Builders use hundreds of millions of gallons of Dursban each year before they begin to lay the foundation of homes. Dow Chemicals refuted findings on the danger of Dursban by claiming that children are out of harm's way of the chemical due to the layers of plastic and concrete that are placed upon the ground beneath new homes.
Instead of foot dragging and implementing a phase-out deadline, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took action regarding the use of the controversial pesticide Dursban. The EPA told Dow Chemical Co. that they would no longer be able to sell this controversial pesticide that they had been using as a protectant against termites in new home construction.
Studies have revealed that the chemical in question, chlorphyrifos, marketed under the name Dursban, has been tied to neurological and developmental damage in both animals and young children.
Public health advocates were relieved by the EPA's announcement and stated it gave them assurance that it would protect the health of young children by not exposing them to these harmful neurotoxins.
Widespread Use and Effects of Dursban
Despite the negative findings on Dursban, Dow officials claim the experiments conducted were flawed and that one study "had nothing to do with how the compound is used" in practice.
According to the agreement that was made between the EPA and Dow in 2000, the manufacturer was required to stop production of Dursban for home building at the end of December 2004. This, however, doesn't apply to existing stocks of pesticide as they can continue the shipping of them until December 31, 2005.
As far as the use of pesticide on crops and golf courses, there are no plans in the near future to cut back on these uses.
PCT Online.com December 30, 2004
Just to show you how low companies will go to make money: A piece I posted in 2002 from the RedFlagsWeekly Web site cited a study Dow launched in a failed attempt to overturn the ban in which healthy teens were fed Dursban pills!
Now Dow has taken another step in the direction of corruption by using dangerous pesticides in the foundation of new homes. I wonder if anyone at Dow would consider having this pesticide placed in the foundation of his or her own home.
As this article clearly points out, pesticides are dangerous and should be avoided. They are anti-life and have been clearly associated with a number of other health-related problems including:
Avoiding pesticides is an important part of staying healthy, and they are particularly toxic to pregnant women and fetuses.
So what can you do to avoid these dangerous toxins? One of the best ways to avoid pesticide exposure would be to make certain that no one sprays any pesticides in your home, especially if a woman in the home is pregnant or plans on becoming pregnant soon.
You can also improve your food by buying organic foods. When you buy your food organic you get the assurance that there haven't been any dangerous pesticides used, nor any harmful antibiotics used in the raising of the livestock. Organic varieties are not only important for produce, but also for meats -- many people realize that produce can contain pesticides but often overlook the pesticides in their meat.
Also, if you are interested in reviewing one of the better texts on this subject, Dr. Theo Colburn's "Reclaiming Our Stolen Future" is one of the better books on the topic and in my personal library.
Some other sites of interest on this topic include:
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Pesticides and Your Drinking Water
Are Pesticides the Cure or the Cause for West Nile Virus?
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