Scott Dideon, Urban Entomologist and self-professed
"expert" on pesticides (and works for a pest
control company) wrote to Steve Tvedten on January 3rd,
4th and 5th... here are (Were*) those exchanges:
(Scott Dideon asked to have his e-mails removed from the public domain.
Scott never answered one question we asked him and he never named one alternative that we use that was more "dangerous" than his "registered"
POISONS. All that remains on the site below are my answers and the nagging question, "Why, did Scott start this in
the first place?'' - Steve)
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Original Email From: Scott Dideon <sdideon@home.com>
Steve,
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Scott Dideon, MS
Biochemist and Urban Entomologist
Safe2Use's Initial Response:
Scott
Who the f*** are you!? and which petrochemical company do you work for? If you are able to read, you will note that the research presented by Mr. Tvedten is mostly from documented, and peer reviewed reports. I suggest you pull your head out of the dark place and open your eyes.
We already have a lot of poisoned people in Gaitersburg, Maryland and Washington
where we believe you are plying whatever poison trade you're pushing. Hopefully,
you will be forgiven and not sued.
Safe2Use
Scott's Response to Safe2Use:
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Safe2Use's Response:
Scott,
Sometimes we only see what we want to.
Here's one example of poisoning from Maryland: http://www.getipm.com/articles/berkson-dursban.htm
If Steve is working out of his garage then he really isn't
making a lot of bucks. If he wanted
to make a pile of money, he would be promoting and selling pesticides and
chemicals instead of pointing out that the "emperor has no clothes."
He, however, has safely removed pests and pesticides from over 350
schools. That's a lot of kids he has helped with or without the
"credentials". The proof
is always in the pudding.
Before you make any further comments about credibility,
please review the Board of Directors Steve works with: http://www.learnipm.com/board.html
Mr. Tvedten has recommended orange juice for fire ants
while the pest control continues to recommend dursban and diazinion (which are
both being taken off the market). Orange
juice has yet to be banned.
Have you visited http://www.getipm.com ?
That is Steve Tvedten's web site.
If you are interested, we will be willing to post all your
recommends for killing bugs side by side with Steve's alternatives.
We will also post the MSDS for products suggested.
As for Safe2Use, we are a small business and do sell
alternatives to pesticides and chemicals. However,
over 90% of the individuals who visit our page never know we sell anything.
We never started out to do what we're doing but we have pesticide
injuries in our family and as grandparents this is the best gift we can leave to
our grandchildren. These issues
will not go away and changing how people think about pests and pesticides is
what we do. We're not rich and we
not getting any richer.
Linda L. Jensen-Pascarella
P.S. Please forgive the *** in my response to your
first email. It was the end of a
day where we spent many hours helping people find solutions for their poisonings
from pesticides (none of which had to do with selling products).
Steve's First Response:
Dear Scott,
I have been doing pest control for over 35 years, and I
have always said, "I will
control pests with the safest methodology available." We probably will
never know how dangerous your "registered" pesticides really are
because the bulk of the POISON compound (the "inerts". metabolites,
synergism and contaminants) are all simply ignored!
Even so, I would like to know what items you think I suggest or use that
are not as "safe" as your "registered" POISONS?
I have suggested and have used over 1700 alternatives
including anodized aluminum plates, glue boards, yeast, baking soda, water, fly
swatters, fans, vacuums, bottles, door sweeps, glass, various soaps, baby
powder, temperature and humidity controls, caulking, screening, lighting
changes, lady bugs, sanitation, habitat reduction, irrigation, cardboard, proper
storage of food and garbage, several cleaning compounds, composted chicken
manure, carbon dioxide, borax, beer and common sense. In using these "dangerous" items - we have safely
and effectively removed all pest problems inside and outside in over 350 schools
and many homes and businesses. Many
of these properties were routinely "professionally treated" with
various "registered" POISONS for years and still had their pest
problems. Now they do not have pest
problems or pesticide contamination or the need for any further control.
If you think I should be sued for safely removing these problems - I
wonder what legal action you would
recommend for the "professional" who continually contaminates the
property, people and pets and still can not "control" the pest
problem?
I would like to point out that after using billions of
pounds of just the active ingredients in pesticide compounds (POISONS)
the "industry" has never actually controlled (much less
eliminated) even one pest species but, you have managed to create insecticide
resistance in over half of the approximately 1000 pest species and world-wide
CONTAMINATION! It is now
"normal" for every living thing to have your "registered"
POISON "residues" in their tissue and fluids!
Do you have any idea how many people and animals have become ill,
incapacitated and/or have died from the use and misuse of your
"registered" POISONS and STILL have their pest problems?
