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From: jay on 6 Aug 2008 15:03
> There is NO correlation between death, disease or disorders and the
> amounts of pesticides present in the American food supply.

Paraquat and maneb induced neurotoxicity.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder associated
with selective degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. It
is the most common of the neurodegenerative movement disorders,
affecting approximately 1% of the population over age 65. Though the
exact cause of the neurodegeneration is unknown, it has been shown
that environmental factors can contribute to the onset of Parkinson's
disease. Parkinsonian symptoms are seen following exposure to the
herbicide paraquat, and the fungicide maneb. Furthermore, evidence
clearly shows that neurodegeneration develops in environments where
workers are co-exposed to paraquat and maneb. These neurotoxins cause
a pesticide-induced loss of dopaminergic neurons, inducing a
Parkinsonian phenotype. The specific mechanisms by which these
environmental neurotoxins affect the nigral dopaminergic neurons are
unknown. This gap in mechanistic understanding raises a need for
further examination of their cytotoxic effects. Despite advances in
pharmacotherapy that have improved quality of life, the mortality rate
among Parkinson's disease sufferers remains largely unchanged. There
is need for a proactive treatment strategy that could provide
neuroprotection or neurorestoration. Since evidence has shown that
environmental neurotoxins play an important role in nigral
degeneration, there is obviously a need to take a closer look at such
toxins since a greater understanding could aid in development of novel
pharmacological agents with anti-parkinson and neuroprotective
effects. In this review, we intend to examine the role of
environmental toxins, namely paraquat and maneb, in the neurotoxicity
that leads to dopamine depletion. PMID: 18605226
From: jay on 6 Aug 2008 15:08
> There is NO correlation between death, disease or disorders and the
> amounts of pesticides present in the American food supply.

Fetal effects of environmental exposure of pregnant women to
organophosphorus compounds in a rural farming community in Sri Lanka.

BACKGROUND: The possible deleterious effects of low-grade, chronic
environmental and occupational exposure to organophosphorus compounds
(OPCs) are not well documented. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible
effects of low-level, chronic exposure of pregnant mothers to OPCs on
the fetus by measuring OPC levels, and using markers of OPC exposure,
oxidative stress and oxidative tissue damage. METHODS: Toxicity was
assessed by measuring (i) OPC levels in breast milk and plasma from
maternal and cord blood using gas chromatography, (ii) maternal and
fetal butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity using inhibition assays,
(iii) antioxidant status of the fetus using superoxide dismutase
activity assays, (iv) oxidative stress in the fetus by determining
malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, and (v) examining for fetal DNA
fragmentation using electrophoresis. Samples were obtained from
consenting mothers living in a farming community in southern Sri Lanka
at the end of the pesticide spray season (study group) and just before
the commencement of the spray season (in-between spray season; control
group). RESULTS: Organophosphate residues were detected in only two
subjects (chlorpyrifos in maternal and cord blood of one during the
spray season and dimethoate in breast milk of another during the in
between spray season), but the test employed was capable of only
detecting concentrations above 0.05 mg/l. However, cord blood obtained
during the spray season showed significant inhibition of BChE
activity, increased oxidative stress and more DNA fragmentation when
compared with cord blood obtained during the in-between spray season.
CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of cord blood BChE activity indicates fetal
exposure to organophosphorus compounds during times when there is a
high probability of environmental drift. This provides a plausible
explanation for the increased oxidative stress and high DNA
fragmentation in the fetus. Long-term outcomes of such exposures are
unknown. PMID: 18584359
From: jay on 6 Aug 2008 15:33
> Does anyone know if pesticide levels are being monitored routinely? If
> so what were the latest results.

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/asap/html/es801937k.html

Government Pesticide and Fertilizer Data Dropped
July 30, 2008

USDA has cut the only public source of data on pesticide and
fertilizer use on U.S. farms.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has eliminated the only
federal program that tracks the use of pesticides and fertilizers on
American farms. The move has left scientists, industry groups, and
public advocates surprised and confused about how to carry on their
work without this free information. The canceled program was the only
one to make freely available to the public nationwide data on the
amount of pesticides and fertilizers applied to U.S. farms. In May,
USDA announced that it had published the last of its Agricultural
Chemical Usage reports, which are based on detailed surveys of
farmers’ chemical use, collected since 1990 by the National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). In an unusual alliance,
industry and environmental groups are lobbying USDA and Congress to
restore the program, which costs $8 million out of an annual NASS
budget of $160 million...
From: RF on 6 Aug 2008 15:35
jay wrote:
>> Organically grown food is your best way of reducing exposure to
>> toxins used in conventional agricultural practices.
>
> While organic foods reduce exposure to xenobiotics that the human
> detoxification pathways have never dealt with before, it isn't alway
> the case.
>
> http://orgprints.org/10175/01/NJAS_54-2_207-222.pdf
>
> Dioxins in Organic Eggs: A Review
> Eggs contribute for about 4% to the daily dioxin intake of humans.
> Research among layer farms in the Netherlands and other EU countries
> has shown that organic eggs contain more dioxin than conventional ones
> and that a significant number of organic farms produce eggs with a
> dioxin content that exceeds the EU standard. The hens� intake of
> dioxins from various sources leads to an increase in the dioxin
> content of organic eggs. These sources include plants, feed, soil,
> worms and insects, and compared with hens on conventional and free-
> range farms, organic hens make more use of these sources due to better
> access to the outdoor run. Plants appear to be relatively unimportant
> as a source of dioxins. Also commercial organic feed generally has
> very low dioxin contents, but not much is known about non-commercial
> feed. Consumption of worms and insects and particularly ingestion of
> soil are important causes of high dioxin levels in eggs. Management
> interventions, like a reduction of the time the hens spend outside,
> may decrease the dioxin levels in organic eggs but at the same time
> may interfere with the image of the organic production system.

By "Always Learning" he or she means always
screwing up.
From: jay on 6 Aug 2008 15:59
> There is NO correlation between death, disease or disorders and the
> amounts of pesticides present in the American food supply.

Blood levels of organochlorine pesticide residues and risk of
reproductive tract cancer among women from Jaipur, India.

Residues of organochlorine pesticides are integral part of our
environment. Because of their strong lipophilic and non-biodegradable
nature, organisms at higher trophic levels in the food chain tend to
accumulate them. The aim of the present study was to assess the
influence of organochlorine pesticides upon the occurrence of
reproductive tract cancers in women from Jaipur, India. Blood samples
were collected from 150 females. In that group, 100 females suffered
from reproductive tract cancers like cervical, uterine, vaginal and
ovarian cancers, while the rest did not suffer from cancers or any
other major disease and were treated as control group. The collected
blood samples were subjected to pesticide extraction and analyzed with
the help of gas chromatography. The pesticides detected were benzene
hexa chlororide and its isomers, dieldrin, heptachlor, dichloro
diphenyl trichloro ethane and its metabolites. The data obtained
indicate that the organochlorine pesticide residue levels were
significantly higher in all the cancer patients as compared with the
control group. PMID: 18497062
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