Natural Pesticides

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

Letter to the editor of the London Times (by far the most

authoritative british news publication):

" Natural toxins, greatest danger

Sir, The primary chemical exposure of all human beings is not to

traces of synthetic chemicals ( " Man-made toxins are found even in the

best diets " , Sept 21, and letter, Sept 23) but to the thousands of

natural pesticides which we eat and consume in our fruit and

vegetables every day. Each fruit or vegetable makes its own unique

complement of natural pesticides and with the novel fruits and

vegetables currently available in supermarkets, the risk is increased

again.

Toxicologically the majority of natural pesticides test as

carcinogens; others are nerve toxins, oestrogen mimics, teratogens,

chromosome breakers, allergy inducers or damage the blood, skin or

thyroid.

These are precisely the same toxicological properties of synthetic

chemicals that concern WWF, but natural pesticides are consumed in

amounts many tens of thousands of times higher than any synthetic

traces. Mankind is not adapted to these natural chemicals; at the

appropriate dose they will damage and have done so in the past.

Against this enormous toxic natural background, traces of man-made

chemicals are of little or no consequence, but the risks of additive

or synergistic effects of natural chemicals are also thousands of

times higher.

ANTHONY TREWAVAS

Professor in Plant Biochemistry

University of Edinburgh "

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Comment: For a specific example, cinnamon is a natural tree bark

pesticide which is highly effective against a pest ......... ants.

The tree which evolved the substance was very successful because,

unlike other tree species, ants would never climb the tree to denude

it of its leaves. Yet we are not concerned about consuming cinnamon.

If you ever have a problem with ants, go to Costco and buy their

largest container of cinnamon. Then sprinkle a line of it between

their nest and wherever it is you don't want them to go. They will

not cross a line of cinnamon. I have done it. After eighteen years

(!) it looks like I may soon need to repeat the procedure.