Talk about ARROGANCE!
I can safely control even these pesticide resistant pests
with items you can purchase virtually from any supermarket.
If any of these items are more "dangerous" than your
"registered" POISONS - please tell me which ones they are, and I will
post your comments with their MSDS.
Scott Responds to Steve:
Steve,
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Thanks,
Scott Dideon
Steve's Response:
Dear Scott Dideon,
In answer to your email - I almost died using Chlordane
after the entire POISON "industry" continually assured me that it
was "safe enough to bathe in!"
There were even Velsicol advertisements in the trade journals
(obviously before your time) that said there was no need to use gloves or a
respirator even when you handled the concentrate.
I repeat I almost died beLIEving those assurances or lies that this was
the most tested "product" ever!
. My Mother trusted me to
"treat" her home with this "registered" crap. My Mother
died today at 1:20 PM. My son
died as he was being born! My
uncle Joe died right after he sprayed chlordane!
I have lost an awful lot of friends to "safe, registered"
POISONS. EVIL spelled backwards
is LIVE - your "registered" POISONS have KILLED and/or INJURED an
awful lot of LIVE people, pets, beneficial insects and wildlife.
These dear people are now in their grave.
So I think it was truly it was more of a "grave mistake" to
trust the POISON 'industry" - than as you suggest to characterize all
"registered" pesticides as "evil"!
As to your reference to Linda, that I work out of my garage, that
simply is not true any more, now I have to work out of my home. My public
stance on "registered" POISONS has cost me dearly, my vacation home
and my office/garage were both "accidentally" burned to the ground.
My garage/office is obviously gone - sort of like my relatives and
friends! Several witnesses have
heard "people" who have heard me speak, come and warn me they will
be there for my third fire! ."Others" warn me that I will be sued!
But, you now want me to become "rational" about
the continued use of "registered" POISONS! You only have to open your eyes and see that many of your
"registered" POISONS have already been banned and/or
"voluntarily withdrawn".
Just to refresh your mind, we no longer have the use of most cyclodiene
chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide POISONS, most organophosphate pesticide
POISONS and most carbamate pesticide POISONS -
the only volatile POISONS that are basically left are the pyrethroid
pesticide POISONS. None of these
Toxins ever worked as well as my alternatives.
I am in the pest CONTROL business not the sale of
"registered" POISONS! I
help many people for free, does that make me "arrogant",
"unprofessional" and/or a seeker of "quick bucks"?
I do not feel that when POISONS are being misused that I
should be "rational" or "professional" about it!
I see that you also want to pretend all of the active pesticide POISON
ingredients have been thoroughly "tested" for "long term
effects" - if this were so, why would there be ANY "voluntary
recalls" or bans of any of these "thoroughly tested" toxins?
Most of the "registered" POISONS we used for years were
simply "Grandfathered in" and then their use was simply extended.
Is it "rational or professional" to pretend
that these toxins are "registered or worse yet approved" when you
totally ignore the bulk of the POISON compound, the so-called
"inerts" - I see you you would like to pretend that these terrible
unregistered POISON components are no more hazardous than baking soda!
Shame on you!
NCAP’s inert list notes that the U. S. has over
2,500 "inerts" that pose a wide variety of hazards.
Almost 400 unregistered inert ingredients are or have been used as the
registered active ingredients in pesticide poisons.
In addition, 209 are considered hazardous air or water pollutants, 21
have been classified as carcinogens, and 127 are occupational hazards.
Many have been identified by more than one stature or agency.
The report lists the following examples of what it calls
“active inerts” - unregistered inert ingredients that are or have been
clearly registered in the U. S. for use as active ingredients in some
registered pesticide poisons, but also have now been cleared for use as
unregistered "inerts" in other poison products and are listed as
inerts of unknown toxicity:
-
Chlorothalonil has been classified as a probable
human carcinogen by a U. S. EPA scientific Advisory Panel.
-
Coal tar has been listed as a known human carcinogen
by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
-
Chloropicrin is a severe respiratory tract irritant
and listed by U. S. EPA as a Restricted-Use Pesticide.
As another example, the unregistered inert ingredient
naphthalene is the registered active ingredient in 16 currently registered
products, primarily moth repellents. It
is also cleared for use as an unregistered inert and is considered an “inert
of unknown toxicity” by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
EPA says this despite the fact that the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry (ATSDR) first published a toxicological profile of this toxic
chemical in 1989. The most frequent manifestation of napthalene poisoning is
hemolytic anemia (destruction of red blood cells), which can lead to varying
degrees of jaundice and liver enlargement. In children, severe jaundice
resulting from napthalene-induced hemolysis can result in permanent
neurological damage, motor disturbances, convulsion an death.
