Hello,
This post was written by my husband for one of his blogs. I had to share it with you since it is summertime yet, and sprays are still being used on lawns and gardens. So, here is Stephen's post from Stephensinfo.com.
I am going to start this post with a couple of quotes. Please pardon the length of this post, or rant, depending on how one looks at it. This is an important subject due to it being the summer season and everyone is outside enjoying their yard or favorite park. There is so much more to say that it could be even longer. I thank you for bearing with me-Stephen.
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." --John Muir
"Fewer than 10% of the approximately 70,000 chemicals now in commercial use have been tested for their possible adverse effects on the nervous system and only a handful have been evaluated thoroughly, according to the National Research Council." --from Bodies In Protest: Environmental Illness and The Struggle Over Medical Knowledge, by Steve Kroll-Smith and H. Hugh Floyd, New York University Press, New York, 1997.
Pesticides and herbicides... They are being used all over the country right now, not only on our crops, but in nearly every neighborhood coast to coast. It's summer, and the yard warriors are out in full force with one aim in view-The Perfect Lawn.
Within the hour, however, her legs were burning, she had a rash, headache, and nausea. She immediately called her doctor and the lawn service. She was horrified to find out what was used, because sure enough, they had just sprayed on an unannounced maintenance round, and after repeated requests to know what they sprayed, she was finally told it was 2-4,D compound. Donna's heart went into her stomach. She worked very hard staying away from everything and anything that wasn't natural, especially when she was pregnant or nursing. That's just how we lived. The minute the woman said what the spray was, Donna was already familiar with the characteristics associated with it from Rachel Carson's book-Silent Spring.
Have you noticed how few lightening bugs we see of late, too? I know when I was a child, the yard lit up with them, and it was every child's delight to catch them, put them in a jar, and watch them at night up close. That doesn't happen very often now. Will our grand children's children even be able to experience that wonder? Could it be because of what we use on our lawns?
When Cleveland Heights Councilwoman Bonnie Caplan watches her grandchildren frolic on the grass of her neighborhood playground, she can breathe easily.
In 1995, Cleveland Heights became the first city in America to ban the use of pesticides and herbicides on all public school grounds, playing fields, parks, day-care centers and municipal areas.
The defoliant and herbicide agent orange, used extensively throughout the Vietnam War, contained 2,4-D. The controversies associated with the use of Agent Orange were associated with a contaminant (dioxin) in the 2,4,5-T component.[9]
Whether they are factory workers or doctors, men, and some women, everywhere have a mission to get rid of weeds and have that perfectly manicured lawn. You can see people of all descriptions standing in front of the herbicide aisle in the home and garden centers around the country comparing results and discussing what to do about their weeds and grass blends.
However, is there any thought as to what this mission is doing to our health when using the generally purchased products, and to the health of our children? What about our pets and the creatures that cross our lawns that live in our neighborhoods along with us? Can you imagine? Statistics show that our lawns get more pesticides per acre than farmers use on their farms by a factor of 5. That's shocking!
I have to relate a little story. Years ago we lived in a "Truman" neighborhood. Do you remember the movie starring Jim Carey where everything was perfect and unreal? Most every lawn in our sub-division was weed free and looked like carpet. Most every lawn was absolutely perfect, except ours. We mowed. We planted flowers, and some vegetables; however, we did not spray or have the local yard maintenance company come to our home to spray and manicure so it didn't look like everyone else's "Perfect Lawn." Our children happily played in our own yard without chemicals, and all the other children in our neighborhood were welcome to play in our yard, which many did.
But, it was interesting, though. Our perfect sub-division had a few children that came down with leukemia. We watched them as they went through therapy. It was a tragic time in our community of lovely homes and perfect yards to watch the sadness and confusion that it caused both children and their parents going through this and who were told that no one knew why it was happening. And then, one day we came face to face with the health hazards associated with the "perfect lawn" ourselves.
When my wife who was almost 3 months pregnant with our 6th child, our 2 1/2 year old decided to go outside with delight into the back yard. Donna immediately called him. He wanted to play, and like any toddler, with a giggle he took off across the lawn and into the neighbor's back yard which he would do with his mother quite frequently to visit. She was holding our year old son, it was hot, she was in flip flops and shorts, and she went to get him. While walking across this perfect lawn, she smelled a strange odor.
As she stood on the concrete patio of the neighbor's house she realized that the lawn service must have just been there. She said she felt like she was on an island. The neighbor wasn't home so she couldn't go through the house and walk back home on the sidewalk. She couldn't just stay there because the hot sun was unbearable and she and our fair haired little ones wouldn't tolerate the sun till someone got home. She knew she didn't have a choice. She had to walk back across that chemical laden grass. So she picked up our 2 year old in her other arm, who fortunately had been wearing both socks and gym shoes, and headed back to our house.
