GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

02-09-2003, 07:42 AM

wrote in message ...
Roundup is sprayed in such a manner that it is entirely probable that it will come
into contact with skin, it does get inhaled. Humans and animals are very likely to
come into contact with sprayed plants as well and get transfer contact.
Neither sulfuric nor HF are sprayed in that manner, it is not directed to be used in
that manner.

That's not my point

My point is basically -- you cannot judge the
safety or danger of something purely by what the
directions/instructions say, or on a "used as directed" condition.
Sometimes you have to assume the worst case scenario. For a child
toy, you have to assume the child breaks it and therefore any small
piece inside is deemed dangerous.

The safety of products is tested not just for the majority of people, but the vast
majority and for children, who are often much more sensitive. And products must not
be safe only for occasional use, but must be safe for those who are using it all the
time. A reason many pesticides can only be used by people licensed to do so. Those
who's work is applying these pesticides are at the highest risk and why shouldnt they
be protected from high and cumulative toxic effects? The only way to assess risk of
toxicity is in animals who are given high and cumulative doses. There is very good
scientific reasons for the methodology. Past experience with toxins that have
slipped thru lesser testing methods has been a painful lesson to the science
community. DDT and thalidomide and DES and PCBs not to mention HRT and the long term
effect on women. The tests have to get more stringent, not less. But what is
sprayed and dumped into the environment has a much greater likely hood of getting
into the water supply, a much greater likely hood of persistence and poisoning for
generations compared to pills taken by some individuals. This is the poisoning of
earth just so a few companies can make some humongous short term profits.
Ingrid

Thank you for making the point clear, and I agree to your words above
100%.

So far I support 100% of Bill Oliver's claim that Roundup is "safe"
when used as directed (or to put it another way, more correctly put,
no scientific evidences have found it "dangerous"). However, I myself
am not interested to try Roundup at all, because of the reasons you
gave above for DDT and thalidomide. We never know whether something
considered "safe" today will be found "dangerous" later, though we do
know something considered "dangerous" will likely remain that way
later. My yard is quite small and my fingers are the best tool to
deal with the weeds and other "unwanted" plants -- fortunately so far
blackberries and poison ivy did not grow in my yard and I do not need
to pull them out

Now before I conclude my participation on Roundup discussions, I
wonder whether other netters in the Pacific Northwest can do something
if they do use Roundup. It is now September, and the rainy season for
Seattle area will arrive soon. This means a bunch of slugs, several
inches long, will appear after a rain, munching on the lawn, the
flower, and anything which grows. At that time I wonder if someone
curious can spray Roundup onto the slugs and let us know what happens.
That might tell us "something" about the toxicity of Roundup......

(I do understand being toxic for the slugs and being toxic for human
beings might be totally different)

(Siberian Husky) wrote:
Putting Roundup on our arms is not "used as directed" so Roundup is
not considered toxic at all according to Bill Oliver's insisting on
"used as directed" condition

(That means sulfuric acid H2SO4 and hydrofluoric acid HF are pretty
safe if we use them "as directed")