Poisons, Poisons Everywhere Edition

July 24, 2008

A lot of developments are happening on the Light Brown Apple Moth and it is pretty disturbing. It seems that when the State announced that they would halt spraying over urban areas, it didn’t mean the entire program halted. They are still going to spray in undisclosed areas. The planned ground eradication programs are troubling. This program may include truck fogging and splats on thousands of telephone poles with permethrin, a neurotoxin that has been shown to toxic to humans and bees. These splats can easily blow off in windy conditions and find their way into our yards and playgrounds. It is clear that we need to re-engage and renew the fight.

Next Monday, July 28th, there is going to be a Town Hall Meeting and Potluck at the First United Methodist Church
9 Ross Valley Drive, San Rafael, CA at 6pm. Medical expert Dr. Ann Haiden and Frank Egger will be speaking. There will be a short documentary shown. For information contact Craig Slater at 721-7241 or craigyes@sbcglobal.net. This is sponsored by Marin Peace and Justice Coalition and First United Methodist Church.

This will be an excellent way to prepare yourself to participate in a public scoping meeting in Sacramento by writing a letter or appearing in person.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
California Department of Food and Agriculture
1220 N Street (auditorium)
Sacramento, CA 95814
Your written response must be sent at the earliest
possible date, but not later than 30 days after
receipt of this notice to: Jim Rains, Staff
Environmental Scientist, California Department of Food
and Agriculture, 1220 N St., Sacramento, CA, 95814.
Fax (916) 654-1018 or email jrains@cdfa.ca.gov

SUPPORT AB 977

Did you know that California has a pesticide pre-emption law? That means that no ordinance or regulation of local government may prohibit or in anyway attempt to regulate any matter relating to the sale, transportation, or use of pesticides. Bottom line, California prohibits local citizens from protecting their health even if it is a mere neighbor notification law. We have already seen in the case of LBAM, that California isn’t really thinking through the public health consequences for it citizens. It is time for local control.

State Assemblyperson Fiona Ma has introduced AB 977 to overturn that state law that prohibits local control of pesticides. On August 4th, 2008 the bill will be heard by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. It is important that this legislation doesn’t get referred to the Senate Agriculture committee where it will die a certain death. We need to write and call our local and state representatives and urge our neighbors and friends to do so too.

E-Mail Assemblymember Jared Huffman
Email Senator Carole Migden

SPARTINA?

Activists have just learned of the annual spraying of toxic pesticides along the shorelines of the Bay Area in order to fight an invasive cord grass, Spartina. Which has been found to choke channels that the clapper rail uses and displaces the native pickleweed marsh which is habitat of the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse. The solution? Spray chemicals that cause, “bleeding and congested lungs” in rabbits dermally exposed to imazapyr. Save the salt marsh harvest mouse by poisoning! Brilliant Plan!

They are spraying imazapyr which is corrosive to the eyes and can cause irreversible damage. It can persist in the soil for over a year. It has been shown to move readily in soil contaminating surface and ground water following ground and aerial forestry applications.
“Adverse effects found in laboratory animals after chronic exposure to imazapyr include the following: fluid accumulation in the lungs of female mice, kidney cysts in male mice, abnormal blood formation in
the spleen of female rats, an increase in the number of brain and thyroid cancers in male rats, and an increase in the number of tumors and cancers of the adrenal gland in female rats.”

They are also spraying Glyphosate.

You can contact the folks in charge of the spraying.

THOUGHTS

Isn’t it amazing how much junk is being sprayed without knowing it? It is often where we hike, bike, and camp with our friends and family. It can get in our water, effect our food supply via messing with the bee population. They want to go into our neighborhoods. They tried to spray our neighborhoods, now they are trying to push questionable ground methods.

In the past couple of years I have lost two dear people to pancreatic cancer (one of them recently), which has a terrible survival rate because there is no screening for it and by the time it is detected it has often spread to other organs. Just a casual google shows a whole listing of scientific articles linking “occupational exposure” to pesticides and pancreatic cancer. There are other cancer risks as well.

http://database.healthandenvironment.org/index.cfm?id=729
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0854/is_3_23/ai_n18609867

I believe the calculations California are making are completely skewed. They make the short term expediency of using chemicals for the Agricultural Business interests more important than the health and welfare of our people, animals, and beneficial insects that help agriculture. They ignore the cost of clean water, air, and health care required as a result of these pesticides.