pesticide

plurima mortis imago - Virgil
translation: Death in very many a form

Rachel Carson described the detrimental effects of pesticides on animals including robins, caddis fly larvae, quail, salmon, and cats. Silent Spring shows clearly how deeply caring and fiercely protective Rachel Carson was of wildlife. Her concern extended to pet animals as well. Pesticide residues in our food and in the environment reflect years of chemical production and use. We face the continuing problems of the toxic by-products of manufacturing, runoff from outdoor applications, ground water contamination, and finally disposal of unused material as hazardous waste. Pesticides are used in virtually all public buildings, golf courses, schools, restaurants, hotels, hospitals and private homes as well as in agriculture and forestry. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring warned us of the threats to life attending widespread use of chemical pesticides. As a result of her effort the EPA was founded in 1970 and DDT was banned in 1972. http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/pestcontrol.htm#testimonials

One reason pesticides cause so much trouble for the human body in general, and those with MCS in particular, is that the manufacturer often adds an enzyme blocker to the formulation so that the poison cannot be metabolized properly. This means that the chemical remains in the body (of insect or human) longer, making it even more toxic. That may be desirable if we are talking about killing cockroaches. It is definitely not good for the human beings who share the same air and end up inhaling or absorbing the same toxic chemicals through their skin. http://www.arizonaadvancedmedicine.com
/articles/multiple_chemical_sensitivity.html

Twenty years ago, 1,000 people died in an epidemic that spread across Spain. Poisoned cooking oil was blamed an explanation that suited government and giant chemical corporations. It was, argues Bob Woffinden, who investigated the scandal in the 80s, the prototype scientific fraud that has found echoes around the world. http://www.getipm.com/articles/spain-organophates.htm

Even severe pesticide poisoning is frequently misdiagnosed. In one review of the medical records of 20 severely pesticide-poisoned infants and children transferred to a major medical center from other hospitals, 16 of the 20 children had been wrongly diagnosed at the time of the transfer. Diagnoses of the children's symptoms included brain hemorrhage, head trauma, diabetic acidosis, severe bacterial gastroenteritis, pneumonia, and whooping cough, although all of the children later turned out to have pesticide poisoning.[24] In this series, five of the children, all infants, were poisoned after home application of a pesticide. Another child was poisoned after mowing a lawn that had recently been sprayed with an organophosphate. Although these cases did not involve farm children, they demonstrate that all children can be overexposed to pesticides in their home environment. http://www.nrdc.org/health/kids/farm/chap1.asp

Although we all individually face problems with hazardous pesticides, pesticides are not principally a personal problem. Pesticides are hazardous to human health and the environment, create resistant pest populations, contribute to declining crop yields, undermine local and global food security and threaten agricultural biodiversity. Yet these pervasive chemicals are promoted by multinational corporations, public relations firms, and even schools and the government agencies that are supposed to protect our families, workers and the environment. Pesticides are a more than $35 billion a year industry. Dealing with pesticides requires that we all work together to change pest management practices and policies. http://www.panna.org/resources/advisor

Everyday Exposure to Pesticides Linked to Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Non-cancer health effects of pesticides