Within the hour, however, her legs were burning, she had a rash, headache, and nausea. She immediately called her doctor and the lawn service. She was horrified to find out what was used, because sure enough, they had just sprayed on an unannounced maintenance round, and after repeated requests to know what they sprayed, she was finally told it was 2-4,D compound. Donna's heart went into her stomach. She worked very hard staying away from everything and anything that wasn't natural, especially when she was pregnant or nursing. That's just how we lived. The minute the woman said what the spray was, Donna was already familiar with the characteristics associated with it from Rachel Carson's book-Silent Spring.
Usually we would close the windows, and keep everyone inside when we knew the yard service was going to be on the block. They normally only came once every 8 weeks right on schedule. Donna kept track. This time, the woman said proudly, they were fighting a weed that was invading the neighborhood and wanted to be sure of "nipping in the bud." Interesting expression my wife thought to herself. Well, we were upset and concerned, to say the least. Look up 2-4D and you'll see why. The most widely used defoliant in Vietnam, Agent Orange, was a 50/50 mixture of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T(DDT). We did more and more research into it and discovered many further interesting facts and statistics on the chemical compound.
Donna's obstetrician was very empathetic to our concern. He was happy she was nearing the end of her first trimester; however, he did monitor her closely during her pregnancy. She immediately started taking, most religiously, a toxin removal supplement formula that I had which helped her symptoms immensely, along with several other things of which he approved, and she took very good care of herself.
She pestered this lawn service for quite some time to put us on a list to be notified whenever they were in the neighborhood, which they finally did. We understand that after we moved away they began to place signs in both the front and back yards of all the homes they serviced. Donna had asked them if they would do that since so few homes had fences in this neighborhood. We recommend that you ask your local lawn care professionals in your area to do the same if you live in a similar neighborhood setting, and they are using chemicals that you wish to be aware of so that you may take precautions if you so wish.
We were fortunate to be blessed with a healthy baby boy who's now a father himself 28 years later. However, what we experienced at the time and what we found out on the subject left a lasting impression on us.
I admit that nothing can be proven that those children may have been affected by the chemicals used in the neighborhood. The EPA concluded that 2,4D be classified as a Group D, in other words, not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity. However, a great deal of medical research before and since then, gives a good indication that health challenges may and can result, and some of those challenges can be serious. It's a gamble. Sort of like spinning the roulette wheel. My question is: Is it really worth taking the risk? This is your family. Those are your kids that are playing in your yard.
DDT was once used freely until it was banned almost 30 years ago. Yet, after all this time, there are still traces of DDT in the soil. Now we have stronger, herbicide compounds on 67% of our lawns on which children and pets play! Beautiful carpets of grass without dandelions and weeds are very often left without worms, honeybees, ladybugs, butterflies, or means of natural pollination, too. I'd say that's quite a tragic trade-off, wouldn't you? If it's affecting the wildlife, how is it affecting you and your children?
Have you noticed how few lightening bugs we see of late, too? I know when I was a child, the yard lit up with them, and it was every child's delight to catch them, put them in a jar, and watch them at night up close. That doesn't happen very often now. Will our grand children's children even be able to experience that wonder? Could it be because of what we use on our lawns?
Here is an interesting comment from the Director of Education of the Cleveland Botanical Garden:
"Americans need to shift away from manicured lawns to more natural-looking green areas, said Geri Unger, director of education at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. “By using organic fertilizers, companion planting, mulch and natural wildflowers, gardens and lawns can be healthy and beautiful without the use of dangerous chemicals.”
Unger recommends planting marigolds in gardens because, like other companion plants, they emit natural chemicals from their roots that suppress or repel pests and protect neighboring plants.
“When we spray poisonous chemicals on our lawn, we are decreasing the population of good insects and harm the birds, bees and butterflies that are essential to a healthy eco-system,” said Unger. “Ninety-nine percent of our food crop is pollinated by insects, making it imperative they have a
Unger recommends planting marigolds in gardens because, like other companion plants, they emit natural chemicals from their roots that suppress or repel pests and protect neighboring plants.
“When we spray poisonous chemicals on our lawn, we are decreasing the population of good insects and harm the birds, bees and butterflies that are essential to a healthy eco-system,” said Unger. “Ninety-nine percent of our food crop is pollinated by insects, making it imperative they have a
healthy, growing habitat.” Article
Do we really need perfect lawns, perfect football fields, perfect soccer fields, perfect parks and recreational areas through the use of pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals? If you have children who play in public parks or on school fields, find out what is being used. Don't hesitate to ask. It is your right to know. They are your children, and they usually participate in their sports several times a week, if not, everyday. They have a lot of contact with those fields and you should know what is being used on them. The chemicals get on the skin, clothes, and are in the air they breathe.