Naphthalene is also classified as one of the 100 substances most
commonly found at Superfund sites that pose “the most significant potential
threat to human health due to their known and suspected toxicity to humans.”
NCAP had filed a number of formal requests with U. S. EPA
under the Freedom of Information Act in an attempt to find out how many
pesticide poisons contain certain known or suspected carcinogens, active
inerts and/or endocrine disrupters. Many
of the requests are still being processed; however, preliminary findings
indicate that hazardous inerts are sometimes widely used in pesticide poisons.
For example, cristobalite, a known carcinogen (according to the
International Agency for Research on Cancer), is an unregistered inert
ingredient in over 1,500 registered pesticide poisons!
NCAP’s report calls for full label disclosure of all
toxic ingredients in pesticide poisons. Consumers
and workers have a right to easy access to such information so they can make
informed decisions and better protect themselves.
NCAP also recommends that mixtures of active and inert ingredients
found in pesticide poisons be assessed for a wide range of (combined
synergistic effects including) teratogenicity, adverse reproductive effects
and mutagenicity. I believe
the entire toxic brew must be registered and tested as it is being used.
The Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides is
a five-state, grassroots membership organization that promotes sustainable
resource management, prevention of pest problems, use of alternatives to
pesticides and the right to be free from pesticide exposure.
Copies of the report are available on NCAP’s web page,
http://www.efn.org/.
Copies are also available by mail for $3.00, postpaid.
Other North American and European countries may have
different lists of unregistered "inert" ingredients, but they also
currently still treat "inerts" as trade secrets -- their presence is
not listed on the registered pesticide poison label and they are not tested
for the damage or health problems they may cause.
To call these dangerous toxins "inerts" is real junk
science!
The Significance of These Unregistered Secret
Pesticide Poison "Inert" Ingredients
The fact that registered pesticide poison formulations
contain secret, untested and very toxic compounds that can contaminate for
over a thousand years as "inerts" has important and dangerous health
and environmental consequences. As
long as a registered pesticide label says, “Inert ingredients...X%,” then
neither can any governmental agencies nor can any private applicators know
what actually is being sprayed. They,
therefore, cannot honestly even pretend to know where these volatile poisons
may travel or what damages these volatile poisons may cause.
Your right to know about your exposure to toxic chemicals is denied
every time you encounter the drift, residues, or contamination or the
synergisms of a volatile pesticide poison formulation containing all of these
secret inert ingredients. Therefore,
none of these poisons are truly registered.
“Experts” cannot truly even begin to evaluate or
assess the health or environmental risks of any volatile, synthetic pesticide
poison until they can base their assessment on testing of all the chemicals in
the full formulation, as well as the full information itself including all of
the contaminants, metabolites, transformation and decomposition products.
In the United States and many other countries, adequate testing for all
the chronic and reproductive effects, birth defects and/or cancer for even
some of the active ingredients in pesticide formulations has only just begun -
no one has even begun looking at the dangers the synergistic effects these
terrible poisons may cause. When a poisoning occurs, obviously, medical professionals
will not be able to begin to provide appropriate treatment or even properly
diagnose your condition, since they have no way of knowing the total
exponential dangers of all of the chemicals (poisons) present in the
formulation. I believe that
to allow the poison industry to continue with “buSINess as usual” is far
worse than murder - it is genocide!
Labeled use of registered pesticide poisons in the U. S.
has already left behind a cascade of pest resistance, environmental,
monitoring, contamination and health problems.
Thousands of farm workers have been and are poisoned annually in the U.
S. Millions of people in the Midwestern U. S. now drink water contaminated
with pesticide poison residues. Our
food supply is allowed by law to contain significant residues (contamination)
or “tolerance levels” of nearly 325 different registered pesticide poisons
and roughly 2500 unregistered inert ingredients at levels that, obviously,
were not set to protect public health, because our “government” has not
always had the authority to weigh health risks against economic “benefits”
when setting poison “tolerances”. We
spend billions of dollars annually to monitor residue (poison) levels in our
food and potable water with little assurance this testing will even begin to
control hazardous contamination levels. Pesticide
poison concentrations in our ambient air are still completely unregulated and
thousands and thousands of tons of dangerous pesticide poisons have been
“registered”. Pesticide poisons are regulated by a diverse set of statutes
that protect the poison producers more than the public! When in doubt - delay, until the poison damage is clearly
evident - then call the facts “Junk science”!
This type of regulation ensures dangerous, registered, pesticide poison
contamination will continue to threaten and even destroy us.
