control drywood termites.
Sulfuryl fluoride is currently marketed by three manufacturers: Vikane (Dow) has been commercially available since the early 1960s, with Zythor (marketed by competitor EnSystex II of North Carolina) Most recently Drexel Chemical Company has registered Master Fume for the structural market.
During application, the building is enclosed in a tight tent and filled with the gas for a period of time, usually at least 16-18 hours, sometimes as long as 72 hours. The building must then be ventilated, generally for at least 6 hours, before occupants can return. Sulfuryl fluoride is colorless, odorless, and leaves no residue. During the fumigation process, a warning agent called Chloropicrin (similar to tear gas, but more toxic) is first released into the building to ensure that no occupants remain.
A report issued by MIT says that Vikane will “become a greenhouse gas of some importance of the quantity of its use grows as people expect.”
There’s a lot of people asking that question these days, thanks to the growing interest in pesticide-free food and mounting concern about its dangers. According to the evidence, a normal meal contains a mix of pesticides and their resulting breakdown products.
The Pesticide Action Network is at the forefront of educating the public to raise awareness on chemical exposure. Their new database on pesticide residues lists such contaminants as carcinogenic, endocrine (hormone disrupting) neurotoxic, or those toxic to reproduction or development.
Even the most organic farmer or followers of a totally organic lifestyle cannot escape these toxins entirely. With air and water currents and weather patterns, all carrying residue, even certified organic produce cannot be totally pesticide free. This list, however, helps one discern the lowest levels.
The most alarming factor is that one group, organophosphates, pollutes the food supply in terrifying proportions. Neurotoxins, they are responsible for farm worker poisonings. Endosulfan, which is marketed under a few varieties, leads the list as most highly present on commercially grown tomatoes. Like DDT, it is long lasting in the environment. As an endocrine disruptor, even in low levels during pregnancy, is has been linked to birth defects, autism and male reproductive damage. Higher levels which are most common among farm workers include nausea, headache, seizures, vomiting and even death.
Currently, there are no regulations in place that requires toxicity testing of any of these compounds before they are sold for public use. Under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976, only 5 out of the 80,000 synthetic chemicals have been banned. Once a compound is released for use, it is extremely difficult to get it taken off the market. Lindane, for example, is a chemical found in children’s lice shampoos, is currently banned in over 50 countries, yet the United States still permits its use. Atrazine, a chemical in popular lawn chemicals such as Weed-B-Gone, is one of the most prevalent substances found in water and soil, animal, aquatic life and humans. It is banned in Europe.
It is time for chemical reform. We can no longer be blind or placated by false promises and lies from Dow, Monsanto, Bayer and others. These substances affect us NOW. With alarming instances of birth defects, cancer and environmental impact, there is not a minute to waste.
If you’re into eating local food, you have to see this trailer for the movie “FRESH”. If you’re NOT into local food - watch it anyway!
Joel Salatin, of PolyFace Farm is featured in this film, as is another inspiration for the growing local food movement, Will Allen of Growing Power. Russ Kremer a hog farmer in Missouri, nearly died from an antibiotic resistant staph infection after being gored by one of his animals. These men, along with hundreds of other across this nation are in the forefront of the sustainable agriculture movement and local food.
Food production in this nation has long been a sort of secret society. We all blindly accepted that the groceries we bought at our local store were good for us. Ads on TV and radio promised its goodness and purity. Chemicals were our friends, weren’t they? Why, good old Monsanto and others promised us they were safe, there was no danger to our children or pets, and yes - we could even spray the stuff on our vegetable gardens and eat the veggies right away! Now, however, the spotlight is ON them, their dirty little secrets are being found out.
The public is getting smarter and starting to realize that corporate America isn’t and hasn’t been acting in their best interests. That’s why farmer’s markets have become so popular. People get to know where their food comes from. They get to meet the farmer (or his/her representative) each week. Their food has a ‘face’ so to speak. A connection has been made.
Get informed about what you eat! All is NOT what it seems!
Produce on grocery store shelves may look good, but there’s a dirty secret behind it. Most of it has been grown using chemical fertilizers. The earth in which it has grown has been treated with herbicides, fungicides and pesticides, too. It has also been genetically engineered to resist treatment with weed killers like “Round-Up” . What you’re getting in the store is loaded with potential toxins. This food has traveled an average of 1500 miles to get to your plate and has probably - without your knowledge - been irradiated: treated with low levels of radiation to kill off bugs and prolong storage.
The food at your local farmer’s market is a lot different. Raised in soils amended without chemicals, the food is healthier from the get go. Studies have shown that the nutritional value of food has actually declined in the last 50 years due to poor soil management. Farms have for the most part abandoned the age-old practice of crop rotation, thus stressing out the soil and depleting nutrients.
If your buy meat from your local farmer’s market, most vendors do not treat their animals with steroids or antibiotics. Do you really want to eat steroids (growth hormones) or expose your kids to more antibiotics?
Check out this link for farmer’s markets near you: LocalHarvest.org
Another plus is that your money is staying in the community. You are also helping your local farmer stay in business, rather than sell his/her land to a mega farm or to a developer. We DON’T need more shopping malls!
You can further reduce your toxin load by taking a regular detox bath. This assists your body in fighting off illness and enhances the removal of toxins. Be clean - inside and out!
