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.
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?
In the book, Anti Cancer - A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, Phd, the author tells of two different studies on the prevalence of pesticides in children.
A researcher in Washington state conducted a series of tests on 42 children, ages 2 to 5. As families were leaving either a conventional grocery store or an organic co-op, they asked the parents if they would write down everything their children ate or drank for three days. Their diets were determined to be ‘organic’ if more than 75% of the food consumed was from organic sources; and ‘conventional’ if it wasn’t.
After measuring the amount of pesticides present in the children’s urine, she found that the amount of pesticides in the ‘organic’ children’s urine was one sixth that of the ‘conventional’ children’s levels and far below the EPA’s level of minimum exposure rate. The children on the ‘conventional’ diet had levels more than four times above the safe exposure limit set by the EPA.
The second study was done over a period of 15 days on 23 children. Their urine was tested after eating a ‘conventional’ diet for several days, and it showed the presence of pesticides. Then their diet was switched to completely organic foods. Within days, all traces of pesticides were gone from the urine samples. Upon starting on the conventional diet again, their levels quickly resumed.
Since 1940 the production of pesticides and synthetic chemicals has increased to over 150 MILLION TONS a YEAR. Much of the chemicals go into food production, personal care products, household cleaners, manufacture of common construction materials, clothing and every day items. Due to increased exposure of pesticides & synthetic chemicals, cancer rates have increased.
For more information, read the above mentioned book. It is a true eye-opener.
http://www.ewg.org/chemindex/term/447
http://www.organicconsumers.org/
http://www.cdc.gov/ExposureReport/pdf/factsheet_organochlorine.pdf
Do you go to your local garden center and
BUY DIRT?
Why?
You can make your own compost very easily and save yourself a lot of money & won’t have to lug heavy bags by using a composter.
You have all the makings for good compost right there at home. Use grass from mowing your lawn, leaves from the fall, (which are even better if you’ve mulched them) branches and twigs cut from trees & shrubs. Add vegetable trimmings, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags and peels from the kitchen. Don’t forget those refrigerator experiments with the hair on them! The only exceptions that don’t go in are meat (including bones) and any dairy products. Everything else makes great compost! All you need to do is put it in a composter and the rest is done for you.
The breakdown of these materials turns into ‘brown gold’: light, fluffy and nutritious compost. Good nutrition is vital for your garden. It helps plants ward off pests and disease without using dangerous toxic chemicals and pesticides. Another benefit is you are getting FREE DIRT!
Sun-Mar has been making composters for about 30 years. They’ve used the proven technology from their best-selling composting toilets; a rotating drum. This ensures a good mixture and quick decomposition of organic materials.
Instead of using your garbage disposal, which wastes water and electricity, a composter is an earth-friendly, pest-free alternative. Outdoor rascals like dogs, cats, racoons, possums and skunks can’t get into the sealed drum.
Compost is easy to make. You’re half way there every time you make a meal. Why not start today?