Governor Schwarzenegger Backed Immoral Sex Pheromone Spraying

[flashl]

(NaturalNews) Sometimes bad dreams do come true. My bad dream was that the government issued quarantine, and forced everybody to be vaccinated for some fake disease. In my dream, I took my family, and fled to the hills to avoid being vaccinated.

Now, nine months later, this dream has come true. In an emergency, I relinquished my rental contract and moved my pregnant partner and three and a half year old daughter out of Santa Cruz, CA, to avoid being exposed to potentially deadly chemicals.

The chemicals, known by their trade names as Checkmate OLR-F and Checkmate LBAM-F, have been sprayed via state owned airplanes in September and October in Monterey County California. These same aerial chemicals, despite their known health risks, were sprayed on two nights (11-8, 11-9) over the people of Santa Cruz County. The purpose of this spray is to control the mating/reproductive habits of the light brown apple moth (LBAM). The prevailing belief is that the mating habits of this moth needs to be controlled because the USDA believes that the moth might cause 100 million dollars of damage (Realize that this figure is not a fact, but based on a government guess).

...

Is the Government Negligent, Or Sinister?

The urgent question that I must bring your attention to, is this: Is the government just the biggest, dumbest entity on the planet; where they haphazardly declare an emergency, which this is not one, and then over eagerly dose whole cities with untested chemicals?

Or,

Is what we are experiencing part of a sinister plan to poison (or worse) a large populace, who more and more, is choosing an alternative and chemical free lifestyle? It is unclear how much the government is aware of this plan, but it is clear that the government goes out of their way to deny and hide all serious reported health claims.

These may be scary questions to consider or you may find them amusing and absurd. But if you lived in the spray zone and experienced what we have, you might be asking yourself the same questions too.

It is likely that both of these statements are true, that the government is acting in a negligent, and sinister way.

Natural News

[AX10]

1. You know the old saying: Like father like son.

His father was an SS officer, clearly, he learned from the worse.

[Ian David]

2. Women sense my power but I deny them my essence. n/t

[sam sarrha]

3. at first i thought this was about him having another bisexual swingers party

:grouphug:

[angrycarpenter]

4. the government will always move to protect business before people.

[Kali]

5. seems it is the other "inert" ingredients that might be the real problem

It’s not the synthetic sex scent that bugs residents opposed to the aerial spraying so much as its packaging – the so-called inert ingredients that encase the moth pheromones in pollen-sized time-release capsules.

Biopesticide manufacturer Suterra, LLC, initially kept the lists of inert ingredients in CheckMate OLR-F and CheckMate LBAM-F from the public, claiming they are protected as trade secrets. But a series of lawsuits (one involving the Weekly) forced the question of whether people have a right to know what’s being sprayed over their heads. Under direction from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the state Department of Pesticide Regulation finally released the list of inerts in the CheckMate products.

In legal declarations for the plaintiffs in anti-spraying lawsuits, two toxicologists weigh in on the safety of the CheckMate inert ingredients. Neither sounds major alarms, but both note that some of the chemicals could be hazardous to people or the environment, depending on the dose. Several of the inerts are not well studied, they add. The declarations weren’t enough to persuade judges to halt the spraying.

Even if the courts aren’t convinced that the CheckMate products are dangerous, Pacific Grove naturopathic doctor Belinda Icenhower is. After compiling chemical information from industry-issued Material Safety Data Sheets, International Chemical Safety Cards, the Pesticide Action Network North America database, government documents and peer-reviewed journals, Icenhower concludes that every inert ingredient in CheckMate LBAM-F poses potential health hazards, based on animal studies.

more: http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/archives/2007/2007-Nov-15/Article.news_1/1/@@index

[mike_c]

8. microencapsulation for time release usually means resins...

...that are already widely used for other purposes, to which people are already generally exposed. And they are chemically inert in this application. Inert means inert. Further, these stick to the surfaces of leaves, etc-- they don't generally work by aerosol suspension, for example because that would just allow them to blow away from areas where the pheromone release is useful. They are more inert than pollen grains, which DO end up in our lungs, and pollen is dispersed in much larger quantities.