The burden of unbiased scientific proof of safety for the entire
registered pesticide product should lie with the poison “industry” and not
the public! All knowledge of all
suspected and known pesticide poison risks/dangers of the entire toxic
“brew” should be made public by the government and the pesticide poison
producers. Poison producers who
continue to pollute and regulators who continue to create contamination should
all be put in prison. A 1995
survey found traces of 22 different organochlorine pesticide poisons,
including DDT, chlordane and endosulfan and in (oily) tree bark gathered from
90 sites around the globe!
Study links organic solvents on the job to birth
defects - 3/24/99 - The Associated Press
CHICAGO — Women exposed to certain solvents on the job
are 13 times more likely to give birth to a baby with major defects,
researchers reported today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The researchers also found an increased risk of miscarriages, low birth
weight, fetal distress and prematurity. The
study looked at what are called organic solvents, which are used in many
industries and trades. The
chemicals—found in paints, pesticides, adhesives, lacquers and cleaning
agents—have been linked to a host of physical and mental problems in adults.
Problems among women exposed to organic solvents were most often found
among those who worked in factories, as laboratory technicians, in graphic
design or printing and as chemists, according to the study.
The study was led by Dr. Sohail Khattak of the Hospital for Sick
children in Toronto. The
researchers looked at 125 pregnant women who had been exposed to organic
solvents during their first trimester between 1987 and 1996. They were
compared with 125 pregnant women not exposed to solvents.
Of the group exposed to solvents on the job, 113 gave birth, eight
suffered miscarriages and four had abortions.
There were 13 major birth defects and five minor ones among their
babies.
I believe that the use of unregistered, untested,
secret, toxic, "inert" pesticide ingredients (like solvents)
is socially unjust, morally wrong, and deadly dangerous.
It must be stopped. Until
it is stopped there cannot legally or ethically be any registered pesticide
poisons! If this makes me
"irrational or unprofessional" so be it!
USUALLY THE ONLY HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION YOU WILL
RECEIVE IS AN LD50 VALUE OF ONLY THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT! There is, however,
no official LD50 value and the
values can and do vary greatly for each toxin depending on when and which
laboratory conducted the independent test only on the active ingredient for
the formulator. Criteria for comparing only the active ingredient in pesticide
products by toxicity established by federal regulation include the following
categories based on the acute oral LD50 of only the active ingredient:
There is also no mention of how sick the "survivors" were
either!
Synergism is an extremely important risk accelerator
and no POISON applicator or manufacturer ever tests or even considers this
"possibility" at all. If
you mix bleach with ammonia you can die!
These are only cleaners and yet they are extremely dangerous when
mixed; but, you apparently want to continue to be a true
"professional" and simply ignore all of the potential combinations
of medications, drugs, cleaners, "inerts' and other active POISON
ingredients that may and obviously do occur!
I remember the old adage to spray a different pesticide POISON every
month so you would not create resistance problems.
No one ever checked to see if this was "safe".
I remember tank mixes of many different POISONS - yet no one ever
checked to see if this was "wise"
I remember being at a pest control meeting where the president of the
association proudly told me: "Everyone in this room is in violation of
the label." To which I
replied: "Except me, or you would have hung me years ago!"
I would like to point out I have inspected homes so contaminated with
your "registered" POISONS that the people and pets had to be
evacuated and the homes had to be hauled away and taken to a hazardous waste
facility - yet the termites were still there - eating the POISON CONTAMINATED
home!
I specifically have asked you which of my alternatives
are more dangerous than your "registered" POISONS?
So far, you have not listed one!
Regarding the making of "bucks" - I noticed
your ad - Posted on 11/9/2000 - McCloud Services is seeking Service
technicians for our Nashville Tenn. and Northern Alabama offices,
These positions could lead to Management. Benefits include hourly wage
plus commissions, Company vehicle,401K,Medical and dental insurance, Must pass
physical and MVR check. Fax resume or letter of interest to 317-241-9707 or
615-860-3850 or call Rick Goodwin at 1-800-352-2315 or Scott Dideon
1-800-525-2671. Note, I will not be applying.
I always try to talk reasonably and honestly - I have
consistently proven that my safe alternatives work better than any/all of the
"registered" POISONS I ever used.
If you consider the continued use and misuse of dangerous untested
POISON compounds, that have never eliminated a single pest problem, to be
"sound science" - there simply is nothing left for us to talk about.
I think that when anyone ignores a safer, more economical and far more
effective way of doing anything in order to keep on doing business as usual -
that is ignorance. I will post
your comments on my web site so that everyone who wishes can learn from you,
will you do the same for me?
