How to minimize exposure to aerial and ground spraying of pesticides

Friday, August 24, 2012 by: Tony Isaacs
Tags: aerial spraying, exposure, protections

(NaturalNews) Despite serious questions about safety and effectiveness, Dallas and other municipalities around the country are blanketing their cities and their citizens with pesticides. Pets, gardens, lawns, livestock . . . nothing is safe and individual citizens are not able to opt out of the widespread spraying. While those opposed to pesticide contamination can do little to stop it, there are plenty of important measures everyone can do to limit their pesticide exposure.

Seven steps for limiting pesticide exposure

1. Stay inside when pesticides are being applied. If pesticide planes are flying overhead, pesticide trucks are rolling down the street putting out clouds of insecticide, or ground crews are spraying in the area, stay indoors and don't come out until there has been plenty of time for the pesticides to settle out. If you have to go out, wear a cloth mask, long pants and long-sleeved shirts.

2. Once the pesticide has been sprayed and settled, put on a pair of rubber gloves and use natural cleansers to wipe down any outside surfaces you are likely to come into contact with. Examples of surfaces which should be cleaned include lawn furniture, BBQ grills, automobiles, water hoses, fence gates, doors, and any bicycles or children's toys which were not brought inside. Good, natural cleaners include baking soda, diluted lemon juice, diluted hydrogen peroxide and diluted apple cider vinegar. Rinse and/or wipe off with water after the wipe down. It would be best to dispose of any rags or cleaning cloths used to get rid of pesticide residue rather than laundering them. Laundering the cleaning items will ultimately result in the pesticides ending up in the municipal water supply.

3. Rinse off your driveways, sidewalks, patios and other outside surfaces and water your lawns and plants to rinse off as much pesticide as possible. Use a spray nozzle to wash off your gardens and other plants where it might come into contact with your skin or clothing - or be consumed.

4. If possible, keep your pets and animals inside or sheltered when the pesticides are actively being sprayed. After the pesticides have been applied, bathe your pets frequently to minimize their contact with the pesticides.

5. Take off your shoes when entering the house. Until your yard and other outside surfaces have been watered several times, take your shoes off when entering the house to keep from tracking pesticides into the house. Clean the soles off with one of the natural cleansers listed above.

6. Wash off any produce from your garden before consuming. All fruits and vegetables should be washed before consuming in the first place, including organic ones. After pesticide spraying in your area, such washing is critical. Two excellent natural produce washes are three percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and vinegar. The H2O2 can be sprayed on with a mister bottle and rinsed with water and the vinegar can be diluted 50/50 with water and placed in a bowl to rinse the produce in.

7. Install water filters faucets and shower. Widespread pesticide spraying inevitably results in pesticides getting into the municipal water supply - and in today's contaminated world, water filters are a good idea regardless of whether your area has had pesticides applied. At the very least, filters should be placed on faucets and shower heads. Look for filters that get rid of chlorine and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Though the above steps will not completely eliminate exposure to pesticides, they will help keep exposure to a minimum.

Note: In a separate article, we will look at how to detox pesticides out of your body and offset their effects.

Sources included:

http://housekeeping.about.com
http://frugalliving.about.com
http://kojoreport.com

About the author:
"See more articles by Tony Isaacs"



Tony Isaacs, is a natural health author, advocate and researcher who hosts The Best Years in Life website for those who wish to avoid prescription drugs and mainstream managed illness and live longer, healthier and happier lives naturally. Mr. Isaacs is the author of books and articles about natural health, longevity and beating cancer including "Cancer's Natural Enemy" and is working on a major book project due to be published later this year.

Mr. Isaacs also hosts the Yahoo Oleandersoup group of over 3000 members and the The Best Years in Life Radio Show" on BlogTalk Radio.