page after page after page! this is a very common used to kill many things

if we eat or drink anything this comes in contact with it will
kill people too...
what if we could take the people who made this neurotoxic chemical to court
and make them responsible to the people and the environment to fund the cure for PD?

Garden pesticide link to Parkinson's


James Meek, science correspondent
Monday November 6, 2000The Guardian


It was only ever a matter of time before scientists pointed to one of the toxic agrochemicals pervading the world and linked it to a major disease of unknown cause.
Today, Professor Tim Greenamyre, of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, will do just that - suggesting at a conference in the US that exposure to rotenone could cause Parkinson's disease, the crippling brain illness which brings suffering to 120,000 Britons.

But, ironically, it is a connection that will shake some of the most ardent opponents of the use of synthetic pesticides in farming. For rotenone is no post-war insect killer cooked up in a corporate lab, but a natural product, extracted from the derris plant, and a mainstay of organic farms and gardens.
The findings of Prof Greenamyre and his team, to be published next month in the journal Nature Neuroscience, show that rats repeatedly given rotenone not only develop the symptoms of Parkinson's - trembling and loss of muscle control - but acquire the distinctive microscopic lumps in the brain, known as Lewy bodies, that are a sure sign of the disease.
"These results," the scientists write, "indicate that chronic exposure to a common pesticide can reproduce the anatomical, neurochemical, behavioural and neuropathological features of Parkinson's disease."
A link between pesticides and Parkinson's, which affects the Pope, Michael J Fox and Muhammad Ali, has been suspected for some time.
A review of 19 different studies over the past decade, carried out at the Ohio Medical College last year, reported that most found exposure to pesticides increased the risk of contracting Parkinson's.
Critics of the pesticide theory point out that the mass use of man-made chemicals to control pests only began in the latter half of the last century, whereas James Parkinson first identified the symptoms of what he called "the shaking palsy" back in 1817, and there is evidence that the disease goes back much further.
But rotenone, in the form of the powdered root of the derris plant, was used on a large scale in the industrial world from the mid-19th century onwards. In some countries, it has an even longer history.
Derris-based pesticides are on sale in garden centres across Britain. Rotenone is sometimes used to control populations of fish, for which it is highly toxic.
One bottle of rotenone pesticide on the shelf of a garden shop yesterday was labelled as "a traditional insecticide" and "a natural plant extract."
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday: "It's too early to say what the safety implications of this study might be. It will be put forward to our pesticide safety directorate toxicologists who will decide whether a review of this particular pesticide needs to take place."
Although the Atlanta scientists have pinpointed rotenone, they make it clear that they believe other pesticides which work in the same way could be equally dangerous.
Benoit Gaisson and Virginia Lee, Parkinson's researchers at Pennsylvania University, said the work did raise questions about rotenone's safety.
"Rotenone is a naturally occurring substance that is eventually degraded in the environment, and as such it is considered to be benign compared to many other pesticides," they wrote in Nature Neuroscience. "Whether rotenone exposure contributes to the incidence of Parkinson's disease remains to be determined. Nevertheless, the effects of chronic rotenone administration observed here may be representative of the possible effects of exposure to low amounts of other environmental toxins, yet to be identified."
One theory is that exposure to one or several pesticides combines with an individual's genetic makeup to cause Parkinson's. The Pennsylvania researchers said the fact that the risk of getting Parkinson's rose sharply with age fitted in with the notion of the drip-drip effect of environmental toxins over time.
In Parkinson's, cells in the brain that produce dopamine, which carries signals between nerve cells, begin to die. The reasons are not understood, but a major clue came in the 1980s, when an attempt to create an illegal designer drug went spectacularly wrong. The guinea pigs who took the drug, MPTP, were struck down with a rapid-onset version of Parkinson's.
MPTP interfered with a key component of the dopamine-producing brain cells, the mitochondria, the "power stations" of cells. Rotenone and other pesticides have a similar effect, although rotenone appears to produce symptoms much closer to typical Parkinson's disease than MPTP.
The Atlanta team believes that at the heart of the problem lies a kind of toxic waste produced by the mitrochondria as they generate energy. This waste comes in the form of rogue molecules called free radicals, which barge around the body, damaging vital functions. One theory holds free radicals responsible for normal ageing.
Even in healthy people, the mitochondria in dopamine-producing cells are thought to produce a high level of these free radicals. The Parkinson's-causing effect of pesticides may be to increase the amount of "waste" the mitochondria produce, causing the death of the cells.

'You tell your body to move - and it doesn't'


It seemed trivial yet it was troubling. The instructor at the toddlers' gym where Maureen McHugh had taken her son asked the parents, as part of an exercise, to wiggle their fingers. Her brain responded, but her fingers didn't.
"I couldn't wiggle the fingers in my left hand," said Dr McHugh, 44, a soil scientist from Aberdeenshire. "I started to lose mobility on my left side. Everyday tasks became difficult."
That was in 1996. Despite signs that something was badly wrong, she did not consult a doctor until 1998, when she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
"Your brain tells your body to move and it does not," she said. "It's going to get steadily worse. It's not supposed to shorten your life - it just makes life a complete misery."
Since being diagnosed, Dr McHugh has been taking the drug L-dopa, which relieves Parkinson's symptoms. It does nothing to treat the cause, and can itself lead to serious disability after long use. But for the time being it enables her to carry out everyday tasks such as driving and helping her partner David Mills with their children.
"I'm fairly incapable at times," she said. "Before I went on the medicine, I was virtually unable to do anything. Now I can do most normal things in a limited way, although I have to plan in advance."
Dr McHugh has spent hours studying research into Parkinson's. She believes the evidence of a link between the illness and chemicals in the environment is strong. Over the years she has been exposed to different toxic chemicals in her work, but doubts that a single chemical such as rotenone is to blame.
With hopes high that a treatment to end Parkinson's may be on the horizon, Dr McHugh is campaigning with other members of the Special Parkinson's Research Interest Group (Spring) to persuade the government to relax restrictions on scientists who believe the best hope of a cure lies in the using human stem cells to create new nerve cells to replace damaged ones.
The only source of human stem cells is surplus human embryos donated by couples undergoing IVF treatment and at present scientists are barred from using these for research into anything other than fertility problems.
"It's vital that the government make these changes," said Dr McHugh. "The embryos in question are very early. An individual being hasn't been established at that point."

http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregist...tenone_red.pdf

the US EPA gives roteone the okay!!! - can we fire this person?