This sort of release is a classic bio-control for a serious pest species. It's just about the most environmentally benign pest management strategy imaginable, even more so than Bt application. It's a signal, not a poison. This REPLACES potentially damaging insecticide applications, for example.

[flashl]

9. Glad you are up to the task of discussing the subject. Microcapsules as explain in the article ...

Microcapsules = Microwarfare

The aerial application of Checkmate OLR-F and Checkmate LBAM-F are pheremone filled miniature plastic sphere-like particles (microcapsules), generally the same size as the width of a human hair. Each capsule is a biologically "loaded gun" due to its own chemical make-up and that of the pheromones held inside. Research indicates that the capsules are likely made out of a urea-formaldehyde polymer, the industry standard. This is an extremely volatile plastic which, under UV rays, degrades over a time period estimated to be anywhere from 30-90 days. These "agricultural" microcapsules have never been tested safe for humans. Thus, the life of these microcapsules inside our bodies is truly unknown as are the health risks of inhaling or swallowing them. Preliminary research on the microcapsules has revealed that some of them are as small as 10 microns, a size known to be dangerous to humans, with an average capsule size of 25-30 microns. Another investigation suggested that the large capsules may be made up of a cluster of smaller 3-4 micron size capsules.

Many of the chemicals used to make the Checkmate OLR-F and Checkmate LBAM-F products have been deemed harmful for human consumption, like butelated hydroxyl tolune (BHT). For example: on the label for BHT it says (in big letters) "Do not inhale this product. Dangerous to respiratory health." Yet people in the spray zones in California to this day are still being exposed to BHT via the microcapsules. The symptoms documented by Monterey County residents can be directly correlated to the warning labels of BHT, and several other chemicals. BHT, is also known as DBCP, a dangerous pesticide known to cause sterility in men. Recently, Dole Food Company lost a lawsuit in which Nicaraguan Banana farmers were exposed to DBCP. In pending lawsuits, thousands of South American Farmers are claiming that they were harmed by exposure to DBCP.

Within these microcapsules is an endocrine disrupter which attaches itself to estrogen receptors and forces the activation and constant production of estrogen to occur in the human body. This happens for men, women and children. This chemical is called 2 hydroxy 4n octyloxybenzophenone. The warnings surrounding the exposure to this toxic chemical can be directly correlated to the documented symptoms of women living within the spray zone in Monterey County. These are health concerns which CANNOT be overlooked or swept under the carpet. The projected long term effects of exposure to Checkmate OLR-F and Checkmate LBAM-F are unknown, undocumented and until now - not even a thought in the minds of those who are authorizing the spraying, and manufacturing the chemical.

In addition to the horrible documented health effects of coming into contact with Checkmate OLR-F and Checkmate LBAM-F, there is a great chance that it will not even prove to be an effective investment. The EPA's own documents state that such a microcapsule cannot successfully release pheromone, and that "The studies show that only a small proportion of the microcapsules actually release any pheromone or only a portion of the total pheromone loaded into the capsule is capable of ever being released." Science and competent intelligence does not seem to be the methodology of this spray program; in light of such statements made, the technology cannot work.

The EPA masks their "emergency approval" of Checkmate OLR-F and Checkmate LBAM-F behind the assertion that the pheromones in the products are safe. They then make the scientific leap and pronounce the entire pesticide is safe to be sprayed on residential neighborhoods, schools and water ways. This arrogant assertion by the CDFA and the EPA comes, again, without ANY LEGITIMATE TESTING. Under the "emergency exemption" (also known as Section 18), regulations allow the EPA to disregard the important 3% of "inert" ingredients. The "emergency exemption" allows this disregard even though many of those ingredients are not even inert, and are actually part of the "active" ingredients. The EPA then reaches the conclusion, "EPA believes use of these pheromone products, including aerial application over residential areas, presents negligible risks to human health and the environment." Again, these exemption laws are designed for agricultural fields like a field of apple orchards, or grapes, not for cities. This is another case of ridiculous, frivolous and blatant disregard for human health by Governor Schwarzenegger, the CDFA and the EPA.

