Posted by Adam on August 30, 2000, at 13:48:42
In reply to Thyroid info--West Nile Virus Pesticides..., posted by noa on August 30, 2000, at 10:06:29
Interesting link, Noa.
Not to trivialize the severity of infection for some individuals, but this whole WNV scare has me flabbergasted and annoyed. They're spraying all over the damn place in Boston now (they started in JP, where all them non-whites happen to live...), we've got people running around trying to scavenge up dead birds and catch mosquitos, and stories of mothers not wanting their kids to go outside and play until the threat is, in their minds, eradicated. I suppose if we kill all biting insects, all birds, and maybe nuke all the wetlands for good measure, people will feel safe going outside. Hey, I have OCD, and I can't figure this out. How many people in Boston died of the flu last year? How many from WNV? Why don't we quarantine all the flu sufferers and immunize everyone else six times a year, while we're at it.
I think humanity needs to get a grip and realize bugs and viruses are here to stay, unless we want to sterilize the planet. When I was working at the NIH, an unforseen side effect of a study some people were doing researching DNA adducts was to again uncover a relationship between some pesticides and their potential endocrine effects. This was somehow related to bugs and mold and aflotoxin on peanuts in China. It was a long time ago. Anyway, these pesticides were estrogen analogs! They cited this other study in France where sperm counts were dropping like a rock and all these women were having weird symptoms, and come to find out they're spraying the countryside like crazy with this stuff. And Monsanto wonders why they get a bad rap. How can you win? People are tired of artificial toxins in the invironment, and scared to death of drug resistant infections, yet we now cannot tolerate the existance of wormy apples and natural pathogens that our species has survived for thousands of years.
Buy organic, folks. Or better still, plant a garden and buy a bat house, if you can. Don't spray.
Go out in the country and roll around in the dirt a little. Hike up a mountain, get a few bug bites and blisters. Pick some raspberries and eat them without hosing them down first with antibacterial soap. It won't kill us. And what doesn't kill us...
> From the Thyroid News Digest, by Mary Shomon...
>
> PESTICIDES FOR WEST NILE MOSQUITOS ARE DANGER TO THYROID
>
> They key insecticides being used against West Nile virus-carrying
> mosquitos are also known to be toxic chemicals that may damage the
> thyroid. Resmethrin (brand name "Scourge") and sumithrin (brand name
> "Anvil") have been used in Boston and New York City, and are members of
> a class of pesticides known as pyrethroids, which are known to affect
> the immune and endocrine systems, and have been reported to have effects
> on the liver and thyroid. In one journal, researchers reported: "immense
> care is warranted in the use of [these] insecticides, because they not
> only affect the liver, kidney and other organs but also may alter the
> activity of the endocrine glands." ( Journal of Applied Toxicology, 1996
> Sep-Oct;16(5):397-400) Another journal reported that pyrethroids are
> environmental estrogens, and "through these hormonal pathways, exposure
> to certain pyrethroids may contribute to reproductive dysfunction,
> developmental impairment, and cancer." The Public Interest Research
> Group in New York recommends that if your area is being sprayed with
> these pesticides, you should "Keep windows shut and air conditioners
> off during and after spraying for as long as possible. Bring pet dishes,
> toys, laundry, and other portable objects inside. Cover outdoor
> furniture, barbecue grills, sandboxes, and play equipment, and rinse off
> surfaces that cannot be covered before use. If you get directly sprayed,
> shower immediately." Children or adults who have asthma or a
> respiratory condition, and pregnant women should also stay inside when
> spraying occurs.
poster:Adam
thread:44063
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000822/msgs/44090.html