>I understand that while DDT is
>highly persistant, it has relatively low mammalian toxicity while
>parathion is quite the opposite. Any opinions?
>
Opinions? On this list? Nah.....
I'd caution against discounting toxicity in birds, fish, amphibians,
plants and maybe even insects. They're all part of the one environment
on which we depend, after all.
Given the choice between a short-lived pesticide with high mammalian
toxicity and a persistent one with low mammalian toxicity (but high
bird toxicity, for example), I'd choose the former because it's
possible to have most mammals avoid the area for some period of time.
The same can't generally be said about wild birds, amphibians and fish.
For mosquitos in particular, Bt works well but may be too expensive for
some situations. Bats, birds, fish and frogs can help. Water management
can help.
Regards,
-- Robert Stevahn | Militant agnostic: rstevahn@cyberhighway.net | "I don't know, and neither do you." rstevahn@boi.hp.com | (anyone have an attribution?)