As It Stands: Atrazine threatens public health like another Agent Orange

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 08/15/2010 01:32:27 AM PDT

Once upon a time, Agent Orange (AO) and all of its synthetic peers were widely sprayed to kill weeds throughout the land, and overseas where Americans fought in Vietnam. The manufacturers of AO assured the people that all was well. So everyone smiled.

Soon however, dark warnings trickled into the mainstream. Soldiers came back from the bad place with cancers and other terrible diseases. The men and women in the military suffered for years until they finally got recognition and treatment from the Veterans Administration. Many veterans are still struggling today.

When enough doctors and scientists came together and pored over mountains of studies not considered important by the EPA, they discovered that AO was responsible for a wide variety of serious health conditions.

The chemical manufacturers turned to the courts with their own industry-funded studies that showed AO was safe. After years of bitter court battles the manufacturers lost and had to pay for their sins.

  This is not the end of the story. It seems we have not learned from this sad chapter in our history, when greedy chemical companies got away with poisoning people in the name of profit. As baseball great Yogi Berra once said, “It's deju vu all over again.”

This time the culprit has a new name, Atrazine. It's an herbicide like AO, and an estimated 76 million pounds of it are sprayed on corn and other fields in the U.S. every year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) records.

The problem; the EPA failed to notify people last fall when Atrazine was discovered in drinking water at 10 times the national safety limits. Those levels should have automatically triggered notification of customers, but that didn't happen.

Four states, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kansas are being monitored because their farmers rely heavily on Atrazine. The Huffington Post Investigative Fund found the amount of weed-killer was excessive in about 150 watersheds from 2003 through 2008, after obtaining the information under the Freedom of Information Act.

The company that makes Atrazine, Syngenta, says over 6,000 studies have been done and they claim it's safe to use. Oh really? I recall Monsanto and Dow saying the same thing about AO. And, once again no surprise, most of the companies that did the research on the herbicide's safety have financial interests in the outcome.

We shouldn't be surprised when the fact that many (at least half) of those studies have never been published or subjected to independent peer review. Why aren't the independently funded academic research papers published in major scientific journals considered by the EPA? The excuses given are about as credible as the chemical industry safety claims.

In 2003, the EPA was criticized for ignoring those studies when making safety decisions on the herbicide, and because representatives from Syngenta participated in closed-door negotiations with the agency, according to documents obtained by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist specializing in health issues at NRDC, argues that relying on a company test of its own safety is an “inherent conflict of interest.” Yet the EPA says Atrazine is OK.

 The reasoning behind this claim comes from the EPA's senior analyst, William Jordan, who says they have a limited budget, and it's necessary to rely on research provided by the industry testing companies. He insists they have a strong incentive to follow guidelines.

That's not very encouraging. I'm skeptical of the safety claims when four states have already found their waterways have unsafe levels of Atrazine. We've been down this road before. There will always be a problem when you have industry influence in the federal regulatory process.

I think the EPA is finally feeling the pressure because officials are going to re-examine their stance on how much health risk the weed-killer poses. Sometime in September, the EPA will announce the results of their re-examination of Atrazine. The stakes are high. They could outright ban the use of Atrazine, or put more restriction on it. Or, they can continue to allow the staus quo, in which case the public loses.

As It Stands, my disgust with the EPA is only surpassed by my concern that once again the health of thousands of Americans is endangered because of corruption and greed.

Web sites carrying this column as of 10:03 a.m. PST

Namviet.net

ALL VOICES

Environmental Health News – Front Page – See column under OPINION

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo

One hour later…

NewsFeed – see articles under ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION

One hour later…

Vaccination News

OHIO CITIZEN ACTION under Health News (Aug 15)

My Weed Killer 

 Schema-root

 ALL BUSINESS

 

 

 

As It Stand’s Sunday – Atrazine and Agent Orange. Once and Future Killers

Take a look. Just another weed killer right? Wrong.

Four states are finding unacceptable levels of Atrazine, a deadly herbicide in their waterways.

People are drinking about ten times the safe level (EPA standards). 

If you live in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, or Kansas, you already know the EPA should have warned you about this last Fall.

Atrazine is a descendant of Agent Orange. We all know what damage AO has caused, and is still causing. Will Syngenta (the company that produces Atrazine) take us down that same long ugly path?