If children play in parks, many times they'll take their shoes off. Kids love to run in the grass barefoot and roll around doing somersaults. We sure did. That's normal. While doing so, what are they absorbing through their skin that we didn't have to deal with? And, what are our pets walking on and through and absorbing through their skin and paws when we take them for their daily excursion in the local park? Is it nature or a chemical soup? If you are not sure, find out!
If children play in parks, many times they'll take their shoes off. Kids love to run in the grass barefoot and roll around doing somersaults. We sure did. That's normal. While doing so, what are they absorbing through their skin that we didn't have to deal with? And, what are our pets walking on and through and absorbing through their skin and paws when we take them for their daily excursion in the local park? Is it nature or a chemical soup? If you are not sure, find out!
What about the sprays counties and cities use on the side of their roads and highways? They drift off into the air and land somewhere. How does that affect living things including people? Studies have shown that mothers living within 500 meters of sprayed organochlorines during pregnancy had 6 times the risk of having a child with autism. And, the use of organophosphates (OP) can do the same. Other studies point out that pregnant women and children under 2 are particularly susceptible to OP exposure, and it can/may potentially affect children in many various ways from premature births, allergies, and immune dysfunction, to congenital defects, leukemia, and more.
We have to ask ourselves: Can we use organic, natural products, do what we can without harsh chemicals, perhaps live with a few weeds, and get over the need for the Perfect Lawn for the sake our our families, our precious children, grand kids, pets, and creatures in nature who all play and live on them? What may all the thousands of chemicals be doing to the environment for the future? These are serious questions that we must address now. It's not an option.
Interestingly, 60 Canadian communities and even whole provinces such as Quebec and Prince Edward Island have banned or severely restricted the use of pesticides for cosmetic use-Lawn care.
"Physicians and environmentalists are concerned about the effects of pesticides on our health—particularly our children’s health. In response, over 60 communities across Canada are banning or restricting the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes on public spaces and private property.
In April 2004, Ontario physicians presented a review of literature on the effects of pesticides on human health. They found that pesticides, particularly organophosphates, disrupt the hormonal, reproductive, immune, neurological, and behavioural systems.
Pesticides were linked to memory loss, changes in cognitive behaviour, and even suicide. In children, these neurotoxins can alter the normal development of the brain and nervous system, leading to developmental delays, behavioural and attention problems, hyperactivity, and learning disabilities." See article HERE.
In April 2004, Ontario physicians presented a review of literature on the effects of pesticides on human health. They found that pesticides, particularly organophosphates, disrupt the hormonal, reproductive, immune, neurological, and behavioural systems.
Pesticides were linked to memory loss, changes in cognitive behaviour, and even suicide. In children, these neurotoxins can alter the normal development of the brain and nervous system, leading to developmental delays, behavioural and attention problems, hyperactivity, and learning disabilities." See article HERE.
The city of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, has banned them, too:
In 1995, Cleveland Heights became the first city in America to ban the use of pesticides and herbicides on all public school grounds, playing fields, parks, day-care centers and municipal areas.
“Our pesticide ban says we value our children over pristine, green public spaces,” said Caplan. “This program has allowed our community to live in harmony with our natural environment and is extremely cost-effective.”
Many lawn services are switching to organic methods, too. Ask around to see what your options are locally if you choose to use a lawn service. There are several products on our Garden Life page that do not contain any harmful chemicals and are safe for children and pets. There are alternatives for you to use, and they are easily obtainable.
Don't let your children and pets play on a bed of chemicals if you can avoid it. The substances literally soak into the soil, and they will stay there in your yard and on your sport fields or favorite city park for years! Just because we can't see something, doesn't mean it's not there.
We have a very old gardening book. Here's a quote from it:
"It will surprise many persons to know that the common dandelion of the field is a valuable salad plant. The roots are grown in a similar manner to chicory, and large quantities of the blanched leaves are sold in London markets... Country people eat the leaves green and growing wild..."
This was in a popular English garden manual of the early 1900's. They ate their dandelion leaves and used the roots. They sold them in the market place. It was a consumable commodity. So many weeds are edible or can be used for the skin and to make tea such as plantain, lamb's quarters, dandelions, Queen Ann's lace, red clover and so many more that we just eliminate now at will and deem "a nuisance." Consider making use of them, instead. You may be most pleasantly surprised.