In addition to the aerial application which focuses on the agriculture industry, microcapsules are used in medical and military technology. In medical technology, microcapsules are used to time-release drugs into the body. The medical capsules are made out of a bio-compatible material that the body can easily absorb. Director of Public Affairs at the CDFA Steve Lyle claims that their capsules are bio-compatible too because they are made largerly from urea. Mr. Lyle contents that this urea is equivelent to the urea our body produces and is thus a "basic biodegradable building block.." The material saftey data sheet for urea (www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/u4725.htm) clearly shows that "Supersensitive individuals with skin or eye problems, kidney impairment or asthmatic condition should have physician's approval before exposure to urea dust." It further explains how urea is a noxious chemical to humans. In military technology, microcapsules they can be used for chemical shields, or for experimental "non-lethal" weapons (That means the weapon does not cause immediate death). These thoughts do not leave one with a pleasant taste about how these microcapsules are being used in our neighborhoods and communities, especially for just a moth.

The over 30 billion microcapsules sprayed over Monterey County last month are not bio-compatible; and yet children are playing in them, dogs are rolling around in them, and people are inhaling them. And the state plans to continue to spray more communities over and over again begining early in 2008.

Like pollen, the miniature capsules can float in the air and they can stick to surfaces people touch. Imagine hundreds of synthetic microscopic plastic balls floating in the environment and then entering your nose, mouth, eyes and ears. Is this safe? What happens when those minuscule plastic balls are inhaled? We know what happens. They get lodged in your lungs, you cough profusely to expel them, and you go into respiratory distress. Some Monterey County residents report asthma attacks increasing, others report coughing so hard and for such long durations that they cough up blood. One healthy adult male in the sprayed Salinas area, who jogs five miles daily, now has developed asthma since the last two aerial sprays. For the first time in his life, he must use an inhaler to help him breathe. The local doctor he sees is out of inhaler samples because he has given them all away.

These and other serious side effects associated with the aerial application of Checkmate OLR-F and Checkmate LBAM-F are being captured by citizen groups daily. Local doctors are refusing to document that their patients' symptoms have any relation to the aerial spraying. One doctor even told his patient (who was very ill from the spraying) that he would have to consult with this lawyer before discussing the matter further. An attorney representing the CDFA declared to a judge in Monterey County superior court during a hearing where a local environmental organization was suing the CDFA to stop the aerial spraying, that the CDFA has no intention on monitoring or following up on any of the health concerns or complaints that have been or will be filed in association with this aerial application. This is another blatant disregard for the health and well being of citizens. The CDFA can pay $3.5 million dollars to spray the residents of Monterey County, but cannot and will not spend a penny to assure citizens and residents that their health is of consequence to this program. This is repulsive! This is a crime!

[Kali]

10. I was reacting to the rather sensational headline

Still according to the lawsuit and article I posted, there are some questions possibly not fully explored about some of the other ingredients.

I agree with you in general however and note that the spray is ok'd for organic certification as well.

[mike_c]

6. this "problem" is just utterly bogus, ignorant, FUDy-- words fail me....

There is absolutely nothing to fear from lepidopteran mating pheromones, first because most other animals, including humans and pets, do not respond to them-- we can't even perceive them. They have no health effects on vertebrates whatsoever. Second, they are active in VANISHINGLY small quantities. Third, and most telling, they are already released into our environment by the moths themselves-- the air we breath is awash in lepidopteran sex pheromones from natural sources, usually the anuses of female moths, at least during the times of year when moths are reproducing. What the aerial applications do is obscure the directionality of the natural releases, much like the noise in a loud singles bar makes it hard to tell where individual human mating calls come from, LOL. That makes it impossible for males to FIND females. Spraying doesn't add any pheromones that aren't already there-- doing so would be utterly counterproductive.