See ya Sunday.

There’s One in Every Barrel - ‘Bad Apple’ Manager Indicted

Apple manager indicted on kickback charges

CUPERTINO, Calif. — A manager at Apple Inc. has been indicted by a federal grand jury in an alleged kickback scheme involving suppliers of iPhone and iPod accessories.

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Dog Gone! Spencer shredded Terry’s hope for school board position

Labrador mix chews up petition with almost 200 signatures

The Beaufort Gazette reported Friday that Terry Thomas of Lady’s Island had a petition with almost 200 signatures when he went out to check the mail. But when he returned from the mail box, Spencer, his 8-month-old Labrador and bull mastiff mix, had chewed up the petition.

Note - this isn’t Spencer shown here. It’s his body-double “Tank.” Go here to learn more about this inquisitive fellow.

Okay Now…Who Doesn’t Belong in this lineup?

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On the way to Ethics committee:view hypocrites feigning indignation

David Fitzsimmons / Arizona Daily Star, Politicalcartoons.com

Environmental solution - China's New Bus "Straddles" Cars

The finished project is known officially as the "3D fast bus," but the nickname "straddling bus" is no misnomer. 

The bus will literally straddle the road and carry a shocking number of people -- around 1300 passengers -- over cars and under overpasses.

Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment Co., Ltd, proposed the bus idea. They say the bus will travel at up to 60 km/h (about 37mph). Construction of the 186 km of rails that will carry the bus will begin at the end of the year.

TAKE ACTION: Don't let public transportation in the United States fall behind in environmental awesomeness.

Robot to expose hidden secrets of the Great Pyramid of Giza

I’m a sucker for Egyptian history and stories.

I love it when stuff like this is in the news.

Device will unlock Egyptian room that has been sealed for 4,500 years

Following in the footsteps of Howard Carter and Abbot and Costello, a specialized robot will penetrate deeper into the Great Pyramid of Giza than ever before. The robot, part of a years long exploration called the Djedi Project, will explore a shaft inaccessible to a previous robot, unlocking a room that has remain sealed for 4,500 years.

Related stories:

The Seven Ancient Wonders of the World

Amazing Egyptian Discoveries

How Were the Egyptian Pyramids Built?

Poison patrol: NOAA, FDA to test seafood for dispersants

Agencies hope to reassure public, but some scientists remain skeptical

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Amid undying criticism over the large-scale use of Corexit in the Deepwater Horizon response, NOAA and the Food and Drug Administration are developing a lab test to detect traces of the chemical dispersant in seafood. The test, they hope, will finally put to rest concerns that poisons from the compounds used to break up the oil will linger in the food chain.

Photo: A mixture of dispersant and fresh crude oil on ocean surface nine miles from the Deepwater Horizon oil well spill source in the Gulf of Mexico on May 6. In the effort to break up oil before it could hit beaches and marshes, oil spill responders applied more than 1.8 million gallons of chemical dispersant on the surface and at the source of the oil gusher.

An unlucky day today? Friday the 13th and other superstitions

Who doesn't look forward to Friday? People spooked by Friday the 13th.

On this supposedly unlucky day, let's investigate some associated myths, plus a few other superstitions.

Not worried or anything, but when is the next Friday the 13th?

Next Search: Start nothing new

Birth order: Sorry, kid, first-borns really are smarter

Birth order makes a difference when it comes to brains, personality, study finds

Birth order within families has long sparked sibling rivalry, but it might also impact the child's personality and intelligence, a new study suggests. First-borns are typically smarter, while younger siblings get better grades and are more outgoing, the researchers say.

The findings weigh in on a long-standing debate: What effect if any does birth order have on a person's life? While numerous studies have been conducted, researchers have yet to draw any definitive conclusions.

The results lend support to some previous hypotheses — for instance, that the eldest sibling tends to have higher aptitude. But the study also contradicts other proposed ideas, for example, that first-borns tend to be more extroverted.

Eyes in the sky tonight – Perseid meteor shower visable

Look to the skies between midnight tonight and dawn on Friday. Perseid meteors should be visible every night from now until next week.

The Perseids are produced by trails of grit left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle during its 133-year orbit. Earth starts plowing through the Swift-Tuttle debris in late July, and the height of the shower comes annually around… Aug. 12-13th.