Let's live as naturally as we possibly can and take care of the earth. It's the only one we all have.
Watch the video below. You may find it interesting to discover the different areas that have gone "Green" and natural all across this beautiful country, even some areas in Washington, D.C. Now the question is: Can you? Let's not be afraid to run barefoot again and enjoy nature as we should.
To your health,
Stephen
P.S. A little added info for you ...
A study by the Environmental Working Group, found that unborn babies may be affected the most by the more than 85,000 chemicals registered for use in the US today, and most are found to be inadequately tested. Researchers tested the umbilical cord blood of several babies. They found over 270 industrial chemicals and pollutants in each cord. Of the over 270 chemicals, 180 are known to cause cancer, 219 are toxic to the brain and nervous system and 210 cause birth defects in animals. We are overdosing on harmful chemicals from before birth!
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), studies today show Dioxins, PCBs, DDT, and other organochlorines are among over 210 chemicals found in samples of human breast milk. Chemicals are a fact of life. It's sad and most alarming.
Stephen
P.S. A little added info for you ...
A study by the Environmental Working Group, found that unborn babies may be affected the most by the more than 85,000 chemicals registered for use in the US today, and most are found to be inadequately tested. Researchers tested the umbilical cord blood of several babies. They found over 270 industrial chemicals and pollutants in each cord. Of the over 270 chemicals, 180 are known to cause cancer, 219 are toxic to the brain and nervous system and 210 cause birth defects in animals. We are overdosing on harmful chemicals from before birth!
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), studies today show Dioxins, PCBs, DDT, and other organochlorines are among over 210 chemicals found in samples of human breast milk. Chemicals are a fact of life. It's sad and most alarming.
There's nothing better for babies than breast milk for all the benefits nutritionally and emotionally they receive. What we have to do is to keep mommy and baby's environment as chemically free as possible. And, there's so much people can do individually.
When we first moved to our state, Donna was nursing our little boy. Nursing mothers were advised to have their milk sampled. It turned out that Heptachlor sprayed on feed was found to be excreted into cow's milk at higher levels than normal and was showing up in the milk sold in stores which was most alarming.
When we first moved to our state, Donna was nursing our little boy. Nursing mothers were advised to have their milk sampled. It turned out that Heptachlor sprayed on feed was found to be excreted into cow's milk at higher levels than normal and was showing up in the milk sold in stores which was most alarming.
Why was it alarming? Here is a quote from an article about this...
Heptachlor causes cancer in animals, may cause cancer in humans, and, in fact, is of sufficient health concern that it's banned from all uses except killing termites. In breast milk, heptachlor poses a special risk because the body absorbs it rapidly and can store it in fatty tissue for a year or more. Breast milk, like cow's milk, is rich in fat, so it becomes a major route for elimination of heptachlor from the mother's body. A baby fed heptachlor-contaminated breast milk could, in fact, have heptachlor levels greater than the mother. Article
You can, also, read about it HERE from the NY Times. It was quite a newsworthy event at the time. |
Donna submitted a sample; however, her results came back so low that they were miniscule. The state phoned her and asked if they could use her sample results as part of the data that had to be submitted to the national data base for the study since several states were involved. She was told that they were the lowest numbers they'd seen. She declined because she wasn't the typical lactating woman. She told the person that it really wouldn't give an honest entry for their averages into the study because she didn't drink milk, and that was probably why her numbers were almost non-existent.
Donna was primarily a vegetarian, ate a lot of green leafy vegetables, as well as, organic whole grains. She produced more than enough for our little ones, but she didn't consume much cow's milk per se, or a lot other dairy products for that matter. Whatever little cow's milk she consumed on cereal and such, she always made first into yogurt or kefir milk and that was all she really used. The person said something that we'll always remember, "But you have to drink a lot of milk in order to nurse."
I saw her hesitate for a moment before she answered, and then she replied something to the effect as best as I can recall, "Why would I have to drink milk to produce milk? Cow's don't drink milk to make milk. Isn't it interesting that no other mammal on earth drinks the milk of another species in order to produce enough milk for its own young? And, yet, humans feel that it is necessary to do so. And, now I'm so glad I don't, for I would, indeed, be worrying about my precious little boy as, I'm sure, the other mothers are about their little ones right now whose numbers are so much more significant than mine. I can well imagine what they must be going through." And, of course, she did understand what they'd be going through. The person, I do remember, did not respond.
