Posted by BabyHerp on August 14, 2000 at 17:24:12:
In Reply to: To BabyHerp - Re: Dandelion Greens posted by Stephani on August 14, 2000 at 15:05:28:
I was being super conservative suggesting not to feed pesticide/herbicide grown produce to igs if your yard is being sprayed for one year... actually more like a month or 2 *depending* on the chemical. Important to find out what the half-life of the chemical used is....some chemicals are guaranteed to last up to one year others a few months or days even. Like termite, ant sprays...some are pretty heavy duty!
What produce isn't treated with herbicides & pesticides these days huh? but a few things Ive read about that might be interesting to investigate is:
soil leaching/erosion (chemicals getting into the soil, root systems, trunks of plants & trees)
wind effects pesticides (more wind less concentration on top soil)
harvesting....produce is no longer affected because cut from the root system
Most important in determining when to use affected produce for food is: half-life of the pesticide or herbicide used: I don't know what the half life of termite spray is but lets say the half/life of a termite spray on your house is 90 days...that means...in 90 days 1/2 of the pesticide is destroyed,its non-effective. And subsequent days continue gradually lessen the concentration of the pesticide until its no longer doing anything intended for its purpose, becomes inert in another 90 days. Make sense?
Washing produce real well helps
Cooking out pesticides & herbicides also effective
Im notorious for not washing the produce I buy or steal (hehehe) very well....I think that's how one of my iguanas got hookworm....from ova contaminated dandelion greens I bought at a community garden some months back...prolly didn't wash em very good.
Notice how there are a bunch of products being offered now to wash produce, seen any of these at the market? Im wondering what's in em? Gonna have to check it out. I thought water was enough to wash produce of residual pesticides, herbicides & parasites.....guess not.
Anyway...I'd check out the chemical you used before feeding anything that may have affected em to your ig. I don't know what was sprayed so I shouldn't of posted such a general statement like that! Ya think? Sound better? Less paranoid? lolol
No??? Doh!
Gina