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| | | From: Rene (Original Message) | Sent: 9/25/2005 12:23 AM |
I wish I had seen this sooner, however am posting it anyway because I've twice been poisoned by fresh fruit (before I was 20 y.o.) & remain very sensitive to some residues. I ate a lot of fresh fruit when expecting my son and wonder if any of this affected his development & some of the challenges I face now with concentration, etc. Over a number of years I've read several articles about this topic and found some good links here. | How Pesticides Affect Learning and Behavior An Important Presentation Open to the Public | | On Wednesday, February 4, at 7:30pm in Morton Grove, just outside Chicago, world-renowned toxicology researcher, Warren Porter, Ph.D., will address the topic, "DO PESTICIDES AFFECT LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR?" The presentation is sponsored by the non-profit Nutrition for Optimal Health Association (NOHA), of which I (Dr. Mercola) am an Advisory Board member. ....... Dr. Porter states, "For years, both the government and pesticide manufacturers have assured us that, while pesticides are indeed lethal to insects, they are safe for humans. Our research at the University of Wisconsin, and national and global research by independent University scientists, strongly suggests otherwise." For the past five years, Dr. Porter and his colleagues have found that even minute levels of pesticides can wreak havoc on the immune, reproductive, endocrine and nervous systems of rats and mice. "In addition," says Dr. Porter, "clinical and epidemiological studies have shown repeatedly that human beings living in heavily-pesticided geographical areas have higher levels of Parkinson's disease, various forms of cancer, behavioral and learning disorders. We cannot afford to raise a new generation of children with higher proportions of behavioral and learning disorders." In his talk, Dr. Porter will provide a brief history of pesticides, why they can all be biologically active, what is known from the open literature, what has been discovered at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and - most important - will tell audience members how they can effectively kill insects and have healthy, beautiful lawns by using everyday substances that kill insects and weeds without harming people. Dr. Porter, who has his Ph.D. in Physiological Ecology from UCLA, has been Professor of Zoology and Environmental Toxicology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison since 1986. A landmark five-year study conducted by him and his team at the University of Wisconsin concluded that combinations of commonly used agricultural chemicals in concentrations that mirror levels found in groundwater can significantly influence immune and endocrine systems, as well as neurological health in animals. Their recent studies on a common lawn chemical mixture also suggest low-level effects on abortion and resorption of fetuses and other subtle biological effects. Dr. Porter's work has been cited in numerous publications and electronic media nationwide and globally. In addition, he has been given countless awards for his work. Dr. Porter continues to educate people about how current practices tend to hide the dangers of these chemicals from the public. NOHA is a not-for-profit organization, which has been presenting nutritional lectures by outstanding authorities in the forefront of nutritional health and scientific research since 1972, and is dedicated to educating people about how to use nutrition to obtain optimal health through healthier food choices and preventive health care. NOHA offers lectures, classes and publications, as well as video and audiotapes of its past and present programs. For information about this and other upcoming programs, please consult NOHA's website, or call (847)60HEALTH (that's 847-604-3258). | |
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| | | From: Rene | Sent: 9/25/2005 12:32 AM |
 | | 20 Ways to Fight Pesticides Protect Yourself and Your Family | | Eat organic foods
Eating foods grown without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, growth stimulators or genetically engineered ingredients is the best way to support ecologically-sound agriculture and ensure your food is safer. You can opt out of the chemical agriculture system and the problems it creates for soil, water, air and all living things. Protect your pet
Use a metal flea comb, then drown captured fleas in soapy water; also vacuum frequently to remove flea eggs. See www.panna.org/resources/advisor.dv.html for more ideas. Reject anti-bacterial products
Some soaps, toothpaste, beauty and laundry products needlessly include the antibacterial pesticide triclosan, a chemical that breaks down in the body to a polychlorinated phenol (a class of chemicals ranked as a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer). To fight germs, use soap and warm water instead. | | Buy organic fiber
Cotton uses more insecticides than any other crop in the world. Clothing, linens, and bedding made with organically certified fiber are becoming more plentiful and affordable. For sources see PAN's guide at www.organic cottondirectory.net. Keep a pesticide free home
Avoid roach and ant killers, and chemical termite treatments. Caulk cracks where ants are entering and keep the kitchen free of crumbs. Store sugar in the fridge or freezer or in a ziplock bag. Avoid high residue foods
If you can't get organics, avoid conventionally grown foods most likely to retain significant pesticide residues such as winter squash, peaches, apples, pears, grapes, green beans, spinach, strawberries and cantaloupe (according to Consumer's Union). PAN's Nowhere to Hide study adds butter, cucumbers/pickles, meatloaf, peanuts, popcorn, radishes, spinach, and summer squash to the list due to high levels of long-lasting pesticides (like DDT) that build up in our bodies. See www.panna.org for our report |
Free your neighborhood of pesticides
Protect yourself, your children and your pets from dangerous pesticides by sharing least-toxic pest management tips with your neighbors. Agree to notify each other before using pesticides so everyone can take precautions.
