The Never-Ending GMO-Pesticide Fight (Princeville: sale, real estate, 2015)

[jivinjimbo]

I was just wondering what the latest general consensus was in here about this never-ending fight over the use of experimental pesticides by these GMO corporations on Kauai? Are the people of Kauai really split down the middle on this, or is it big-money, corruption, and people needing the jobs provided by these corporations that are keeping Kauai from ever being able to get state legislation passed to force these companies to come clean about exactly what they're doing? (I know that the people of Kauai were unsuccessful at trying to get legislation passed/enforced at a county level a few years back.)

I read this article from a couple of months ago, and it’s extremely alarming and unfortunate to read about this never-ending nightmare taking place on one of the most beautiful places on this earth.

(Here’s the article’s link, if anyone wants to take a look at it.)

https://www.outsideonline.com/215197...al-gmo-problem

Reading that article, along with listening to this recent podcast in which this subject was thoroughly researched, and the fact that these corporations are still winning the fight, just shows me how powerful they really are.

The podcast even gave some historical information about how one of the corporations (BASF) has ties going all the way back to aiding Hitler, and its entanglement with the Nazi regime. (Scary stuff, to say the least!)

Here’s the podcast if anyone is interested in giving it a listen.

Escape to Kauai

I would think that the tourism industry, along with the real estate industry for that matter, would really be on board with those members of the public who want to strictly regulate these corporations, if not try and shut them down and get them off the island altogether? (Clean up the island, and boost their businesses even more!)

Instead, I’m getting the feeling that both the tourism and real estate industries are simply trying to keep a lid on this, so as not to discourage anyone from visiting, or buying property there.

Anyway, I know I’m being a “Debbie Downer” by bringing this subject up, but I really am concerned about it, and I was just wondering how big of a concern any of you might have about it as well, and what the latest efforts are in fighting these corporations?

Thanks,

JivinJimbo

[hotzcatz]

Hawaii County had a GMO law the GMO folks didn't like for about four months before it was overturned. I think it was a requirement for labeling, but I could be remembering it wrong. It was a year or two ago. So far about the only successful anti-GMO campaign has been the Hawaiians to keep the GMO folks out of their taro. Maybe you could see how they managed that and expand it for everything else in the islands?

At the moment, the GMO companies are spending a lot of money on research at the U of H and such, so the folks who make the laws have very little interest in thwarting GMOs.

[jivinjimbo]

Thanks for sharing that, I appreciate it! I've now been reading about the taro issue, since you let me know that there has at least been some success against these guys in that area.

I also passed your post along with this link I found, on to the guy who does that "Escape to Kauai" podcast that I mentioned in my previous post. (He really did a LOT of research on this for his latest podcast, so I'm sure he'll be very interested in it.)

Taro | Hawai'i SEED

And yeah, as long as the GMO companies keep that money flowing to the right people (like U of H as you mentioned), I guess they'll keep doing "business as usual", unfortunately. It's probably going to take some absolutely irrefutable, undeniable proof showing that their experimental, nonstop spraying of deadly chemicals year after year over there is the definite cause of specific health problems on the island.

Of course getting that absolute proof against these guys is evidently extremely difficult to do, since they refuse to let their activities be monitored in any way.

In a similar way, it kind of reminds me of the many years it took to finally get the tobacco companies to admit that smoking caused cancer. (Getting undeniable proof against them, with all the people they were paying off, took forever to finally accomplish as well.)

It's just a shame that, in the meantime, BASF, Dow, DuPont, and Syngenta just keep getting away with what they're doing to that beautiful island...

Thanks again for your reply.

JivinJimbo

[whtviper1]

I don't know - with Hawaii having some of the highest life expectancy in the US it is hard for me to get on the anti-GMO bandwagon....I'm not seeing some die-off here in Hawaii from pesticides/GMO.

Personally, I'm not a big believer "natural" is all what it is cracked up to be except for costing more money - I'm in the camp that actually likes GMO fruits and vegetables - and treated meats - for me it has more flavor.

[jivinjimbo]

I hear you, whtviper1, and I sure hope that those "highest life expectancy" statistics stay accurate and true for Hawaii, as time goes by.

However, with the spike in birth defects on the island "more than 10 times the national rate", according to the article link I posted below, those high-life expectancy numbers may change in the coming years...at least in regards to those people unfortunate enough to be living in specific "downwind" areas on the island that are much more affected by this problem.

From a 2015 article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...pesticides-gmo

There are also videos on YouTube, with doctors on Kauai urging for full disclosure from the pesticide companies. Why? Because they're seeing more birth defects and illnesses, especially on certain parts of the island, than they've ever seen in the past.