[Tumbulu]

11. I cannot agree with you more

I worked at the company that synthesized the first insect pheromones and hormones. The motivation of everyone there was to come up with non toxic, more clever ways to deal with pestiferous insects than what the chemical warfare mentality of the day had delivered to date. Neurotoxic compounds that had 40 year half lives.

The company in the end failed because no one wanted these products then.

A few brave souls in the world of entomology, the very ones who pioneered all the natural and non toxic means of controlling pests kept heroically trying to get people to turn to these technologies instead of hard core chemicals. It took 30 years to begin to get them into the mainstream.

They have been used by organic farmers and pesticide reduction activists have tried to get them used in pest eradication efforts for all those years as well. It is outlandish to me to read the OP.

Would they prefer Malathion, the chemical of usual choice in these situations?

I wonder if the OP is posting some sort of a way to trick people into using DDT again. There are all these wingnuts who claim that it is so safe.

[flashl]

13. If there is fear or concern, then it should be discussed

rather than attacking individuals when questions are raised or suggesting that every citizen in this country must have obtained a degree in every possible discipline to understand their environments.

Blind acceptance from authority figures who know better or whats best for the masses is no longer the norm.

[mike_c]

14. blind acceptance is the LAST thing I'm advocating....

It only takes a little biological literacy to understand the specificity of pheromones, and how confounding pest species' signals is far better for the environment than spreading neurotoxins. More-and-more I think CD's comments below are correct-- people fear things they don't understand even when they're totally benign.

This is BIOLOGICAL CONTROL of an agricultural pest. Environmentalists, ecologists, and entomologists have advocated these population management tools for decades as replacements for toxic chemicals. Yes, I agree with you-- "if there is concern there should be discussion"-- but this particular discussion started thirty or forty years ago and the authors of the OP apparently missed the boat rather badly. Biological control has been one of the holy grails of the environmentally sound agricultural movement ever since Silent Spring. As someone points out up thread, mating disruption with pheromones is 100 percent licensed for organic certification.

[flashl]

15. I understand this article to be about the use of Checkmate OLR-F and Checkmate LBAM-F

not whether biological control is beneficial.

[mike_c]

18. Checkmate OLR-F and Checkmate LBAM-F are biological controls....

Mating disruption with pheromones IS biological control.

[Tumbulu]

17. I am so sorry, I was not trying to attack you.

Please forgive my tone if it read that way.

I just know how hard it has been to get these agencies (CDFA, USDA, etc) to switch from DDT to malathion to pheromones. It has taken so much dedicated effort for so long from so may entomologists to get to this point where these biocontrol agents are employed.

Then, lately, all sorts of odd people come up to me and tell me how safe DDT is. My god, 40 yr half life...proven endocrine disruptor..... I think it is a wingnut thing this love of DDT. The thing is that the profit margins on these products are so low that the natural pest control industry will not be able to survive an onslaught of well funded Rush Limbaugh type attacks.

Pheromones are one of the primary ways that insects communicate with each other. They find each other with them, they alert others to danger, they leave them as trails so the next one can find its way. Insect make them all the time, they are in the air and on the soil. But we cannot perceive them.

[cosmik debris]

12. But that is not the issue.

There are three issues here.

We need something to fear: Nasty chemicals with long, hard to pronounce names.

We need someone to blame: Republicans and chemical companies make easy targets.

We need a massive conspiracy theory.

Fortunately we have a throughly NON-scientific journal "Natural News" to fulfill all three of those needs with bad journalism to boot.

We have a trifecta+1 here. Don't mess it up with your senseless facts and such!

[chicagomd]

16. Thanks for the insight...

hopefully it will not fall on deaf ears like most ration thoughts tend to on this forum.

As an aside, "lepidopteran mating pheromones" is my new favorite phrase.

[Fridays Child]

7. k/r