[insidevoice]

My family has been exposed to high levels of organophosphates for well over a year now. We don't use them, but a neighbor applied huge quantities to our property to kill livestock (this also led to my dog having developed brain lesions and become aggressive- she was euthanized and we just got the pathology report in full.)

I don't have the kids play in our yard much as we had suspected there was some application, but had no evidence or way to know how much had been applied until this development. We will soon be seeking soil testing to know what we are dealing with completely. We are moving, but will be here for at least 2-3 more months.

Other than minimizing outside play on our property, and not drinking water from the well, what can we do to minimize exposure? We already leave shoes etc at the door so there is not much tracked in.

 

[mountainfeather]

I'm confused. Organophosphates are primarily used as insecticides. Why would your neighbor be using them to kill livestock? Was your neighbor trying to kill your livestock? On purpose? Do you know what was applied/how often? Have you had your well water tested to see if there is any contamination? If you know what was applied, then you can look up the label and read the precautionary statements.

http://www.cdms.net/LabelsMsds/LMDefault.aspx?t=

The label will give info about the recommended period to wait after application with the product before entering the area again. The label also gives recommendations. about what to wear in a treated area to protect yourself. I would also call your local state university's Extension office and ask to speak to someone with pesticide expertise.

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/

I am guessing that there is a lot more to this story... if your neighbor applied huge quantities of organophosphates to your property he was obviously doing so very illegally. It also must have also cost him a bundle of $$$ to do this - pesticides are expensive! How did he manage to apply that much so often without anyone seeing him?

 

[mbravebird]

I'd definitely be looking at kombucha for your family as a daily drink. It takes a while for kids to get used to it, but mine started to crave it after they got used to it. You can also put it in their smoothies if they won't drink it straight. It's expensive at the store, but you can make your own very affordably.

I hope you get other answers, but some other things that come to mind are bentonite clay and activated charcoal.

So sorry to hear all this! You must be beside yourself. Kombucha really, really can help. Studies done after chernobyl showed that the traditional villages that still drank kombucha (called "tea kvass" there) had no increased levels of cancer.

 

[insidevoice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainfeather

I'm confused. Organophosphates are primarily used as insecticides. Why would your neighbor be using them to kill livestock? Was your neighbor trying to kill your livestock? On purpose? Do you know what was applied/how often? Have you had your well water tested to see if there is any contamination? If you know what was applied, then you can look up the label and read the precautionary statements.

http://www.cdms.net/LabelsMsds/LMDefault.aspx?t=

The label will give info about the recommended period to wait after application with the product before entering the area again. The label also gives recommendations. about what to wear in a treated area to protect yourself. I would also call your local state university's Extension office and ask to speak to someone with pesticide expertise.

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/

I am guessing that there is a lot more to this story... if your neighbor applied huge quantities of organophosphates to your property he was obviously doing so very illegally. It also must have also cost him a bundle of $$$ to do this - pesticides are expensive! How did he manage to apply that much so often without anyone seeing him?

It is a long and complicated story, he managed the local fertilizer/pesticide dealership (I live in an agricultural area) and the toxins were applied illegally and repeatedly. We caught him in the act twice- he wanted our chickens and ducks dead. Contacting the authorities went absolutely nowhere as he's a fixture in the town (now the mayor to boot!)

Our well water was tested about 6 months ago, and yes there is contamination of the well. As a result, we only drink bottled water and use bottled water for cooking.

As I said, we are moving out of the area, I just need to get through a couple more months.

 

[insidevoice]

I am interested in Kombucha, but haven't gotten around to trying to make it at home. Probably not a bad idea to give it a good try anyway!

 

[mountainfeather]

Quote:

Originally Posted by insidevoice

It is a long and complicated story, he managed the local fertilizer/pesticide dealership (I live in an agricultural area) and the toxins were applied illegally and repeatedly. We caught him in the act twice- he wanted our chickens and ducks dead. Contacting the authorities went absolutely nowhere as he's a fixture in the town (now the mayor to boot!)

Our well water was tested about 6 months ago, and yes there is contamination of the well. As a result, we only drink bottled water and use bottled water for cooking.

As I said, we are moving out of the area, I just need to get through a couple more months.

O.K. Pesticide use is regulated by the states. What state are you in? If you went to the proper state pesticide oversight authorities, there would be no local politics involved. And they would no doubt take this very, very seriously. If he has a dealership he has a dealer license and probably an applicators license, and at the very least we'd be talking about losing his licenses and heavy fines if you have proof that applications were made. The state would probably also be able to help you with information concerning exposure and how to deal with it. I've had an applicator's license in two states, and I know how heavily regulated these things are, and how much you don't mess around without a big hammer coming down on your head, so I think it really is worth talking to the agency regulating pesticides in your state.