SOMETHING'S got to be causing this to happen, and it seems that if you're living or working downwind from one of these GMO crops that's being saturated daily with unknown chemicals/pesticides, and there's a spike of birth defects, cancers, and other illnesses in your area, shouldn't this be looked into, and in a very big way?

As far as you liking GMO fruits, vegetables, treated meats, etc, that's of course your choice. However, this is more about the high quantity of known, and unknown pesticides and chemicals saturating thousands of acres of Kauai on a daily basis year after year. (Pesticides + dust + tradewinds = air, and possible water contamination in those affected areas.)

So just how bad is it? Nobody knows for sure, because big money and apathy are keeping these companies safe from being forced to disclose what they're doing daily on, and to the island.

Sorry, I got on a bit of a "rant" there! Anyway, thanks for listening.

JivinJimbo

[HankDfrmSD]

Here is a much more balanced article:

GMOs: Facts About Genetically Modified Food

Read what the American Medical Association has to say.

[whtviper1]

Of course I think a spike in birth defects should be looked at. GMO or not.

If you want to get scared even more - take a look at how much pesticides were used when the sugarcane fields were in operation on Kauai. I would imagine a lot of those pesticides also ended up in the ground water as well

[jivinjimbo]

Good point about the previous use of pesticides on the sugarcane fields, whtviper 1. Yeah, I found this pdf on that subject pretty quickly. (NO good news in that report either, for sure!)

http://www.hawaiidoh.org/references/HDOH%202011d.pdf


So yeah, with that unfortunate history of the use of those pesticides during all those sugarcane years, coupled with all the newer, experimental, year-round pesticides being used by the GMO companies...wow...it's a never-ending toxic brew slowly, repeatedly saturating these areas on the island.

HankDfrmSD, thanks for posting your article about GMO's. The safety of consuming GMO's is a whole separate discussion, for sure! This post is more about the use of known, and unknown pesticides and chemicals year-round by these companies, and their refusal to divulge what they're spraying, how much of it they're spraying, and how often they're spraying it.

As noted in my previous posts and links, doctors on the island are reporting a surge in birth defects and illnesses, specifically in areas downwind from GMO crop fields. So, there's obviously a huge need for full disclosure from these companies as to what they're doing, and they simply refuse to do this under the guise of protecting their "trade secrets."

This is an extremely lame excuse to continue to fall back on, at least IMO, while unexplained birth defects, cancers and illness numbers increase in these affected areas.

But back to your post on GMO consumption, Hank, in regards to this quote from it. "At least 90 percent of the soy, cotton, canola, corn and sugar beets sold in the United States have been genetically engineered."

I sure hope and pray that if we're now consuming food products that are containing GMO soy, canola, corn, and sugar beets, that these food sources that have been sprayed with all of these different pesticide "cocktails" prove to be healthy and safe for all of us...especially in the long run, since it can take years for certain cancers and illnesses to show up in the body.

To be on the safe side, I'd personally prefer that the US become one of the "fear mongering" countries referred to in this quote from your article: "In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs."

But maybe that's just me. Thanks again for your posts.

JivinJimbo

[HanapepePuppy]

Interesting article recently in the garden-island about how Kauai bees are pretty darn healthy. The interesting thing here to note is:

"While chemicals like fipronil, which are found in pest control products, were found in every sample, it is not enough to worry about. Rather, the state is curious to know how those chemicals got into the pollen"

A quick look up for Fipronil.
What is fipronil?
Fipronil is a broad use insecticide that belongs to the phenylpyrazole chemical family. Fipronil is used to control ants, beetles, cockroaches, fleas, ticks, termites, mole crickets, thrips, rootworms, weevils, and other insects. Fipronil is a white powder with a moldy odor. Fipronil was first registered for use in the United States in 1996.

What are some products that contain fipronil?
Fipronil is used in a wide variety of pesticide products, including granular products for grass, gel baits, spot-on pet care products, liquid termite control products, and products for agriculture. There are more than 50 registered products that contain fipronil.

This makes me wonder if it is the average home owner applying pesticides around the home and tenting for termites that might be having even more of an effect on the environment than government regulated big AG..

Honeybee pollen study yields positive results - Thegardenisland.com: Local

[mr.magoo]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Of course I think a spike in birth defects should be looked at. GMO or not.

If you want to get scared even more - take a look at how much pesticides were used when the sugarcane fields were in operation on Kauai. I would imagine a lot of those pesticides also ended up in the ground water as well

run off waters from the canefields wiped out a lot of the fish/Marine population in Princeville /anini beach area .My uncle, a retired Physician who lives on Anini Beach, wrote a few articles, did some studies in the 1980s on the subject..
.Ironically, before moving to Kauai in the 1960's he was a Beverly Hills Pediatrician with a focus of genetic mutation.
I will see if I can scan some of his articles..