BT - Also sold as Dipel, this naturally occurring bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis) controls some types of caterpillars. It has been cultured and is available in a powdered form that is mixed and sprayed on to plants.

CONDIES CRYSTALS - (Potassium permanganate) A few drops in a bucket will turn the water pink. Controls powdery mildew and is used by some gardeners to kill ants in potted plants. It is toxic to worms!

COPPER SPRAYS - Copper oxychloride, cupric hydroxide and Bordeaux mixture are used to control a range of fungus diseases including mildews, anthracnose and leaf spots.

DERRIS DUST - Derris is made from the ground root of the rotenone plant (Derris elliptica). It is used to control chewing insects. While it is allowable under organic growing regimes it is toxic to worms, but some gardeners do use it for lawn grub control.

DIATOMACEOUS EARTH - Composed of the ground tiny salt-water organisms called diatoms, insecticide grade diatomaceous earth has microscopically sharp edges that desiccate insects on contact or kill them when ingested. The fine grey powder is mixed with water then sprayed on to plants. Please note that the diatomaceous earth used in swimming pool filters is heat treated and cannot be recommended for use in the garden.

HORTICULTURAL GLUE AND BARRIER PAINTS - These products are applied to the trunks of trees to prevent insects making their way up into the foliage canopy. They are particularly effective against ants, preventing them transporting scale, aphids and other insects from overcrowded colonies located nearby to clean plants. They can act as effective barriers to a range of caterpillars.

NEEM OIL - This oil is extracted from the neem tree (Azadiracta indica). It kills insects by contact, ingestion and also acts as an anti-feedant. It is commonly sold as a plant spray or mixed with soap based products.

Neem oil has a long history of use in countries like India where it can be found in everything from soap and toothpaste to pest control products.

Under Australian law neem is not registered as a pest control product for plants. At this stage, it is only registered for control of fleas on cats and dogs. This makes it illegal for anyone to recommend neem oil for control of garden pests. Doing so risks prosecution.

Adding to the confusion for gardeners is the fact that several neem based products can be found on the shelves of nursery and garden outlets. Examination of label details and recommendations reveals that manufacturers are very careful not to make any insecticidal claims about neem.

Some neem products are mixed with soap. Claims made in relation to insect control on these products relates to the soap they contain. In other instances label details promote neem plant sprays as fertiliser enhancers, soil conditioners and root drenches.

OIL BASED SPRAYS - Oil sprays derived from petroleum such as white oil and PestOil are frowned upon under organic certification. Fortunately, it is possible to make up your own vegetable based oil spray (see Do It Yourself Control). Oil sprays are great for controlling a wide range of insect pests including scale, mites, aphids and citrus leaf miner. Commercial products such as EcoOil contain plant based oil and are a better choice.

PHEROMONE TRAPS - A pheromone is a non-toxic species-specific scent produced by the female insect to attract the male. Pheromones are often used as the attractant in baits and traps. Products available include Wild May and Eco-naturalure for fruit fly control.

PYRETHRUM - Natural pyrethrum is extracted from the flowers of Chrysanthemum cinerariafolium. It will kill predators if used indiscriminately, so be sure to spray late in the day when bees have returned to their hives. It is used for a wide range of insect pests, particularly beetles. Synthetic pyrethroids or products in which natural pyrethrum is mixed with piperonyl butoxide are not allowable under organic certification.

SEAWEED SPRAYS - Foliar sprays made from seaweed have been found to be very effective in reducing fungus diseases that affect leaves and flowers. Seaweed extract also increases the microbial activity in the soil. This activity helps to make existing nutrients more available to plants. Seaweed also increases the ability of plants to cope with extremes of temperature including frost and drought.

SOAP SPRAYS - Soap sprays break down the waxy layer of the insect exoskeleton causing the insect to dehydrate. Be sure to use pure soap and not detergent. Commercial products include Natrasoap.

SULPHUR - Dusting sulphur and wettable sulphur preparations are effective against mites and powdery mildew.

Products acceptable under organic growing regimes are constantly under review, so always check with your local organic growing group or certifying agency [www.aqis.gov.au/organic] before using any pest control product.

(This text contains an edited extract from my book, 'Organic Vegetable Gardening', published by ABC Books, plus additional information). See [recommendations

http://www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au/

http://ppis.ceris.purdue.edu/htbin/prodset.com

For posting this.
Here in Australia as far as I know derris dust is still sold and used by a large proportion of home gardeners (which gives me the shudders)
I remember years ago tests had shown that Parkinsons could be induced in mice exposed to it.
Cheers,
Lee

I believe people should go back to having "normal" grass in their garden and forget that perfect, manicured lawn. I love meadows, with daisies, clover and dandelions; in my opinion they are less boring than lawn and require no dangerous weed killers.
By the way, does anybody know how many millions of tons of poison in the form of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, etc. are manufactured, bought and used each year? Is there anything left that's not laced with poison?

http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/...1200_1301.html