> Let's use another analogy. Medications are much like pesticides- they are both
> designed to kill a targeted organism. Taken at recommended doses they can be
> very effective and cause little harm.
Steve, Iīd wager that medicine is not your field. What makes a given medicine
more or less effective and therefore more or less valuable, is precisely the
degree of selectivity built into it, in relation to the human organism. If itīs
as toxic to a human being as it is to the disease organism, itīs worthless. In
other words, penicillan (as well as other beta lactams) is effective because the
metabolism involved in forming the human cell membrane does not depend on the
production of peptidoglycan, which bacterial cells do reqire in order to maintain
their much higher degree of internal pressure (above all, the gram positive
ones). Since penicillan competes with and is therefore antagonistic to the
formation of peptidoglycan in bacterias, bacterias are deprived of it and can
burst due to their inherent internal pressure. They canīt form strong cell walls
without it. We donīt need it, so being deprived of it doesnīt hurt us. (While
itīs true that some people are highly allergic to penicillan, cefalosporins use
the same action and are less allergenic). Penicillan of course is itself a soil
organism.
Unfortunately, commercial pesticides in general tend to be non selective, and are
highly toxic to most if not all forms of life. Not only that, but the tecnology
is simply unnecessary - there are far better and less toxic methods available,
whose effectiveness has been clearly demonstrated. On the other hand, commercial
pesticides can be easily patented, packaged and distributed. They are better than
biological means of pest control for making money for a few, while needlessly
contaminating the environment for the rest of us.
In short, I feel your analogy is rather unaccurate. Toxic agrochemicals are as
doomed as the tobacco industry, and itīs just a matter of time. However, itīs up
to all of us to keep pointing this out. Doing any less will only lengthen the
time it will take to make to transition and will contribute to untold needless
deaths and suffering.
DH, back in Jalisco.
--Douglas M. Hinds, Director General Centro para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Rural A.C. (CeDeCoR) (Center for Community and Rural Development) - (non profit) Petronilo Lopez No. 73 (Street Address) Apdo. Postal No. 61 (Mailing Address) Cd. Guzman, Jalisco 49000 MEXICO U.S. Voice Mailbox: 1 630 300 0550 (e-mail linked) U.S. Fax Mailbox: 1 630 300 0555 (e-mail linked) Tel. & Fax: 011 523 412 6308 (direct) e-mail: cedecor@ipnet.com.mx, dmhinds@acnet.net, dhinds@ucol.mx
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