Saturday, April 9, 2011

Frogs and Peanuts

Who Put Frogicide On My Peanuts, Tomatoes, & Potatoes?
Syngenta, Swiss manufacturer of the herbicide Atrazine (very popular with US farmers but banned in Europe) and the widely-used fungicides Bravo and Daconil (formulations of chlorothalonil, a molecule similar to other long-banned pestsicides, but still available everywhere) has encountered some new eco-tox information about it's chlorothalonil-based formulations that might potentially lead to increased regulatory scrutiny. It kills frogs. At the tested concentration, most of the frogs.


Because it is so heavily used on peanuts (per the USGS summary above) and because it is either a strong 'dermal sensitizer' and/or a strong 'skin irritant' (there are formal but controversial distinctions) my hypothetical question is "are peanut allergies only caused by peanut proteins or are they potentially associated with something else?" Anyone know?


If you're not comfortable waiting for the science and regulatory deliberations, eat organic veggies and nuts.
Toxic to frogs - interesting question concerning peanut allergies.  Of course, I think an allergy is the latest of our worries.
Of course eat organic or grow your own - without pesticides/herbicides/inorganic fertilizers.  Wish I could grow peanuts.

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