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Because in previous generations things already were natural and organic, that's how. It's only relatively lately that we've forgotten how to garden and have drunk the Kool Aid about relying on chemicals. Thank you, DuPont, Monsanto, and others greedy companies.
As to the argument about not being able to PROVE that garden chemicals cause cancer, it's just about impossible to PROVE that anything causes cancer. Cancer takes years to develop so the damage is done well in advance of cancer developing.
Why are we warned to keep pets off lawns that have had treatments.... Im not sure if it mentions children... .. think about it folks...
That's why I went to St. Augustine Grass. No chemicals, drought resistant, and naturally chokes out weeds. Plus it's fast-growing (it *is* a weed) and doesn't need a lot of attention.
We live on a lake that is the city's reservoir system. Anything we put in our yard will kill the geese, ducks, frogs, turtles and other wildlife that wander around our yard.
Because in previous generations things already were natural and organic, that's how. It's only relatively lately that we've forgotten how to garden and have drunk the Kool Aid about relying on chemicals. Thank you, DuPont, Monsanto, and others greedy companies.
As to the argument about not being able to PROVE that garden chemicals cause cancer, it's just about impossible to PROVE that anything causes cancer. Cancer takes years to develop so the damage is done well in advance of cancer developing.
I guess I'm just one of the handful of people left in this world with bigger worries; an exception, I know. The single biggest issue is that people believe what they want to believe and don't actually know anything about what it is they believe in. There's always someone else to blame for everything. Forget responsibility for your own actions. If you don't want the chemicals, DON'T BUY THE PRODUCT. It's that simple. Except remember about my drift.. I can guarantee you that 99% of the people you ask why they're organic won't have any answer beyond "because the package says it is" or "because that's what everyone else is doing". Wow, solid knowledge there.. that'll win a courtroom battle.
You are right about cancer, but there are a lot of other things in this world that kill people - other people, machinery, falls, heart attacks, dogs, hoarding, lightning.. I am infinitely more concerned with someone else harming me than getting cancer slowly..
At the end of the day, everyone forms their own opinion(s) based on what they know/think. As long as we're all responsible for our own actions, which in reality will never happen 100% (it's just not how humans function), we should be free to make our own decisions.
I do think that cancer is caused from the toxins we are exposed to in life, but I have no control over what anyone else does, so I just don't worry about it. I'm going to die of something, and I like a nice thick green lawn. I think the most sensible thing is to read the instructions carefully. Many things are safe when used correctly, but not as safe when they are not.
Incidentally, I just read an article about avoiding the use of lawn weed killers under trees, because it can either kill or damage the trees.
I guess I'm just one of the handful of people left in this world with bigger worries; an exception, I know. The single biggest issue is that people believe what they want to believe and don't actually know anything about what it is they believe in. There's always someone else to blame for everything. Forget responsibility for your own actions. If you don't want the chemicals, DON'T BUY THE PRODUCT. It's that simple. Except remember about my drift.. I can guarantee you that 99% of the people you ask why they're organic won't have any answer beyond "because the package says it is" or "because that's what everyone else is doing". Wow, solid knowledge there.. that'll win a courtroom battle.
You are right about cancer, but there are a lot of other things in this world that kill people - other people, machinery, falls, heart attacks, dogs, hoarding, lightning.. I am infinitely more concerned with someone else harming me than getting cancer slowly..
At the end of the day, everyone forms their own opinion(s) based on what they know/think. As long as we're all responsible for our own actions, which in reality will never happen 100% (it's just not how humans function), we should be free to make our own decisions.
yes we are or should be allowed to make our own decisions.. that is if not harming others...Roundup must be laughing all the way to the bank. Read on.. CHEM
Look at the cancer rates from one of the most contaminated countries on earth (China) and the comparison between them and the US: Comparison of Cancer Incidence between China and the USA. If you go to that US government link and click on table one you will see many discrepancies. Look at the discrepancies in stomach, liver, lung, prostrate, esophagus and rectum cancer in both countries. I think that this subject of cancer just does not have one quick solution - like the next door neighbor sprays their crabgrass. Your talking about a very complicated subject with many possible culprits.
I was born in 47 and I remember old bags of DDT, another product called Cynogas to exterminate just about anything and asbestos insulation - I survived (so far). Many products from my childhood have been banned for years in the US; including many of the dyes. I just think that it is foolish to look back on 'simpler' times and think that they were safer. Don't forget that many of the Super Fund cleanup sites were made during these simple times.
yes we are or should be allowed to make our own decisions.. that is if not harming others...Roundup must be laughing all the way to the bank. Read on.. CHEM
I could go online and find thousands of articles about how bad chemicals are for us. And then after that I could walk outside and get hit by a bread truck. I don't necessarily avoid bread trucks just because one could kill me. I am aware of their presence, but I exercise caution. So far, I'm still alive.
I could go online and find thousands of articles about how bad chemicals are for us. And then after that I could walk outside and get hit by a bread truck. I don't necessarily avoid bread trucks just because one could kill me. I am aware of their presence, but I exercise caution. So far, I'm still alive.
And, yes, that's a valid argument.