The Perseids are so named because they appear to emanate from a point in the constellation Perseus, also known as a "radiant." Because the radiant is in northern skies, Northern Hemisphere observers are in a more favorable position to see the shower. The strength of the shower varies from year to year, depending on what part of Swift-Tuttle's debris trail our planet moves through.

Go to this NASA chat page and talk with Bill Cooke, the head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. He says this year is going to be a good viewing year.

Guest Blog - Six Months to Go Until The Largest Tax Hikes in History

I found this blog – Americans For Tax Reform – this morning. This article was written a month ago, but it’s still very timely.

I’m interested in non-partisan assessments of our tax system. If this article would have stayed away from some Conservative catch phrases like “ObamaCare” it would have more validity. Talking about “Three Great Waves” crashing down on the economy sounds a bit too partisan to me. Biblical even.

However, after reading the entire document (link provided below) I do agree with the contention that our taxation system is only going to stink more in 2011.  

From Americans For Tax Reform:

In just six months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect.  They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011:

(N.B. This version of the document contains even more tax hikes than the original version did)

Harlem Democrat Rangel's night for ethics amnesia

Charlie’s “What me worry” attitude reflects a confidence that he’s going to get away with 20-terms of corruption.

And why not? That’s the culture in Washington, where the powerful don’t pay for their sins.

New York pols show up - some reluctantly - to congressman's bash

It was the antithesis of Chelsea Clinton's wedding — a glittering social event on the New York political calendar that many prominent politicians wished (very privately) they did not have to attend and hoped (very secretly) would somehow be canceled.

But Charlie Rangel's 80th birthday party and campaign fundraiser in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel went off without a hitch Wednesday night . . . if you don't count the formal ethics charges filed against the 20-term Harlem Democratic congressman last month, his rambling and defiant defense of his conduct on the House floor Tuesday, and the last-hurrah aura to his re-election campaign. Grabbing a microphone at the beginning of the evening and abandoning any pretence of stiff formality despite the lavish setting, Rangel declared, "I've been to a lot of funerals, but this damn sure ain't no funeral, is it?"

Frozen Gourmet: corpse of renowned French chef found in freezer

Maybe the headline should be:

“Daughter Rats out Mom who put Boyfriend in the Deep Freezer”

Or, “Woman endures Cold Shoulder from Boyfriend for Two Years before Telling Her Story” 

Here’s the story:

Body of Jean-Francois Poinard may have been hidden by girlfriend for two full years

“The corpse of renowned French chef Jean-Francois Poinard has been found in a freezer after his girlfriend confessed to her daughter that “something unfortunate” had happened to him.”

top image source

Slasker strikes again: Is Flint man the 17th victim of serial knifer?

UPDATE BELOW

I’ve been doing research lately on serial killers (for a column) and have been following this sicko (police sketch shown here). So far, it’s hard telling what motivates him. The police are hesitant to say the attacks are racially motivated.

One of the most terrifying aspects of being attacked by someone like him, is that you can’t prepare yourself. He’s good at getting people off-guard by asking them for directions or other ploys. He picks older, and weaker, targets for his wrath. Then he strikes.

Somewhere, prowling the streets, this serial killer will meet his match (despite selecting apparently harmless victims). The night will come when he’s not going to be able to get away - and the police will confront him. Will he go down fighting? Or, will he quietly give up and go to prison? Once he’s behind bars, he’ll probably get someone to ghost write a book about his experiences. Someday, someone might make a movie about him.

But right now, he’s still prowling the streets looking for a victim to senselessly stab. His single-mindedness speaks of cold anger. Maybe he’s reading the newspapers, and what they’re saying about them. Maybe he likes the publicity. Maybe he just doesn’t care. If that’s the case, then he’ll die with his knife in his hand…cursing the world. 

Stabbing victim: Assailant resembled police sketch, but had an accomplice

“A 47-year-old man who was stabbed multiple times Saturday in Flint, Mich., may be the 17^th victim of a serial killer prowling the city.”

UPDATE 8/12

Israeli held in investigation of serial stabbings

Looks like the cops got their man. The guy wasn’t even an American. There’s one thing this story doesn’t mention: twice, after attacking people, he was seen getting a ride from someone. Where’s that guy? 

