About Pesticides / Alternatives Fact Sheet by Dr. Warren Porter
Fact sheet
Prepared by Dr. Warren P. Porter, University of Wisconsin
1. All pesticide formulations come with "inactive ingredients", which are surfactants and organic soaps. They may be just as or more biologically active than the "active ingredients".
2. The "active ingredients" are molecules designed to be partly fat-soluble and partly water-soluble. This is achieved typically using a "benzene ring" shaped structure that may have nitrogen atoms or other atoms replacing some of the carbons in the ring and electrostatically charged groups hanging from the ring of atoms. The ring shaped structure gives lipid solubility, the strong electronegative or electropositive charged atoms or groups of atoms provide water solubility. Thus the molecule can penetrate the cell membrane, which is lipid, and then interact with internally charged particles (internal communications, DNA, power generation) inside the cell to do damage. This can make these molecules "molecular bulls in a china shop".
3. The surfactants and organic soaps in pesticide formulations facilitate entry to the body through waxy surfaces like the skin (organic soaps) and through the respiratory surfaces (surfactants), which are typically defended by a thin film of water over the respiratory surface. Both routes of entry evade the normal defenses present in the body in the liver, which is typically the primary detoxifying organ.
4. The blood brain barrier is permeable to molecules that have lipid solubility. Thus, once in the bloodstream by way of the skin or respiratory surfaces, the brain is a target for molecules having lipid solubility. The brain is the command and control center of the body and is responsible for dispensing appropriate nerve impulses as well as key hormones that control body function including learning abilities, aggression levels, reproductive hormone levels, successful implantation and development of fertilized eggs, and immune function.
5. Many current pesticide formulations are designed to evaporate once applied, so they do not enter groundwater. Some of the newer herbicides, such as the sulfonylureas, are active in the parts per trillion and are applied at fractions of grams per acre. They are not detectable in the air by modern measurement techniques. They have been implicated in a number of health issues. They may persist in soils up to seven years. They are typically highly water-soluble and therefore mobile in soils in certain pH ranges.
6. There are alternative technologies available for growing every crop and controlling every common pest. Common household cleaners, such as glass cleaners, oven cleaners, and carpet cleaners are extremely effective in killing insects and weeds to which they are applied. Cold carbonated beverages (root beer, other beers) presented in the evening are extremely effective at killing rats, mice, and ants, since rodents and insects cannot burp or pass gas. Steve Tvedten, an excellent integrated pest management person has an entire CD on alternative pest control methods that are extremely effective. His e-mail address is: steve@getipm.com You can find additional information in these categories on my own web page which is: http://www.wisc.edu/zoology/faculty/fac/Por/Por.html
7. The only feasible way that environmental contaminants will decline in usage is when there is a shift in market share. Simply by changing what you buy you can have a massive impact. Market share changes of 0.5% in a product in the market can have enormous impacts on company chief executive officers and boards of directors. You are far more powerful than you can ever imagine when you use your pocketbook differently. When you buy differently, you empower the very people you need to help you reduce pesticide/dangerous chemical usage.
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