This article from Green Planet scared the heck out of me. I would never EVER contemplate having my house sprayed for fleas or other pests, however I am not everyone and there are a lot of people out there who control these pests with indoor spraying and other measures. I wanted to pass on this article to you so that you can make an informed decision and know the pros and cons of your decision.
- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature
http://jaymecarleton.com
Making Sustainability Second Nature™
From Planet Green:
I have a special place in my heart for this story. I live in South Carolina, where the bugs are big, really big, and the flea problem come spring and summer can take over your life. I’ve had moments of weakness just like the rest of us. A story in theWashington Post tells the story of one woman in Virginia who had her moment of weakness and it almost killed her.
According to the Washington Post, Sue Eisenfeld was a conscious consumer; she ate a vegetarian diet, refused bags at the store, and avoided processed foods. In fact, she worked as a consultant for the EPA. But it seemed after treating her cat topically, she still couldn’t get rid of the fleas. Her kitty was scratching herself raw. So she went for it. She decided to have her house sprayed. She trusted that if anything dangerous was being sprayed in her home, they would tell her. She thought wrong. We often hear that spraying pesticides in our homes is dangerous, but what we don’t hear is why. We don’t hear the immediate ramifications that can come from spraying your home. Here’s what happened to Sue.
Scary Ramifications
She began to have strange symptoms like a headache, odd electric energy down her arm, and a painful reaction to cold. She was fatigued, seriously dizzy, and had lost so much strength that she could barely brush her teeth.
According to the story:
Two trips to the emergency room ruled out a stroke and a brain tumor. But an MRI scan showed a lesion on the spinal cord in my neck. This scar or defect, I was told, had chewed away some of the protective myelin that coats nerves and transmits messages in the nervous system. This damage was scrambling messages being sent throughout my body about temperature and pain and strength and balance.
Sue’s Diagnosis
The doctor later diagnosed the illness as transverse myelitis, or an inflammation on the spinal cord. After being put on a mega-dose of steroids for five days her symptoms lessened but she had to go through rigorous physical therapy to gain back strength.
The doctors had ruled out many of the usual causes for the disease like Lyme’s disease, chickenpox, shingles, herpes, flu, and others but Sue wondered if it had been the initial pesticide exposure. After doing research she learned that’s exactly what happened. She learned that the pesticide used had not been applied correctly. Food surfaces were not covered and the house was not aired out. Then she read about the complaints against the pesticide turned into the EPA.
Again, the Washington Post:
[A]n 82-page report from the EPA that made it clear to me that MS wasn’t the cause of my symptoms. The report showed that from 1992 until early 2010, 156 “minor” human incidents had been reported to the agency concerning the product used in our house, as well as 24 “moderate” and 515 “major” human incidents.Among the complaints in the moderate and major medical incidents were dizziness, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, muscle weakness, tremors, abdominal pain, disorientation, stumbling, coma, seizure, liver failure, lethargy, numbness, blurred vision, chills, blood in the urine, memory loss, migraines, inability to walk and heart attack.
While this is public knowledge, few people that have their homes sprayed are aware of it. The fact of the matter is that you can’t trust the system, you have to do your own research. As we move into the height of bug season, remember that these poisons can do real damage. If it were me I’d avoid getting my home sprayed at all cost. Take every holistic step before ever taking the pesticide plunge. You never know the results. Here’s aguide to treating fleas holistically that really works.
Mon, Aug 22, 2011
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