Orchard Hills - Pesticides

JBean72 said:
qwerty said:
I grew up in a farming community where the crop duster was out spraying every day. My friends dad was actually the pilot and owner of the business. I left at 18 and from what I can tell no one I know has experienced any health issues because of it.

Interesting that you grew up in a farming community - I was just talking about this the other day in mentioning the potential hazards of OH pesticides - and then started thinking about people that own farms that are exposed to this stuff very regularly and close in proximity, and don't end up having health issues.

is there some study that showed farmers using pesticides/herbicides do not have issues or is this some anecdotal account from Qwerty?
 
hello said:
qwerty said:
We come across chemicals everyday - it has got to be some really toxic shit to mess with you otherwise we would all be dead already. The human body is very resilient.

I dont understand this flawed logic.  So if something doesnt kill us right away, its fine? 

Yeah pretty much. I don't want to live past 75 anyway. So if the chemicals save me from shitting myself when I'm 80 I'm good
 
@ hello - purely anecdotal, my family still lives there, my friends families still live there. My brother and sister work for the county. I'm guessing if there were health issues it would be the same kind that would raise red flags. No such flags yet. Besides studies are wrong all the time.
 
qwerty said:
hello said:
qwerty said:
We come across chemicals everyday - it has got to be some really toxic shit to mess with you otherwise we would all be dead already. The human body is very resilient.

I dont understand this flawed logic.  So if something doesnt kill us right away, its fine? 

Yeah pretty much. I don't want to live past 75 anyway. So if the chemicals save me from shitting myself when I'm 80 I'm good

75 years is wishful thinking with that kind of exposure.
 
movingtoOC said:
qwerty said:
hello said:
qwerty said:
We come across chemicals everyday - it has got to be some really toxic shit to mess with you otherwise we would all be dead already. The human body is very resilient.

I dont understand this flawed logic.  So if something doesnt kill us right away, its fine? 

Yeah pretty much. I don't want to live past 75 anyway. So if the chemicals save me from shitting myself when I'm 80 I'm good

75 years is wishful thinking with that kind of exposure.

Isn't heart disease still the number one killer in the US?  Qwerty is TI's fast food loving, wider version of Derek jeter.  He's got a lot more to worry about than pesticides :) :) :) :)
 
Yeah - my dad lived into his late 70s eating red meat 2-3 times a day and working directly with the pesticides so don't think I need to wish too hard.

I'm with bones - a heart attack will probably take me out before the pesticide or toxic land exposure do.
 
JBean72 said:
qwerty said:
Have you taken your kid to an dermatologist for allergy tests?

Not yet, we just saw the pediatrician, but that will be the next step.

Most pesticides are neurotoxins that at low level exposure would likely cause more subtle effects. The article that movingtooc posted with the drawings is in children with heavy pesticide exposure. The other simply states that children who live in areas where pesticides are used are more exposed than children who don't. No causality is suggested. 

Your child's symptoms suggest environmental allergy such as pollen, though with construction in the area it could be anything. Seeing an allergist can be helpful. I would also make sure you change your air filters regularly (monthly while construction is nearby) and run the fan to filter the air. You can also consider an additional HEPA air filter in your child's room.  I hope he feels better soon
 
We have Honeywell hpa300s in every bedroom. Would highly recommend. It cycles the air 5 times every hour.
 
wrigley said:
JBean72 said:
qwerty said:
Have you taken your kid to an dermatologist for allergy tests?

Not yet, we just saw the pediatrician, but that will be the next step.

Most pesticides are neurotoxins that at low level exposure would likely cause more subtle effects. The article that movingtooc posted with the drawings is in children with heavy pesticide exposure. The other simply states that children who live in areas where pesticides are used are more exposed than children who don't. No causality is suggested. 

Your child's symptoms suggest environmental allergy such as pollen, though with construction in the area it could be anything. Seeing an allergist can be helpful. I would also make sure you change your air filters regularly (monthly while construction is nearby) and run the fan to filter the air. You can also consider an additional HEPA air filter in your child's room.  I hope he feels better soon

They're also carcinogens linked to different types of childhood and adult cancers.
 