 

[insidevoice]

I'm visiting with the county DA in a very informal way today- she's a good friend and is on the same page I am in many ways. I'll ask her if she has any suggestions. I've hit the wall so many times locally that I'm feeling burned, but I will aim to get things in line to address the issue. I'm just not sure if it's the hill I want to die on while I am still living in the community. I know- that sounds like a cop out, and it probably is, I just am having trouble mustering the desire to pick the fight as I am sure there will be considerable backlash.

 

[Honey693]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbravebird

So sorry to hear all this! You must be beside yourself. Kombucha really, really can help. Studies done after chernobyl showed that the traditional villages that still drank kombucha (called "tea kvass" there) had no increased levels of cancer.

Name of the studies or a link? I'm having a hard time believing a drink can keep you from getting cancer

 

[mbravebird]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honey693

Name of the studies or a link? I'm having a hard time believing a drink can keep you from getting cancer

You might have more success finding studies if you look up the link between glucuronic acid (the active detoxifying agent in kombucha) and detoxification and cancer prevention. Here are some I am aware of:

"Possible Protective Effect of Kombucha Tea Ferment on Cadmium Chloride Induced Liver and Kidney Damage in Irradiated Rats" (2008)

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:I-SosnNv_PEJ:www.waset.org/journals/ijbls/v9/v9-1-2.pdf+Possible+Protective+Effect+of+Kombucha+Tea+Ferment+on+Cadmium+Chloride+Induced+Liver+and+Kidney+Damage+in+Irradiated+Rats&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESi1AKznRTwRLy0bBBWkdiH2T6YxqDpEUqfbnFfAJt0Q0XqvnW6F5CXWg4E82VSa_UwwvrpGQUtuKRkGipuD8IOws_H0wuQN1tJSqHVXnVeOTbfw-RcbB4Iy1FhfViJ_qkCtdffl&sig=AHIEtbSezJphNjyqoCEuUMQELFW0X59eZw&pli=1

The study concludes that "... it appears that KT ferment administration to rats would decrease the toxicity associated with oxidative stress thereby reducing the damage induced by exposure to cadmium and/or radiation."

"Effects of Kombucha on oxidative stress induced nephrotoxicity in rats" (2010)

http://www.cmjournal.org/content/4/1/23

This study was done after exposing rats to high levels of trichloroethylene, a toxic industrial solvent. It concludes that "The present study indicates that Kombucha may repair damage caused by environmental pollutants such as TCE and may be beneficial to people who deal with these chemicals."

and this 2010 study, "Protective effect of kombucha mushroom (KM) tea on chromosomal aberrations induced by gamma radiation in human peripheral lymphocytes in-vitro"

http://www.jeb.co.in/index.php?page=abstract&issue=201009_sep10_supp&number=18

concludes that "...the results of the present study clearly confirmed that g - radiation induces CAs formation in human lymphocyte cells. But, supplementation with KM - tea can protects against g - radiation toxicity, by reduction effects of free radicals. Therefore, antioxidant role of KM-tea may be used as a ''genotoxicity-limiting agent'' to reduce environmental effects of radioactive agents in the near future."

The above study also makes the point that frequency and amount of consumption matter -- the more consumed, the more protective the result, and consistency matters too.

I had remembered the russian studies incorrectly -- and I can't find a link to them. At this point they're just anecdotal. They were done after WWII, not after chernobyl. The Russian govt was concerned about increased cancer rates across the country, and upon investigation found two regions that were nearly cancer-free. They were traditional regions where the people still drank "tea kvass" -- that was the most obvious similarity between them and dissimilarity between them and the rest of the country. Not exactly a smoking gun, but combined with all the other anecdotes, it makes a difference to me. There are lots of anecdotal testimonials out there, if that matters to you.

Here's an article, which I haven't read because you have to buy it, but which summarizes the Russian research and provides a review of research on the other benefits of kombucha:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996900000673

Hope this all helps. I have a son who has had radiation and other toxin exposure, so I pay attention and bookmark when research like this comes to my attention. And for the OP, the effects do not apply just to radiation, but to chemical detoxification as well, emphasized by the above TCE study. HTH.

 

[springmum]

How horrible!

My only suggestion is lot's of vit C, anti-ox's, fresh fruits & veggies to keep any oxidized cells in your bodies from getting out of control.

Are you able to do bloodwork for yourselves I wonder? Are you able to meet with a naturopath? - they may have some detox ideas.

I seriously hope someone can help you with this.