Pesticides pose a health risk to humans, especially children. Because the ‘pests’ they are designed to kill - insects, fungi and plants, their use in the past half century has become the norm. Not only farmers use them but the average household uses a frightening amount each year.
Pesticide manufacturers will SWEAR that these products are safe. I once attended a seminar given by some of the folks at Ortho, Spectracide and others. I was absolutely enraged to hear these men LIE about being able to put these toxins on FOOD, then eat them an hour later! I wanted to stand up and scream…, alas, it would have meant the end of my job. They will defend them to the minute they are pulled off the market!
Recent studies show that they cause damage in the following areas of human health:
Skin, lung and eye irritations
Neurological systems
Hormone
Carcinogenic effects
What can you do? Limit your exposure as much as possible and detox your body often. This list gives information of how you can help yourself avoid pesticides and why!
Just a simple start of a detox bath once or twice a week, plus eating organic food, drinking purified water can go a long way to help reduce the toxic load. These poisons accumulate in the body, so it’s time to get rid of them - for a healthier YOU !
Americans spread MILLIONS of tons of toxic lawn chemicals in their yards every year. Obsessed with eliminating every pest, every weed, they ignore the fact that they are exposing their children and pets to POISON.
Advocating non-chemical remedies, I have never put chemicals down, and never will. I know too much. I’ve never really understood the obsession Americans have about having the perfect lawn. My lawn is green, I mow it, and that’s IT. Why poison yourself, your kids and the eco-system for a lawn?
I worked for Lowe’s in the garden center for 5 years. Each week I’d watch thousands of pounds of poison go out the door in this one store. People were fanatical about their lawns and didn’t even think about what they were doing! A common, and especially toxic product, 2-4-D is found in the popular brand WEED-B-GONE.
Ironically, part of my job was to sell lawn care products. I hated it. It went against everything I believe in. I’m an environmentalist and I jokingly refer to chemicals as being ‘against my religion.’ I would always opt for pitching the lowest toxicity remedy.
One day a man came in with his three children in tow, their approximate ages being 7, 5 and 3. He wanted Diazinon. I said it’s been banned for almost 10 years now, but the replacement was Triazicide. We walked over to where the bags were stacked and I answered his questions.
During the conversation, one of the kids started smacking the bag of Triazicide with her hand, like petting a big dog on the head. The father jumped forward, yanked the kid’s hand away and shouted,
“DON’T TOUCH THAT, it’s POISON!”
I wanted to reply in a calm but sarcastic voice…..
“Yes, it’s POISON and you’re going to take it home, spread it on your lawn and then your kids and dog are going to go out and play in it!”
Children are especially susceptible to illness resulting from pesticide exposure. Instead of rehashing the articles, I’ve included links below.
ALL lawn chemicals like TRIAZICIDE, WEED-B-GONE are DANGEROUS - PERIOD! (no, you can’t use them on your veggie gardens, folks!)
Not only are these substances dangerous for children, but they are dangerous for adults, pets and the environment. It’s time to end the love affair with toxins because the health of your family - and the planet - depends on it.
You can help speed the detox process by taking a detox bath on a regular basis, doing juice fasts and getting more exercise and having a regular massage. This will help eliminate toxins from your body.
WHAT’S ON YOUR LAWN?
Is the health of your lawn more important than the health of your children?
Every single aspect of our lives has in it artificial components of plastic, out-gassing (fumes) or toxins of some sort. The sad part about this is that the entire population of this world had no say - and is totally unaware that manufacturers, food producers, agribusiness and technology has contributed to it every day.
Chemicals surround us. Our computers are made from plastics which release chemicals into our environment. If we’ve sworn off caffeine, and drink decaf instead, chances are we’re getting a good dose of chemicals from the decaffeination process. Got that suit back from the cleaners? Guess what it’s been cleaned with? Dry cleaning fluid=chemicals.
If your kids play sports like football or soccer they’re probably rolling around on turf treated with herbicides, pesticides and other toxic lawn chemicals. Additionally, children are especially at risk for health-related illness from pesticide residues.
Think you’re safe at work? Your company probably has a contract with an extermination service and sometimes you’re even sitting at your desk when the guy comes through with the little sprayer tank! Millions of Americans go to work in environments chocked full of chemicals: manufacturing facilities with dust and fumes from chemicals, heavy metals, plastic compounds, cleaning solutions, paints, glues and pesticides. Even if your job does not put you in direct or daily contact, you are still at risk.
WHAT TO DO?
DETOX and eat the cleanest diet that you can. Make every meal a high quailty one of fresh (organic) foods, filtered water. Replace the toxins you introduce into your body in your own home with organic personal care products.
Make every day count!
Composting doesn’t have to be a stinky unsightly mess! You can compost pest-free with a Sun-Mar composter.
If you have a problem with neighborhood dogs or other critters, the Sun-Mar composter is pest free! It’s easy to unload, too. No heavy lifting: the finished compost comes out the bottom.
Compost strengthens the plants by providing essential nutrients - instead of CHEMICALS. What you put on your veggie garden, goes into your food that you eat. If you use pesticides and chemicals - GUESS what you are eating!
Now is the perfect time to get started on compost for the spring planting!