Sincerely, Stephen
L. Tvedten
Scott Dideon wrote:
Steve,
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Scott Dideon, MS BCE
Biochemist and Urban Entomologist
PS - I do apologize for the harsh tone of my first
email.
Dear Scott,
Every piece of correspondence I receive is posted on my
web site, including yours, in chronological order.
Before you write me back again, I strongly suggest that you spend some
time on my web site located at: http://www.getipm.com.
At one point of my life, I too beLIEved the poison
"industry" when it said pesticides were "safe,"
"effective," "economical," "useful and/or
"valuable tools." Pesticides
are not pestisafes. Everything
that ends in 'cide' means death. It
is obvious that if we continually apply death to our living soils and water and
air and yards and food and pets and children, death will start coming back to
haunt us. Choose Life and not
Death! Stop spraying Death!
Scott, I would like to remind you it is against the federal
law to say that any registered pesticide POISON is "safe" (even
when used according to the label) or to compare the use of these
"registered" POISONS with any food or cosmetic product as you clearly
have done. I don't believe
pesticides have saved lives. My
research has consistently proven that the pest problems intensify when people
use "registered" pesticide POISONS. Just for a small example:
Murphy’s Law of Pest Control: To treat a malaria outbreak in Borneo in the 1950s, the World
Health Organization (WHO) decided to spray DDT to kill mosquitoes.
The DDT also killed parasitic wasps which were controlling thatch-eating
caterpillars. As a result, the thatched roofs of many homes fell down, and the
DDT-poisoned insects were eaten by geckoes, which were in turn eaten by cats.
The cats perished, which led to the multiplication of rats, and then
outbreaks of sylvatic plague and typhus. To put an end to this destructive chain
of events, WHO had to parachute 145,000 live cats into the area to control the
rats.
The following is from "The Coming Plague" by
Laurie Garrett. The book was
copyrighted in 1994 and the situation has become worse since then:
"It seems we have a much greater enemy in malaria now than we did
just a few years ago," Dr. Wen Kilama said.
The director-general of Tanzania's National Institute for medical
Research was frustrated and angry in 1986.
He, and his predecessors, had meticulously followed all the malaria
control advice meted out by experts who lived in wealthy, cold countries.
But after decades of spending upward of 70 percent of its entire health
budget annually on malaria control, Kilama had a worse problem on his hands in
1986 than his predecessors in 1956...Since the days when optimists had set out
to defeat malaria, hoping to drive the parasites off the face of the earth, the
global situation had worsened significantly. Indeed, far more people would die
of malaria-associated ailments in 1990 than did in 1960...In 1990 more than 80
percent of the world's malaria cases were African; 95 percent of all malarial
deaths occurred on the African continent. Up
to half a billion Africans suffered at least one serious malarial episode each
year, and typically an individual received some 200-300 infective mosquito bites
annually. Up to one million African
children died each year of the disease. And all over the continent the key drugs were failing.
We have had schools that had 3 different
"professional" pest control companies spraying once a week for 17
years and they were unable to control the ant infestation.
A light dusting of talcum powder solved the problem.
I have made it a point to help any pest control operator who wanted to
learn safe and far more effective alternatives how to do so.
I truly believe that at this point in your career you think you are doing
the right thing by advocating the judicious use of pesticides. At some point you may wish to safely solve pest problems, if
so I will try to help you.
In the meantime, I STILL want to know:
1.) Which of my safe and far more effective alternatives is more
dangerous than your "registered" pesticide POISONS?
2.) Do you actually have a MSDS for these "registered"
pesticides POISONS you write are not hazardous or "poisonous to humans when
used judiciously"? Does that
MSDS contain all of the "inerts"?
3.) Please explain how can any "registered" economic POISON not
be "poisonous" (to any/all non-target species)?
4.) Do you honestly believe I would be more of a "professional"
if I used your "registered" POISONS?
Sincerely, Stephen
L. Tvedten
From Scott:
Steve,
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Scott Dideon
Steve's Response:
Dear Scott,
I will ask Linda to remove your comments and
e-mails from my web site. Please do not write me again if you don't wish your
comments to be shared with the world. I
do not think your first letter to me or any of your subsequent e-mails were to
have "an honest dialog." I
think you were trying to ram your opinions down my throat and/or to scare me.
In the future if you wish to have an honest dialog, start by asking a
question - not suggesting I will be sued. I
have asked Linda to save this and all other communications from and to you on a
disk. I have also asked an
investigative reporter to keep them. What
I do and say, I do in the light.
Why don't you step into the light. What
do you have to be ashamed of? If
your comments were true, why would you want them not to be part of the public
domain? I only have one goal and
that is to protect the public, what is your goal?
Steve
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