Vaccination and the Growing Rates of Childhood Food Allergies
We all know of someone that has a food allergy because it has become such a common condition that people suffer from, particularly children. According to the non-profit organization Food Allergy Research and Education, researchers estimate that 15 million Americans suffer from food allergies. Approximately 9 million adults and 6 million children have food allergies.
Pesticides: The ‘Silent Spring’ Continues
Rachel Carson’s first book, “Under the Sea-Wind,” was a beautiful masterpiece that celebrated the beauty of birds and sea creatures in their natural habitat. It painted a vivid, yet mysterious picture of a never-before-seen world. Though it received early praise, the book never hit stores and ultimately flopped as its release coincided with the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Naled Spraying in South Carolina to Combat Zika Kills Millions of Honeybees
Early on a Sunday morning this past summer, the noxious pesticide Naled was sprayed over Dorchester County, South Carolina in an effort to kill Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are believed to transmit the Zika virus. In collateral damage, the aerial spray also killed millions of honeybees. One local beekeeper, who lost 2.5 million bees in a matter of minutes, described the toll as devastating, saying her bee farm “looks like it’s been nuked.” Dorchester County administrator Jason Ward…
Naled May Be DDT and Zika May Be Polio All Over Again
Back in the mid-1940s, the U.S. government undertook a mass fumigation campaign using the highly toxic organochloride pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). The aim was to wipe out mosquitoes believed to be spreading polio. In a Universal Newsreel (produced by Universal City Studios) from 1946 showing mass DDT spraying in San Antonio, TX, the narrator…
Controversial Pesticide Naled Sprayed Over Miami to Combat Zika
The Miami-Dade County Public Works and Waste Management Department began aerial spraying of the pesticide Naled over Miami, FL on Aug. 4, 2016. The spraying campaign, focused on the city’s Wynwood area, is targeting the Aedes aegypti mosquito which has been known to carry the Zika virus. Naled is sold under the brand name Dibrom, and is an organophosphate…
Refrigerant Gas Freon Being Phased Out by EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is phasing out the production of Freon (R22)—the most widely known brand name for Chlorodifluoromethane, a stable, colorless, nearly odorless refrigerant gas of the chlorofluorocarbon family. It is used in a wide range of cooling environments, from refrigerators to freezers, all types of air conditioners, heat pumps…