I think the question most people try to ask themselves when buying in OH is not whether you can live with pesticide, but whether it's a lesser evil than the other potential health hazard in another village.

I believe when you research into every Irvine community, you will find something undesirable.  So is the only answer moving out of Irvine?  Or CA all together?

So what can we do as residents?

I think having the whole community petition the orchard owner to go organic is a good idea.  But what if that leads to him being unprofitable and closing down his operations?  What if we lose the orchards that actually makes this village unique and comfortable?  Maybe a happy median could be made.

Im guessing we would need to find out who the owner is, what type of pesticide he's using, gather related health studies of the type of chemical and method he's using, and petition the city or the owner directly to switch to an alternate method.  Since this all sounds very costly, would we involve the HOA to fork any legal bill?  Then it means we probably will need to raise the HOA dues.  Will we be able to get enough support to increase the dues for such an endeavor?

Having a sick child and watching them suffer is horrible.  I'm sorry your family is dealing with that.  I remember always being sick when I was still very young living overseas.  When I moved to the U.S. my allergies disappeared.  Hopefully changing the filters frequently and having some air purifiers in the house will help him.

Also I find that a lot of us pump the AC continuously during these hot summer days.  It always feels very good for our whole family, including our little ones' nose when we shut off the thermometer and let some "fresh" air circulate through the house.
 
qwerty said:
I grew up in a farming community where the crop duster was out spraying every day. My friends dad was actually the pilot and owner of the business. I left at 18 and from what I can tell no one I know has experienced any health issues because of it.
Finally an explanation for those mutant calves.

cropdusting = calves of granite
 
wrigley said:
JBean72 said:
qwerty said:
Have you taken your kid to an dermatologist for allergy tests?

Not yet, we just saw the pediatrician, but that will be the next step.

Most pesticides are neurotoxins that at low level exposure would likely cause more subtle effects. The article that movingtooc posted with the drawings is in children with heavy pesticide exposure. The other simply states that children who live in areas where pesticides are used are more exposed than children who don't. No causality is suggested. 

Your child's symptoms suggest environmental allergy such as pollen, though with construction in the area it could be anything. Seeing an allergist can be helpful. I would also make sure you change your air filters regularly (monthly while construction is nearby) and run the fan to filter the air. You can also consider an additional HEPA air filter in your child's room.  I hope he feels better soon

We haven't ruled out the possibility of environmental allergies - we already have an appt with an allergist this week. I'll keep you all posted here, and let you know what he says ;)

And I agree, I think living here is a lesser evil than other places in Irvine, but still makes me question the pesticides.

I think a simple test will take care of any questions I have in my mind.
 
Let me warn you that the tests (skin or blood tests) to check for environmental allergies are not very accurate in toddlers or young children. Test can be negative despite the presence of allergies. Other possibility is that some of the symptoms could be due to irritation and may not be due to allergic reactions.
 
bones said:
movingtoOC said:
qwerty said:
hello said:
qwerty said:
We come across chemicals everyday - it has got to be some really toxic shit to mess with you otherwise we would all be dead already. The human body is very resilient.

I dont understand this flawed logic.  So if something doesnt kill us right away, its fine? 

Yeah pretty much. I don't want to live past 75 anyway. So if the chemicals save me from shitting myself when I'm 80 I'm good

75 years is wishful thinking with that kind of exposure.

Isn't heart disease still the number one killer in the US?  Qwerty is TI's fast food loving, wider version of Derek jeter.  He's got a lot more to worry about than pesticides :) :) :) :)

LOL! 

Pesticides are linked to heart disease.  Im sure most people associate pesticides to only cancer but there are numerous other consequences, heart disease just being one.  We are constantly finding out that there variable factors that play into each disease state.  Environment, genetics, and even emotional states, etc.  Its not a directly one cause to one effect relationship.  The scariest thing, in my opinion, is the unknown since each chemical is found to have such diverse effects on the human body.

Too many Big Mac supersized combos and a constant dose of pesticides should put Qwerty in the grave much earlier than 75...  LOL
 
TJinOH said:
I think the question most people try to ask themselves when buying in OH is not whether you can live with pesticide, but whether it's a lesser evil than the other potential health hazard in another village.