Stange Science: Invisibility cloak made of silk created

I guess I’ve seen it all now. You can put on a cloak and be invisible.

I’ve read many books, mostly fiction, that employed the use of a fabled invisible cloak. Now it’s a reality! Forgive me, but all I can say is…wow!

Biomedicine, defense may benefit from scientists' research

“For the first time ever, scientists have created an invisibility cloak made from silk, and coated in gold.

Invisibility cloaks, along with their optically exotic cousins, perfect absorbers and perfect reflectors and others, belong to a special class of materials known as metamaterials. Unlike most materials, which derive optical properties like color from their chemical make up, metamaterials derive their properties from the physical structure.”

Where was Ripley’s? A pea plant grew in a man’s lung and the guy survived

This whole incident has me wondering if other plants have managed to grow inside of people? Just think if a marijuana seed did like this pea seed did…no…I guess that wouldn’t be good either.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Rites of C.A.M.P : annual weed pulling time while wearing assault gear and carrying weapons

Like every year, it’s no secret C.A.M.P is in the hills hunting for outdoor marijuana patches right now.

For nearly 30 years, the Campaign Against Planting has waged a quixotic battle to eradicate California's outdoor marijuana industry.

Last year was a record year for C.A.M.P, with 4.4 million plants seized. Authorities expect to match that figure this year, and they hope to surpass it to keep the federal funding flowing for next year.

Has C.A.M.P made a difference these last three decades? Obviously not. Every year they pull more plants, and the planters compensate by growing more. The price of outdoor pot has actually gone down because of it’s availability. There’s other factors involved, but the point is C.A.M.P is a monumental waste of taxpayer money!

Excerpt from article: 

"CAMP is an enormous waste of money -- I've even heard law enforcement refer to this as helicopter rides," said Margaret Dooley-Sammuli of the Drug Policy Alliance in Los Angeles. "It's fun for them, but spending this money on that doesn't do any good, and that's a shame when we're in such dire budgetary shape on all levels."

So what does the C.A.M.P crowd think about their annual eradication efforts?

Excerpt from article:

"I think we are making a difference," said CAMP spokesperson Gregory. "There are still plants out there, but at the same time, the way we look at it, they are willing to defend their grow sites, so we're obviously impacting them monetarily."

Really? They defend their efforts by trotting out the assumption that they’re “impacting them (the growers) monetarily?” How stupid is that? If C.A.M.P is negatively impacting the growers why do they grow more every year? That’s according to C.A.M.Ps own statistics. Why do these wannabe air-borne warriors in their helicopters and assault gear, keep coming back every year?

You probably already know the answer. It’s no secret. C.A.M.P gives the local law enforcement agencies money to pay local Rambo-types to tromp through the hills.This helps struggling departments with their budgets. The state may cut back on them, but those wonderful Feds show up every year with green in their hands - and the dictate: “Go forth and have some sport, while pulling weeds for Uncle Sam.”

Anyone who has spent time researching the years of futile Summer raids knows they’re like playing a game on a Merry-Go-Round. Nothing changes no matter how many times you spin around. Well, one thing does change. The funding for C.A.M.P goes up every year, while other federal services are failing for lack of funds.

This year the clowns are spending $3.6 Billion on their vendetta against marijuana. Yea…Billion. Hmmmm…I don’t know about you, but I could think of other federal programs I’d like to see funded with that money. Programs where the public actually gets their moneys worth by helping average Americans, and not just some local law enforcement agencies suffering cutbacks in the State of California.

Murdering ‘Mundanes’ - The Order of the Nine Angels Mission

I was doing some research on secret societies this morning and ran across this one.

I’ve never heard of it, so it got my interest enough to share it with you.

The Order of Nine Angles (ONA) is an ostensible secretive Satanist organization that surfaced amongst the people of United Kingdom is 1980s and 1990s:

The society professes to be the followers of Satanism and regard it as highly individualized pursuit to create self-excellence and wisdom, by facing challenges and overcoming the physical and mental limits. At present, ONA is organized around secret cells known as traditional Nexions, and around in its words the sinister tribes. The ONA’s writings strangely consider human sacrifice as a means of eliminating the weak and claim that its sinister tribes are an important part of its sinister strategy to fabricate a new, tribal-based, more ominous way of life, and to disturb and eventually conquer the ordinary societies of what it calls the mundanes.