"Body of Evidence" - Cindy Goldstein, Ph.D. (1)
Throughout this David and Goliath struggle of Environmental Injustice and Racism, the cause of repeated events of illness indicative of acute and chronic pesticide exposure has been blamed on the benign weed Cleome Gynandra. The heads of Hawaii Dept. of Ag and Dept. of Health have agreed to perform an ambient air study for pesticides only if the Kauai County Council provides $50,000 to fund an assessment of the "ambient concentrations of odiferous substances from Cleome Gynandra" (2). In a previous agreement with Hawaii State Teachers Association there was to be no cultivation or spraying in field #809 prior Dec. 08' unless Syngenta agreed to construct a 12-foot-high dust-fence along the vegetated buffer zone separating the field from the school (3). This is a video of the lessee of field #809 (Syngenta Seeds Co.) cultivating Cleome Gynandra a weed blamed for sending over 20 children to the hospital, contrary to that agreement.
1. "Body of Evidence", a quote from Cindy Goldstein, Ph.D.
Manager Business and Community Outreach Pioneer (A DUPONT COMPANY) Biotechnology Affairs, cindy.goldstein@pioneer.com
2. Bill 2278 info, http://www.box.net/shared/dj69fctcfh
3. The Garden Island Newspaper, Feb. 8, 2008
http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2008/02/08/news/news02.txt
4. D.O.A (part 9), "Diary of Apathy" the struggle continues...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SYEcowV2d8
5. Music: "Hawaii 78" by Bruddah IZ
September 20, 2008
September 11, 2008
Cocktail Anyone?
"Inerts" (Part 2)
CLICK HERE: The following is an ingredient list of the pesticide cocktail that was applied by Syngenta Seeds Inc. to field #809 during the week leading up to the January 25, 2008 incident (2).
Syngenta pesticide application data was provided by the Department of Agriculture (3).
1. YouTube Video: "The Day After, 01-26-08"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5xefxsmXcc
2. "A Case Study of a Week-Long Pesticide Cocktail"
http://www.box.net/shared/p7tz40zs4d
3. Dept. of Agriculture Inspection Report: 01-28-09, 02-08-08,02-09-08
A Case Study of a Week-Long Pesticide Cocktail
Recap: on January 25, 2008, more than 60 students at Waimea Canyon Middle School reported to the health room with complaints of nausea, dizziness, itcy eyes, sore throat, and labored breathing(1). Many reported smelling a noxious fuel-like odor. Responding emergency services personnel took 12 students and 1 teacher to the Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital ER for treatment of acute symptoms ranging from difficulty breathing, violent vomiting, dizziness, tremors, and extreme headache. Classrooms were evacuated to the library which is a contained environment with a central air conditioning system. Representatives from state and county agencies as well as agribusiness converged upon the campus in an effort to determine the cause of the noxious odor and sickness. By 4pm that same day the Honolulu Advertiser reported that "officials" determined the culprit odor (and consequent sickness) to be caused by several piles of dead Cleome Gynandra located along the campus western boarder in field #809 (1). Many were surprised by this speedy conclusion given the magnitude of the incident; the benign nature of the weed, and the lack of anyone effected reporting that the odor they smelled was "Wild Spider Flower," an odor many on campus are familiar with.
CLICK HERE: The following is an ingredient list of the pesticide cocktail that was applied by Syngenta Seeds Inc. to field #809 during the week leading up to the January 25, 2008 incident (2). Syngenta pesticide application data was provided by the Department of Agriculture (3).
1. YouTube Video: "The Day After, 01-26-08"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5xefxsmXcc
2. "A Case Study of a Week-Long Pesticide Cocktail"
http://www.box.net/shared/p7tz40zs4d
3. Dept. of Agriculture Inspection Report: 01-28-09, 02-08-08,02-09-08
September 6, 2008
Are "Inerts" Benign?
Original post August 17th,2008
Cocktail: A mixture, usually in solution
Benign: Having little or no detrimental effect, harmless
When a pesticide poisoning is believed to have taken place, much
attention is usually paid to the active ingredient in the pesticide product. The percentage of active ingredient in a formulation can range form 5% to 90%. The other percentage of the product is a cocktail of chemicals ranging from solvents to lesser “active pesticides" (1). These other ingredients are often referred to as “inerts”. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “an inert ingredient may have biological activity of it’s own, may be toxic to humans, and may be chemically active.” In 1997 the E.P.A. issued a notice which, “encourages manufacturers, formulators, producers, and registrants of pesticide products to voluntarily substitute the term ‘other ingredient’ as a heading for the inert ingredients in the ingredient statement on the label of the pesticide product.” “Many consumers are mislead by the term “inert ingredient,” believing it to mean “harmless” (2). State, federal, and international agencies have classified 26 percent of “inert ingredients” (about 600 chemicals) as hazardous.
1. "A Case Study of a Week-Long Pesticide Cocktail"
http://www.box.net/shared/p7tz40zs4d
2. Inert (other) Ingredients in Pesticide Products
http://www.epa.gov/opprd001/inerts/
Cocktail: A mixture, usually in solution
Benign: Having little or no detrimental effect, harmless
When a pesticide poisoning is believed to have taken place, much
attention is usually paid to the active ingredient in the pesticide product. The percentage of active ingredient in a formulation can range form 5% to 90%. The other percentage of the product is a cocktail of chemicals ranging from solvents to lesser “active pesticides" (1). These other ingredients are often referred to as “inerts”. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “an inert ingredient may have biological activity of it’s own, may be toxic to humans, and may be chemically active.” In 1997 the E.P.A. issued a notice which, “encourages manufacturers, formulators, producers, and registrants of pesticide products to voluntarily substitute the term ‘other ingredient’ as a heading for the inert ingredients in the ingredient statement on the label of the pesticide product.” “Many consumers are mislead by the term “inert ingredient,” believing it to mean “harmless” (2). State, federal, and international agencies have classified 26 percent of “inert ingredients” (about 600 chemicals) as hazardous.1. "A Case Study of a Week-Long Pesticide Cocktail"
http://www.box.net/shared/p7tz40zs4d
2. Inert (other) Ingredients in Pesticide Products
http://www.epa.gov/opprd001/inerts/
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