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Re: Methoprene: hormone infects ground water






On Thu, 2 Oct 1997, Hiller SB wrote:

> drain) so I don't eat it but something else will. Anyway, before you
> condemn me for not stomping on bugs rather than spraying them, I don't use
> this stuff much, I bought this can in 1992.  Question is, the active

	I would suspect that there are expiry dates for pesticides.  If
you are using a weakened spray you may be working to create pesticide
resistant insects.  As well, what do you mean by "I don't use much"?  If
you don't understand how the stuff works, then how can you possibly make a
judgement about what "much" is?  Two ounces of plutonium is an enormously
toxic amount in one context, one ton of water nothing at all in another.
To understand safe use you have to understand the scale that the compound
works on.    

> ingredient in this bug spray isn't a hormone, is it? If it is, I'm alarmed
> and I won't use it again (I probably shouldn't use it anyway).
> 
	My understanding is that a great number of both pesticides and
herbicides are hormones.  This is why such a small amount of chemicals can
have such a dramatic impact on a huge population of individuals over a
long time.  This, again, gets back to the issue of scale. 

> So what exactly is "methoprene" why is it used and why is it a bad thing
> if it is?
> 
	Why do you frame the question this way?  Could you understand all
the implications if someone told you?  What other things are you using
that you haven't seen a scary television expose about?  Doesn't it make
more sense to start to disentangle yourself from the whole sorry chemical
nightmare?  If nothing else, is the anxiety you are currently feeling
worth whatever dubious "convenience" you have received from these modern
products?



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