Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Children & Pesticides

I'm a bird guy, I love birds and so I hate pesticides because they directly or indirectly kill many birds.

But I'm also a Dad and I really love my daughter. I can't believe how many people in my neighborhood still spray their lawns weekly to kill off such minor nuisances as canker worms or gypsy moth caterpillars. As a Dad, it really pisses me off because me and my family have no choice but to breathe the stuff in.

The laws simply aren't strong enough to protect neighbors from pesticide use.

It amazes me because while they are saving their trees, they are directly causing harm to their families. "But the worms may kill the trees." Whatever! The pesticides are slowly poisoning your family!

Certain types of pesticides are now being directly tied to the amazing increase in autism (1 in every 160 children being born have autism now... that's crazy!) and in Parkinson's disease.

Read more about it here. Think before you spray.

4 comments:

artha said...

DT,
Thanks for the explanation on the World Series of Birding. I don't know much about birds but I do love the sound of their chirping in the early mornings. We are carelessly abusing our environment and I'm afraid one day we will wake up to dead silence. Scary thought.

Broker A said...

My landscapers know better than to spray anything near my house. I make them pick the weeds by hand.

As for the worms and shit like that, they don't bother me.

How about that mosquito spray? Toxic too?

Dinosaur Trader said...

artha,

No problem. Birding is a great pasttime. I mean, I'm always the youngest guy out doing it (normally by at least 25 years) but I could see it getting mor popular among the younger generations. What you say about the environment is too true.

-DT

Dinosaur Trader said...

Broker,

Good for you. No easy way out, even for the landscapers. Make them pick the weeds on their hands and knees.

Mosquito spray is somewhat toxic, but at least the toxicity is limited to you and not your neighbors. I mean, if I choose to put that on my own skin, that's my problem. What I hate is when I don't have any choice but to breathe other crap in, just so people can have pretty flowers.

Now if you're talking about the stuff that the state sprays over the marshes (when they tell you to close your windows to your house and your car?)... that stuff is toxic.

-DT