Green Mothers Digest

Apparently all is not well on the environmental front in California.  I had been impressed with Governor Schwarzeneger’s lead in several issues dear to our heart – banning BPA baby products, capping emission standards, and recently, a moratorium on off-shore drilling.  But apparently he has no say over strawberry farmers – how come?

The growers are moving on to a different type of fumigant, phasing out methyl bromide because it damages the ozone layer.  Now they are poised to use methyl iodide which is highly toxic due to its different chemical structure. Naturally, there is disagreement on how much exposure is too much – does anything ever change?

For bystanders, 32 parts per billion are safe according to the Department for Pesticide Regulation.

Not so, say scientists.  They say for bystanders, 0.9 parts per billion are safe.

Huh??

How do they get from 0.9 parts/billion to 32 parts/billion?  You can read the story here. I have always been strict about buying organic berries, including strawberries, and now more than ever. Still, it is sad that common sense and caution is taking a back seat again.

I used to have this fantasy about country life, living on a farm, being healthy, living off the land, you get the point.  I never realized what a hazardous occupation farming is, unless you do it organically.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof had a scare recently with a growth in his kidney that they thought for a moment was cancerous. (Luckily, it wasn’t).  While he was waiting for the report from his doctor, he reflected back on his childhood:

“As regular readers know, I’ve written frequently about suspected links between chemicals and health. In my own case, I can’t help wondering if there might not be a connection as well. I grew up on a sheep and cherry farm in Oregon, and as a kid I helped mix the pesticides in the sprayer. Dogs on the farm have often died from cancer, and some have had unusual kidney cysts and deformities. Could the orchard pesticides perhaps have some impact on kidneys? Nobody knows.”

Why do administrative blockheads get to play Russian roulette with citizen’s lives? I am eerily reminded of this scene in Erin Brokovich

The air we breathe enters the womb just like the foods we eat.  Dr. Fredirika Perera is 12 years into a study of how the environment impacts the fetus inside the womb.  Please watch this video, but be prepared to get upset if you are pregnant right now.

I always suspected this, and my heart was heavy with worry while I carried three pregnancies to term in New York.  The troubling part is, even if you are completely cognizant of these dangers, it is still impossible to avoid all of them.

I am increasingly doubtful that breast-feeding is such a great idea.  I know that pediatricians preach that the benefits of breast-feeding outweigh the risks of chemical exposure, but after the research that has been coming in lately, I have serious reservations.  I don’t know if the AMA has made any new pronouncements yet.  The establishment always tends to tow the line way beyond what is conscionable in the mind of a person even of average intelligence.

… I don’t often comment on other blogs, but for once I felt compelled to, and the strangest thing happened.  I was unable to leave my comment after typing in my contact info, and then having to copy a number into a box. 

I completely obeyed and copied numbers into this box ad nauseum, and still it wouldn’t show my comment, but my name, email, and this url are still there.  And not only that, on every single post you click on you’ll see my info without the comment.  It is sooo annoying……

It makes me think of those car alarms that go off in the middle of the night with no reason.  We are controlled by gadgets….