Sorry for feeling so strongly about this but its very important to me to try and get the message across to people as an MCS sufferer for fifty years..ok IM not dead from chemicals, but sometimes with the symptoms of the illness from an over exposure to chemicals in a workplace when a young girl... I wish I was...its an awful uncurable illness with many symtptoms.. I dont want to go on about myself.. what Im doing and have been doing through Allergy UK and other organisations is to try and help others not to get this or give it to others.. its not just the weed killers. etc.. its a whole lot of junk that our governments arent warnnig us about...take care please... Im buttng out this thread now but have a look at whats actually in some of the garden products..agent orange is even mentioned, but up to you to make ths decision... Im out..
Sorry for feeling so strongly about this but its very important to me to try and get the message across to people as an MCS sufferer for fifty years..ok IM not dead from chemicals, but sometimes with the symptoms of the illness from an over exposure to chemicals in a workplace when a young girl... I wish I was...its an awful uncurable illness with many symtptoms.. I dont want to go on about myself.. what Im doing and have been doing through Allergy UK and other organisations is to try and help others not to get this or give it to others.. its not just the weed killers. etc.. its a whole lot of junk that our governments arent warnnig us about...take care please... Im buttng out this thread now but have a look at whats actually in some of the garden products..agent orange is even mentioned, but up to you to make ths decision... Im out..
I'm not trying to dissuade you from voicing your opinion, as you are certainly entitled to one - that is what these discussion forums are for. I just think it's important to remember that there are always two sides and people shouldn't just jump on the band wagon because everyone else does it. I am very sorry to hear about your suffering and I absolutely understand your side - do not apologize for the way you feel!
Unfortunately, though, there are just so many discussions all over the internet from people who blame the government, or some other third party, for every ailment and suffering they have. If it's not the lawn chemicals, it's the dyes in our food, television, telephones, microwaves, airplanes. Someone coughs and suddenly the government has something to do with it. OMG, I could go on for days. I guess that's my point. Where does it end? For way too many people the cycle of pessimism and paranoia won't ever end, and that's what's exhausting. There's a difference between being paranoid (fearful) and being cautious (aware) and the majority of people who are ultra vocal about it are the former.
If someone is really so concerned with the chemicals in their yard, I don't want to see a bottle of Windex sitting in their laundry room or a jar of mayonnaise sitting in their pantry..
THANK YOU! Uggh, I am so tired of hearing and reading about how dangerous everything is. It's so exhausting. If something is labeled "natural" or "organic", people don't think twice.. without even really knowing and understanding anything other than what the manufacturer of that particular product wants them to believe. A full-blown, organically grown garden doesn't mean much if the farm up the road soaks their land in pesticides.. on a particularly breezy day.. catch my drift..?
I just can't imagine how generations before us lived at all before the advent of all things "natural" and "organic".. .. but I suppose they had bigger worries..
Generations before us used chemicals that were far more harmful than those in use today. Organophosphates and things like DDT have been banned for quite awhile. I was a passionate purist organic gardener for about ten years. Then I returned to college and studied plant pathology, pest control, turf science and a lot of other subjects.
I wasn't indoctrinated out of my stubborn "no chemicals ever" position. I learned what to use, when to use it, and most importantly, HOW each chemical works. I learned IPM, integrated pest management, which is simply choosing the right weapon for the battle at hand. So, for example, let's take the bagworms on our junipers. We have lots of junipers, so we have a real problem with bagworms. My first line of attack is to pick them off and either burn them or put in the trash. If I keep seeing them, or if I miss some and the bags are getting a bit larger, I spray them with Bt, a biological control embraced by organic gardeners.
Toward the end of the period when the bags can be penetrated with any chemical, I sometimes have to pull out the "big gun": Sevin. And since Sevin kills bees, I am very careful not to apply it when bees are present. This means doing it pretty early in the morning before they wake up.
That's a responsible way to use pesticides, and here is another.
I don't need a perfect lawn. We get occasional bouts of lawn fungus, but we do not treat for it. It comes and it goes and it only very rarely kills the turf. I have never had a fungal control applied, not even spot treatments. Lawn care companies push them, and I just don't bite.
For lawn insects -- well, we don't see many of those either. There are some cultural practices that can make your lawn unfriendly to lawn insects as well as fungal diseases. So using IPM, we practice those things -- a natural form of prevention.
Finally, we spot treat for weeds and we have a preemergent applied in March and again in May. We know the chemicals that are used, and we always have the treatments done right before a rain. We never have the lawn blanket-sprayed for weeds, and we only have the areas that are overrun with weeds treated at all.
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The single biggest issue is that people believe what they want to believe and don't actually know anything about what it is they believe in. There's always someone else to blame for everything. Forget responsibility for your own actions. If you don't want the chemicals, DON'T BUY THE PRODUCT. It's that simple. Except remember about my drift.. I can guarantee you that 99% of the people you ask why they're organic won't have any answer beyond "because the package says it is" or "because that's what everyone else is doing". Wow, solid knowledge there.. that'll win a courtroom battle.
I just think it's important to remember that there are always two sides and people shouldn't just jump on the band wagon because everyone else does it. I am very sorry to hear about your suffering and I absolutely understand your side - do not apologize for the way you feel! 
