EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was authored by Eric Larson.
President-Elect Donald Trump spoke last week about how Europe is not using pesticides like the United States States.
This talk should give us great hope for what Trump will address in laws that govern pesticides in the future. Trump pointed out that autism has grown substantially.
In the United States, the Center for Disease Control announced that in the year 2000, there were about 1 in 150 children identified with autism. That ratio has grown to 1 in 44 children identified with autism in 2021.
The glyphosate columns I wrote pointed to research done by Dr. Stephanie Seneff. The research done by Seneff revealed a statistical relationship between autism and glyphosate usage years ago.
Autism normally is a hereditary disease.
Glyphosate interrupts the Shikimate pathway in plants, creating a problem in our lower gut. Compounds and formulations of this chemical cause cancer, congenital disabilities, neurotoxic diseases, and more.
Glyphosate and its co-formulants as polyethoxylated amine or P.O.E.A. used as a surfactant have serious health concerns. As discovered from internal communications at Monsanto, there was a profound level of misinformation as a standard policy by the company at all levels.
One of the alternatives to glyphosate is called 2,4-D or Dicamba. This 2,4-D has been a part of various uses of the pesticide applicator’s arsenal for many years.
“The Heartland Study,” sponsored by Human Health Risk Assessment or H.H.R.A., hypothesized that the rising use of Dicamba and others leading to high exposures and adverse reproductive, birth, and developmental outcomes are directly related to the wide popularity of Dicamba.
This study on Dicamba revealed that the urine samples of pregnant women have climbed via a test from 2010 to 2014 from 41% of all women to a sample taken in 2020-2022 to 65% of all women tested in the Midwest.
This study reveals many developmental problems in children may result from Dicamba exposure.
In August of 2021, the EPA revoked all tolerances for chlorpyrifos, establishing an amount allowed on food and effectively stopping chlorpyrifos on all food and animal feeds.
Chlorpyrifos is the most frequently used insecticide by pest control operators in homes and restaurants for cockroaches and other household insect control, turf, and ornamental pests.
Chlorpyrifos is a soil insecticide for corn and foliar applications on cotton, soybeans, other field crops, and nuts and vegetables. We use it a lot. This compound can result in neurological effects such as tremors, fatigue, and nausea.
There is also a concern for exposure to pregnant women and children since chlorpyrifos, associated with neurodevelopmental effects, could impact the normal nervous system development during pregnancy or childhood.
It sounds like this compound should not be available for good reasons. If you are a licensed applicator, you can still get it.
On Nov. 23, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed this EPA rule. I have wondered about these sorts of rulings. This compound, in extensive studies, has revealed considerable damage to our brains.
We shall continue to see these compounds in our environment. The good news is that we can use them less than we had in the past. As I have traveled around my neighborhoods, I have seen many more cover crop plantings than I had before. Things might be changing.
My concern for this topic is that our health, children’s, and grandchildren’s health are all at risk due to these compounds.
I hope that we can all understand the good aspects and the challenges behind the compounds we use and approach using them in ways that make sense for now and into the future.
I hope you have a great stroll through your garden, indoor garden, and bird feeding station this week. Let me know if you have any challenges, and I will try to help.
You can email me at ericlarson546@yahoo.com
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