|
Published: May 03, 2008 10:44 pm
Readers' Forum: May 5, 2008
Be cautious when using pesticides
I would like to pass a warning on to those planning on using pesticides or those that are concerned for their own health or their child’s health.
I am a chemistry major at ISU and recently completed a study on the safety of pesticides. I was alarmed at what I found. Pesticides, by nature, are toxic substances that are deemed “safe” to be used on crops, yards and even in the home. The truth is that pesticides persist in our environment long after they have been applied. Even when they are applied in ideal conditions only about 5 percent of the active ingredient actually kills a weed, insect, etc. The rest is washed away with the next big rain and winds up in our drinking water.
There currently is no treatment done to our water that removes pesticides from them. Studies have found in other agricultural areas (such as this area) that there can be a mixture of up to 45 different pesticides in peoples tap and bottled water.
So why’s that so bad? Many of the chemicals used in pesticides are known neurotoxins and possible carcinogens. Even at very low levels this is very dangerous for children, especially those less than 6 years of age and mothers who are pregnant. This exposure to pesticides has been linked to learning disorders, increased risks for cancer, lymphoma, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, immune deficiencies, and even low sperm count.
Also, when homeowners apply pesticides to their yards they can be tracked in on peoples shoes and wind up in homes where toddlers and other children can come in contact with them.
Another alarming problem with pesticide use is the so-called “inert ingredients” that are not even listed on the labels of pesticide packages. There are over 3,700 of these ingredients that can be legally added to pesticides. The purpose of these ingredients is to increase the effectiveness of the active pesticide ingredient. No testing is done to see if these inert ingredients are safe and independent studies have found that they actually can be more dangerous to human health than the active ingredient. When pesticides are tested for safety and use for the general public they don’t bother to test the combination of the pesticide with the inert ingredients.
The ads for pesticides used at home and on the farm are on TV now. I urge you to do your own research before applying these toxic substances. If you must use them, follow the directions exactly. If you are pregnant, elderly, or have small children, please, do not use them.
— Joe Glair
Terre Haute
What’s that about not raising taxes?
You know, I’ve been watching the ads to re-elect “my man Mitch” and how he’s balanced the state budget and now has a surplus of money, all without raising our taxes.
Funny that my property tax went up 40 percent (they sent some back), in 2005 gasoline tax went to .364 cents, cigarettes went up to 99.5 cents per pack plus 7 percent sales tax. And let’s not forget sales tax went up to 7 percent. And who knows what other hidden tax exists!
So if Mitch gets re-elected I can hardly wait to see how much more our taxes don’t go up. A couple of weeks ago a lady wrote she didn’t like alcohol in the parks, which I agree with, but she said they should tax booze. Well, I don’t know where she’s been. I doubt you could think of much of anything the state doesn’t already tax.
Like Ronald Reagan said: if it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
— Bob Heien
Terre Haute
Recycling program doesn’t look good
I read the articles on the new recycling program and like many I have always put my trash in bags and I keep it in the garbage until the night before it is to be picked up. And when I was a rental property owner I checked the apartments trash and many times bagged trash for the tenants and neighbors around them and sometimes called other landlords about property around mine because of trash.
I cannot see Terre Haute making this work and it is not a good plan. The way I can see it to work is for you to work on a way to find the person who does not recycle and I mean renters as well as homeowners.
We have a great city and it could be a lot better if people would quit complaining about silly little things and politicians promising so much that they cannot deliver and people having enough sense to know that.
We have it in our hands to make all things possible like realizing a small group cannot change what millions use like gas. If everyone would let their car sit in the garage for at least two days a week and walk and ride a bicycle those two days, cut back on cable, telephone and cell phones, also Internet, and put that wasted time into taking care of homes and family, recycling, and walking around the neighborhood, you would be surprised how much better our lives would be.
We would not have the problems of being obese. Our hearts and lungs would be better. Our family life would be better and our brains would be clearer, but that would be too easy.
In a recent Sunday paper I found that Indiana State had a recycling program better than the Goodwill, and that is where I will take my products to recycle on North Ninth Street. Also, if the city recycling works it will put those horrible big trash cans in our yards, which as time goes by will rise in cost and it will also cut jobs. Each and everyone should at least say good morning to the trash man and be courteous. Think about how you would feel if you were handling week-old trash and the way some people dispose of human waste and rotten food and other things.
No matter if you are rich or poor, it’s up to your to make changes which are good for our city. Look around, do you need this or is your life any better because of it?
— Eloise Reed
Terre Haute
A senior looks at trash and puzzles
The kids have gone, the trash volume is small and Republic is doing a great job with our trash pickup.
On a less positive note, with more time in retirement, we can try the Sunday crossword puzzle. After the latest size reduction of the puzzle, the squares for the letters in the answers can only accommodate 1/64 of a square inch. Our eyes are getting weaker.
I estimate that the Sunday paper contains 24,000 square inches of print, and I only ask a few more inches for the puzzle.
— Herb Bailey
Terre Haute
• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.
|
|
Print this story
E-mail this story
Discuss this story
