Steve Tvedten of Get Set, Inc.'s email to Lyndon Hawkins of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation about the issues raised on it scientific sampling.

Questions have been asked of the California Department of Pesticide Control since Fontana Unified School District declined to consider a pesticide free IPM program because of the Department of Agriculture's opinion about only utilizing registered pesticides to eliminate pests.  The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has remained silent and not responded to these issues:

Subject:   IS IT REALLY "ILLEGAL" IN CALIFORNIA TO USE COMMON SENSE?
Date:       18 Mar 1999 08:02:00 -0500
From:        Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization:     Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)

To:     Lyndon Hawkins <hawkins@empm.cdpr.ca.gov>
          State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
          Integrated Pest Management

 

Is it really "illegal" in California to use common sense?

George Orwell once observed, "He who controls the present controls the past, and he who controls the past controls the future."

Academic and conventional "wisdom" would have us believe several "facts."  First, that American agriculture past and present "success" is founded on the use of "registered" (synthetic) chemicals (fertilizers and pesticide poisons).  Second, that pest control was not possible before chemicals (BC).  Third, that the use of "registered" poisons "controls" pests and "protects" us and our property.  Fourth, that these "registered" poisons make us the bread basket of the world and provide an increase in food productivity and profits.  Fifth, that the use of "registered," synthetic pesticide poisons is as American as apple pie, motherhood and the flag.

Anyone who challenges any of these statements or "facts" made by the "regulators," the poison "industry" and the "wise" is considered to be, at best, silly and/or unscientific and, at worst, unpatriotic.  No wonder it is so hard for the public to hear, much less realize, the emperor has no clothes on and they (like the emperor) have been sold a terrible bill of goods for generations by the poison "industry," using "smoke and mirrors" rather than scientific and/or historic facts.

The historical and scientific truth, however, is that all these "registered" synthetic chemicals are dangerous poisons that are poisoning us, our children, our pets and our world.  Our American farmers are going broke at a rate of 500 per week, losing the war against pests and being poisoned and destroyed in an ever increasing avalanche of shattered dreams.  Our agricultural pests have become resistant to these "registered" poisons, and we lose more product to insects now than we did before chemicals (BC).  Monthly "pest control" is the poison "industry norm".  Even the poison guys freely admit they can not eliminate roaches and other inside pests using these volatile, "registered" pesticide poisons.  They can only temporarily "control" them at "threshold levels" on a monthly or even weekly basis.  The continued reliance on these "registered" poisons eventually will destroy America, Americans and/or our freedom.

We have consistently proven inside and outside in over 350 schools you can control and even eliminate resistant pests safely, cheaply and more effectively without using any "registered" poisons.  The only people who still "contest" these amazing results and continue to refuse to look at the facts do so for only one reason...that is to demand pests be "controlled" only with their "registered" pesticide poisons.  These blind and prejudiced "guides" continue to insist with no scientific evidence that if we just apply a little more of their "registered" poisons we will be "protected" and our pest problems will be controlled eventually.  To these blind and prejudiced "guides" I answer, "Look at the entire history of 'registered poison control'."  Their synthetic pesticide poisons have never removed or eliminated even one pest insect or weed problem.  If their "registered" poisons had done their job, we would surely be pest free now.  Their "registered", synthetic pesticide poisons are in every drop of rain that falls on this earth.  If their "registered" poisons really "worked", obviously, there would be no "pests" on this earth.  We have so polluted the entire earth and our people, pets, food, water, air, animals and fish with their "registered" poisons that it is now normal for every living thing to be contaminated with their "registered" poisons (some of which have been "banned" for generations), yet our "pests" are actually increasing in number and destroying more and more of our goods and homes.  In spite of these scientific facts and true history, "regulators" like you, Mr. Hawkins, will still not allow us to use common sense rather than these useless and dangerous "registered" poisons!

Thought you might like a copy of the San Luis Obispo, CA story on your Department's pesticide study entitled, "California Pesticide Study Questioned," by Grace Hwang.  Lyndon, are your people actually "scientifically adjusting" the poison contamination figures you are causing?

Environmentalists gathered recently in front of  the Lompoc City Hall. They believe the  preliminary results of the state's air quality monitoring turned up pesticide levels that are too  low to be true.

Now, Susan Kegley from the Pesticide Action Network has finished weeks of independent analysis and backs up that claim. "So instead of having 22% of samples with  pesticides, you find that 97% of samples had pesticides, 68% had at least two pesticides and 32% had at least three pesticides."

The Department of Pesticide Regulation stands by its original numbers saying pesticides could only be scientifically confirmed in less than a quarter of the air samples. Kegley acknowledges mistakes in the testing of the fumigant metam sodium. "The samples were held for longer than the allowable holding time before they were analyzed.  They didn't make it to the lab until after the study was completed."

Now, environmentalists are pushing for more air testing, but not everyone agrees. Justin Rughe held up signs protesting use of taxpayer money on  pesticide monitoring. "These  people have insisted on making measurements, and through spending 145,000 dollars of our tax money the measurements were made. Now, they're objecting to the results because they aren't the results they want."   (Lyndon, for whom does Justin work?").

No one from the Department of Pesticide Regulation was on hand to defend its actions. It turns out they weren't invited.  Action News spoke with a representative from the  Department of Pesticide Regulation over the phone who says they only reported pesticides when they could be scientifically confirmed and that the information released so far is just a preliminary report.

A second round of air testing is planned for this summer, but the state still needs to budget money for the study.  Environmental activists worry the monitoring won't start until after the peak season for pesticide use.  Mr. Hawkins, it is common sense that if you wait long enough to test the contamination levels, you will get lower poison readings.  That, however, will not protect the people of California.  Your "scientific confirmation" tactics will only "protect" you and the poison producers.

Lyndon, why is it still "illegal" (in your opinion) to use common sense rather than "registered" poisons in California?