Donna was primarily a vegetarian, ate a lot of green leafy vegetables, as well as, organic whole grains. She produced more than enough for our little ones, but she didn't consume much cow's milk per se, or a lot other dairy products for that matter. Whatever little cow's milk she consumed on cereal and such, she always made first into yogurt or kefir milk and that was all she really used. The person said something that we'll always remember, "But you have to drink a lot of milk in order to nurse."
I saw her hesitate for a moment before she answered, and then she replied something to the effect as best as I can recall, "Why would I have to drink milk to produce milk? Cow's don't drink milk to make milk. Isn't it interesting that no other mammal on earth drinks the milk of another species in order to produce enough milk for its own young? And, yet, humans feel that it is necessary to do so. And, now I'm so glad I don't, for I would, indeed, be worrying about my precious little boy as, I'm sure, the other mothers are about their little ones right now whose numbers are so much more significant than mine. I can well imagine what they must be going through." And, of course, she did understand what they'd be going through. The person, I do remember, did not respond.
I bring this all up because here was, yet, another chemical that entered the lives of totally unsuspecting parents in several states, this time through something so seemingly innocent as milk consumption-store bought milk that didn't give a clue as to what it contained. What a traumatic thing to go through!
What is hepatchlor? In a very brief synopsis... Heptachlor was introduced in the 1946 and banned in 1988. It was originally only to be used to control termites from what I understand. However, it was additionally used as insecticide on seed grains. It's an organochlorine and became extensively used in the 1960s and 1970s in household and agricultural settings. Studies link heptachlor to cancer, endocrine disruption, and developmental toxicity, but the full extent of heptachlor's health effects are currently unknown. It is a very persistent chemical, and it's even found throughout the United States nearly twenty years after being banned!
Now it officially should only be used, according to the EPA, to exterminate fire ants in and around underground, buried transformers. It has been banned in numerous other countries; however, so many countries do not have any restrictions. We really don't know how supplies are being used in those areas of the world.
It makes one wonder: What will be the next commonly used agri-chemical, herbicide, or insecticide to be banned because it's eventually deemed too dangerous to use or there's an "accident" that causes harm? Heptachlor was once used around the home and in agriculture. Will some chemical that is now commonly being used around homes, yards, and in agriculture across this nation be banned sometime in the future? Will it then be too late for it will already be in our soil, our bodies, and the environment? Do you take that chance? It's something to at least think about, isn't it?
Chemicals are in our lives, Friend, and they are not going to go away. The corporate giants and the agri-business world will see to that. We can, however, do some things individually, and perhaps join together within our communities, to avoid chemicals as much as humanly possible especially since they can be accumulative in our bodies.
After that, all we can do is simply do the best we can for ourselves and our loved ones, and then leave the rest to God.
Take care, and thanks for visiting...
Take care, and thanks for visiting...
http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/chems.asp
References for 2,4D:
An EPA list of most 2,4D Products
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic_acidThe defoliant and herbicide agent orange, used extensively throughout the Vietnam War, contained 2,4-D. The controversies associated with the use of Agent Orange were associated with a contaminant (dioxin) in the 2,4,5-T component.[9]
2,4-D is primarily used as a herbicide.[10] It is sold in various formulations under a wide variety of brand names. 2,4-D can be found in lawn herbicide mixtures such as "Weed B Gon MAX", "PAR III", "Trillion", "Tri-Kil", "Killex" and "Weedaway Premium 3-Way XP Turf Herbicide". All of these mixtures typically contain three active ingredients: 2,4-D, mecoprop and dicamba. Over 1,500 herbicide products contain 2,4-D as an active ingredient.
2,4-D is most commonly used for:
§ Weed control in lawns and other turf
§ No-till burndown
§ Control of weeds and brush along fences and highway and railroad rights of way
§ Conifer release (control of broad-leaf trees in conifer plantings)
§ Grass hayfields and pastures
§ Cereal grains
§ Corn and sorghum (occasionally)
§ As a synthetic auxin analogue
2,4-D continues to be used, where legal, for its low cost. However, where municipal lawn pesticide bylaws exist, such as in Canada,[11] alternatives such as corn gluten meal and vinegar-based products are increasingly being used to combat weeds.
Health effects of pesticides may be acute or delayed in those who are exposed.[1] A 2007 systematic review found that "most studies on non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia showed positive associations with pesticide exposure" and thus concluded that cosmetic use of pesticides should be decreased.[2] Strong evidence also exists for other negative outcomes from pesticide exposure including neurological,birth defects, fetal death,[3] and neurodevelopmental disorder.[4] According to The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 10 of the 12 most dangerous and persistent chemicals are pesticides.[5]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_of_pesticides
"Most interesting quotes: Click HERE since this subject, also, affects our forests!"