I believe when you research into every Irvine community, you will find something undesirable.  So is the only answer moving out of Irvine?  Or CA all together?

So what can we do as residents?

I think having the whole community petition the orchard owner to go organic is a good idea.  But what if that leads to him being unprofitable and closing down his operations?  What if we lose the orchards that actually makes this village unique and comfortable?  Maybe a happy median could be made.

Im guessing we would need to find out who the owner is, what type of pesticide he's using, gather related health studies of the type of chemical and method he's using, and petition the city or the owner directly to switch to an alternate method.  Since this all sounds very costly, would we involve the HOA to fork any legal bill?  Then it means we probably will need to raise the HOA dues.  Will we be able to get enough support to increase the dues for such an endeavor?

Having a sick child and watching them suffer is horrible.  I'm sorry your family is dealing with that.  I remember always being sick when I was still very young living overseas.  When I moved to the U.S. my allergies disappeared.  Hopefully changing the filters frequently and having some air purifiers in the house will help him.

Also I find that a lot of us pump the AC continuously during these hot summer days.  It always feels very good for our whole family, including our little ones' nose when we shut off the thermometer and let some "fresh" air circulate through the house.

I think the irvine company owns these orchards.  I spoke to a representative from irvine pacific and he said the orchards are actually owned by TIC. 
 
hello said:
I think the irvine company owns these orchards.  I spoke to a representative from irvine pacific and he said the orchards are actually owned by TIC. 

Not only TIC own these avocado orchards, they are making a killing on it.  TIC produce 10 millions ponds of avocado a year and the revenue rumors to be $14 millions a year.

Fruits of Irvine Co.'s labor
 
lnc said:
hello said:
I think the irvine company owns these orchards.  I spoke to a representative from irvine pacific and he said the orchards are actually owned by TIC. 

Not only TIC own these avocado orchards, they are making a killing on it.  TIC produce 10 millions ponds of avocado a year and the revenue rumors to be $14 millions a year.

Fruits of Irvine Co.'s labor

Ha! In that case, there's probably a snowball's chance in hell of getting them to stop using pesticides.

Regarding the comment about the allergist - I'm not expecting 100% conclusive results, & understand that testing is not 100% reliable and definitive. I think the allergist can give us his own educated guess as to what's going on so we can make a final decision.

We were told by the pediatrician, given the symptoms that it sounds more like irritation than allergies due to lack of watery eyes, and a runny nose. These are not your typical allergy symptoms.

Regardless, we are getting the vents cleaned, run the IQ air filter in the house daily, and keep the house immaculate - it's literally as clean as you can get. Those are the only precautions we can take for now until we can at least figure out what could be going on.
 
I have read about half but not the entire thread. Do you have hard floors in your home? When something happens like this happens, our minds tend to jump to the worst. It may not be due to pesticides at all. It could be a very simple reason. The reason I asked about the flooring is because I've read online about how the flooring trend has worsened allergies for some people. It may seem counter-intuitive but carpet will trap dust and debris and prevent it from being airborne whereas with hard flooring, obviously it is not trapping particles and the resident is exposed... that's what it was saying. It's worth thinking about.
 
SoCal said:
I have read about half but not the entire thread. Do you have hard floors in your home? When something happens like this happens, our minds tend to jump to the worst. It may not be due to pesticides at all. It could be a very simple reason. The reason I asked about the flooring is because I've read online about how the flooring trend has worsened allergies for some people. It may seem counter-intuitive but carpet will trap dust and debris and prevent it from being airborne whereas with hard flooring, obviously it is not trapping particles and the resident is exposed... that's what it was saying. It's worth thinking about.

It could very well be. I'm not ruling out any and all possibilities. The pesticides may not be an issue whatsoever, but it doesn't hurt to rule out all possibilities. And yes we have hardwood floors, but had similar ones in a previous household without any issues for 4 years in living there.

As an FYI - I am not the only one that has come forward, I have had other residents c/o similar if not worse issues than ours, but cannot get into detail about this.
 
Back
Top