Promote alternatives in your community
Contact PAN for information about local organizations working to rid your community of pesticides.
Make your building safer
Talk with the owner or management of your workplace or apartment about pesticides they use, and work with them to implement less toxic alternatives.
Have your group affiliate with PAN
Over 170 member groups (environmental, agricultural, school, consumer, labor, health, human rights) are PAN North America Affliates. The broader our network, the more effective we can be -- please join us!
| | Ask you local grocer for more organics
A few requests can really make a big difference. You'll be able to find organic produce more easily and give others in your neighborhood an opportunity to buy organic as well.
Free your schools and community of pesticides
Organize parents and teachers and contact elected officials to make your school, city and county pesticide free. Ask us for a schools kit.
Support local organic farms
Sign up to recieve weekly or monthly boxes of fresh, local, organic produce delivered right to your door. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) services are a popular and inexpensive way to get organic foods while supporting the small local farmers who are commited to organics. Check out www.localharvest.org to find a CSA near you. |
| Arm yourself with facts
You can subscribe on our website, www.panna.org, to our PAN Alert email and get free monthly updates including actions you can take. Or subscribe to our more in-depth, weekly email service, PANUPS. For detailed information about pesticides, products containing pesticides, and symptoms of pesticide poisoning, check out our comprehensive, award-winning database at www.pesticideinfo.org. Contact your representatives
Ask your local, state and national policy makers to reduce or eliminate pesticide use in public buildings, parks, schools and agriculture. | | Tell food companies to stop using GE ingredients
Send a postcard or make a phone call to demand that Kraft stop using genetically engineered ingredients. Contact PAN for a postcard and visit www.krafty.org for information about the Kraft Campaign. Tell George Bush to support international treaties to ban pesticides
PAN is currently working to get the U.S. to ratify the Persistent Organic Pollutant treaty that would ban an entire class of hazardous pesticides. Tell the President and your Senator (www.senate.gov) to stop stalling. |
| Extend Your Reach by Supporting PAN | | Keep donating to PAN
Regular support helps us produce world class resources to improve pesticide regulations, promote effective alternatives and build a global movement for food security. Join our "pledge" program with monthly or quarterly donations. Consider making a donation to PAN now. Host a party
Invite your friends to hear about PAN, share organic food and join us. It's fun, easy and we'll help. We can send a video and we might be able to give a presentation in your home. Contact PAN to discuss ideas. | | Introduce Earth Share at your workplace
Earth Share is a pre-tax workplace giving program supporting environmental groups across the United States, including PAN. Contact PAN to find out how you can get your employer to offer Earth Share as a green option. | | |
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| | | From: Rene | Sent: 9/25/2005 12:35 AM |
| Pesticides on your Plate by Michael Downey | Pesticides are recognized as a global threat to humans and the environment. Chemical industries release thousands of compounds annually, most with no testing of their health impacts. Are they dangerous to your health? What can you do? Are you part of the problem?
The world’s annual application of pesticides is more than 4.1 billion pounds. And that’s just the quantity of active ingredients in the pesticides. The cost is $57 billion a year. But the true human and environmental cost is incalculable.
The effect on pests is obvious: They die. Forgotten is the effect on other life forms, on future crops grown in that saturated soil and on human health.
The average Canadian’s body is likely to contain at least 500 synthetic chemicals, with the highest amount being DDE, a breakdown product of DDT--although its manufacture has been banned here for decades. Hence, the term, persistent organic pollutants--POPs--a deadly group of pesticides and other chemicals such as flame retardants, stain repellants and so on.
And pesticides don’t just affect humans. In North America, there are now liver tumour epizootics--the wildlife equivalent of epidemics--in 16 fish species in at least 25 different fresh-and salt-water locations. Some Great Lakes fish are hatching with both male and female sex organs. Or none at all.
