![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by noa on August 30, 2000, at 10:06:29
From the Thyroid News Digest, by Mary Shomon...
PESTICIDES FOR WEST NILE MOSQUITOS ARE DANGER TO THYROID
They key insecticides being used against West Nile virus-carrying
mosquitos are also known to be toxic chemicals that may damage the
thyroid. Resmethrin (brand name "Scourge") and sumithrin (brand name
"Anvil") have been used in Boston and New York City, and are members of
a class of pesticides known as pyrethroids, which are known to affect
the immune and endocrine systems, and have been reported to have effects
on the liver and thyroid. In one journal, researchers reported: "immense
care is warranted in the use of [these] insecticides, because they not
only affect the liver, kidney and other organs but also may alter the
activity of the endocrine glands." ( Journal of Applied Toxicology, 1996
Sep-Oct;16(5):397-400) Another journal reported that pyrethroids are
environmental estrogens, and "through these hormonal pathways, exposure
to certain pyrethroids may contribute to reproductive dysfunction,
developmental impairment, and cancer." The Public Interest Research
Group in New York recommends that if your area is being sprayed with
these pesticides, you should "Keep windows shut and air conditioners
off during and after spraying for as long as possible. Bring pet dishes,
toys, laundry, and other portable objects inside. Cover outdoor
furniture, barbecue grills, sandboxes, and play equipment, and rinse off
surfaces that cannot be covered before use. If you get directly sprayed,
shower immediately." Children or adults who have asthma or a
respiratory condition, and pregnant women should also stay inside when
spraying occurs.
Posted by Ant-Rock on August 30, 2000, at 12:12:12
In reply to Thyroid info--West Nile Virus Pesticides..., posted by noa on August 30, 2000, at 10:06:29
Thank you Noa,
they just began spraying here in Rhode Island, fortunately not in my neighborhood yet.Anthony
Posted by Adam on August 30, 2000, at 13:48:42
In reply to Thyroid info--West Nile Virus Pesticides..., posted by noa on August 30, 2000, at 10:06:29
Interesting link, Noa.
Not to trivialize the severity of infection for some individuals, but this whole WNV scare has me flabbergasted and annoyed. They're spraying all over the damn place in Boston now (they started in JP, where all them non-whites happen to live...), we've got people running around trying to scavenge up dead birds and catch mosquitos, and stories of mothers not wanting their kids to go outside and play until the threat is, in their minds, eradicated. I suppose if we kill all biting insects, all birds, and maybe nuke all the wetlands for good measure, people will feel safe going outside. Hey, I have OCD, and I can't figure this out. How many people in Boston died of the flu last year? How many from WNV? Why don't we quarantine all the flu sufferers and immunize everyone else six times a year, while we're at it.
I think humanity needs to get a grip and realize bugs and viruses are here to stay, unless we want to sterilize the planet. When I was working at the NIH, an unforseen side effect of a study some people were doing researching DNA adducts was to again uncover a relationship between some pesticides and their potential endocrine effects. This was somehow related to bugs and mold and aflotoxin on peanuts in China. It was a long time ago. Anyway, these pesticides were estrogen analogs! They cited this other study in France where sperm counts were dropping like a rock and all these women were having weird symptoms, and come to find out they're spraying the countryside like crazy with this stuff. And Monsanto wonders why they get a bad rap. How can you win? People are tired of artificial toxins in the invironment, and scared to death of drug resistant infections, yet we now cannot tolerate the existance of wormy apples and natural pathogens that our species has survived for thousands of years.
Buy organic, folks. Or better still, plant a garden and buy a bat house, if you can. Don't spray.
Go out in the country and roll around in the dirt a little. Hike up a mountain, get a few bug bites and blisters. Pick some raspberries and eat them without hosing them down first with antibacterial soap. It won't kill us. And what doesn't kill us...
> From the Thyroid News Digest, by Mary Shomon...
>
> PESTICIDES FOR WEST NILE MOSQUITOS ARE DANGER TO THYROID
>
> They key insecticides being used against West Nile virus-carrying
> mosquitos are also known to be toxic chemicals that may damage the
> thyroid. Resmethrin (brand name "Scourge") and sumithrin (brand name
> "Anvil") have been used in Boston and New York City, and are members of
> a class of pesticides known as pyrethroids, which are known to affect
> the immune and endocrine systems, and have been reported to have effects
> on the liver and thyroid. In one journal, researchers reported: "immense
> care is warranted in the use of [these] insecticides, because they not
> only affect the liver, kidney and other organs but also may alter the
> activity of the endocrine glands." ( Journal of Applied Toxicology, 1996
> Sep-Oct;16(5):397-400) Another journal reported that pyrethroids are
> environmental estrogens, and "through these hormonal pathways, exposure
> to certain pyrethroids may contribute to reproductive dysfunction,
> developmental impairment, and cancer." The Public Interest Research
> Group in New York recommends that if your area is being sprayed with
> these pesticides, you should "Keep windows shut and air conditioners
> off during and after spraying for as long as possible. Bring pet dishes,
> toys, laundry, and other portable objects inside. Cover outdoor
> furniture, barbecue grills, sandboxes, and play equipment, and rinse off
> surfaces that cannot be covered before use. If you get directly sprayed,
> shower immediately." Children or adults who have asthma or a
> respiratory condition, and pregnant women should also stay inside when
> spraying occurs.
Posted by stjames on September 1, 2000, at 0:45:55
In reply to Re: Thyroid info--West Nile Virus Pesticides..., posted by Adam on August 30, 2000, at 13:48:42
I think humanity needs to get a grip and realize bugs and viruses are here to stay, unless we want to sterilize the planet
James here.....
I have a friend who is a molecular biologist.
Very intresting stuff, some is scary. It is too
late to get a grip. Some call this the "parasytologists
dilemma" As we control things that kill us other pathogens
are waiting.There are too many. Eleminate the common killers and the less common pop up.
AIDS is not new, people were just more likely to die from a infection,
till antibiodics or the mumps till vaccines. And so it goes. Antibiotics
were needed unless we wanted to live with high mortality rates. No one wnats
to die from a sinus infection. Bacteria and viriuses can share
DNA. Have swap meets and get the latest update that is more
resistant. We did hand of antibiotics like candy which got us in doo doo
quicker but there is no way to avoid resistance over time.At present there are just a few anitibiotics between us and a lot
of resistant pathogens. Resistance took time to build so we did not invent
new classes of anitbiotics. R and D takes time. Some are on their way.
The press gives an old WW I friend and new name "flesh eating bacteria"
but it's common name is gangrene.This is a dilemma because there is no correct answer. It is a die/die situation.
Almost any action to avoid one killer brings up more. Who wants possiblly of polio,
TD, or a simple cut ?What to do ? Wash your hands, often. Hand to mouth
is a very common route. Mind your cuts and other breaks in the skin.
Your body is well designed to deal with pathogens
but you need to do your part. Keep hospital stays short as possible as
the hospital is a common place the get a nasty bug. Even a good hospital
has some.Mosquitos.....I'm from louisiana and the mosquito
is sometimes called the state bird. We had to spray.
As akid we used to play in the fog created by the spray
trucks ! Malathoin, i think.James
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.