Pesticides and other POPs tend to be more soluble in fat than in water, so once they are eaten, say by a minnow snapping up a pesticide-contaminated bit of plankton, they are stored in fat. The minnow carries nearly all the POPs it has ever encountered. A larger fish accumulates the POPs from all the minnows it eats. And so on. Whatever eats the biggest fish--an eagle, polar bear, seal or your child--gets a POP dose hundreds of thousands of times more concentrated than the water in which that fish swam.
It’s no wonder Great Lakes eagles have trouble reproducing. Or that North Sea seals with high body loads of chemicals have compromised immune systems and can’t fight common infections. Or that female polar bears are found with male reproductive organs, rendering them sterile. Or that breast milk in India and Zimbabwe gives babies six times the acceptable daily intake of DDE.
Powerful pesticides--eaten or inhaled--alter our DNA, the code for reproducing our cells. Alter the DNA and you create cells that are essentially different from the original. That difference is often called cancer. This cancer link is established.
The medical journal, The Lancet, reports that people with high blood levels of pesticides are far more likely to develop genetic mutations linked with cancer. In the age group 35 to 64, cancer is the number one killer in Canada.
But pesticides may also cause attention deficit disorder, mental and behavioural problems and untold autoimmune disorders. No one can deny a potential link between these many chemicals and virtually any ailment you care to imagine. We just don’t know.
And when the risk is unknown--like a foggy road ahead--what should you do? Slow down, even stop? Or put the accelerator to the floor? Without government intervention, agriculture has chosen the "full speed ahead" approach. We’re paying for it with human and animal lives. We’re allowing our government to facilitate murder. We are, simultaneously, accomplices and victims.
More than 50,000 synthetic organic chemicals are in use; most have never been tested for their health impacts, environmental lifetimes and tendencies to bio-accumulate. Roughly a thousand new chemicals enter production annually. The barn door has been open far too long. What can you do today?
Twenty-five per cent of all pesticides sold around the world are used to grow cotton. Say no to chemicals and say yes to organic cotton. Lawn spraying is a huge part of the problem in urban areas. Lobby for a ban.
Organic farmers utilize many techniques to control pests without resorting to synthetic pesticides--techniques you can use at home to cultivate food and plants free of harmful chemicals. For example, crop rotation can reduce insect and disease damage and is especially effective with soil diseases.
Also, few realize that some plants act as natural insect repellents. Ascertain which pests are munching in your garden and you can add a few plants that drive those pests away. For instance, discourage aphids by adding mint, garlic or chives.
You can buy natural products with insecticidal properties. Rotenone is produced from the roots of the South American derris plant and is the most effective of the non-synthetic insecticides. It kills almost all garden insects.
Buy organic food. If you don’t, washing thoroughly removes about a third of pesticide residues; produce "wash solutions" may remove another third.
But these measures are limited. And sadly, the trend is to increased pesticide use--especially with the growth in crops that are genetically altered to be immune to pesticide damage. We need a human rights approach that recognizes that the current system of regulating the use, release and disposal of known and suspected carcinogens--rather than preventing their generation in the first place--is intolerable.
Sweden is actually taking the first step toward this approach. Its law now bans from commerce any substance that is persistent and bio-accumulates. Industry will be given five years to test--at its own expense--the 2,500 chemicals it uses in quantities more than 1,000 tons per year. Testing for health effects is not required--only testing for persistence and bio-accumulation, which in combination is sufficient to generate an automatic ban.
For any new chemical, the burden of proof in Sweden will be shifted to industry to show it’s safe, rather than to the public to prove it’s harmful. While the jury is out, the chemical cannot be used--the reverse of the policy in Canada and all other countries, where a chemical is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The amazing part of this story is the enthusiastic support of Swedish industry. It’s a good thing others aren’t waiting around for us.
Look at it this way. You spray your lawn. A bird transfers some of those chemicals to a single organic berry thousands of kilometres away. The child of a health-conscious mother eats that berry. It causes a minute alteration in a single gene in that child’s DNA. That leads to cancer from which that child dies. Should you care? Is murder any less murderous when it’s anonymous?
We invite your feedback at [email protected]. For more information, please search "pesticides" at alivepublishing.com.
Living in Toronto, freelance health writer Michael Downey finds it difficult to avoid the daily chemical assault, including pesticides--frequently airborne. He eats organic when he can, enjoys all critters and maintains a healthy diet. Of course, less late-night writing and a little more sleep would help. | |
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