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[quote=”pebo1″]Well not sure I’d want to order some army ants, what are the normal chemicals and how effective is the DE stuff and how is it applied?
[/quote]

If by DE you mean diatomaceous earth, it is not even slightly toxic. It is the fossil remains [usually 35-50 million years old] of a type of microalgae called diatoms [do a Google search!]. They are used as light abrasives [e.g., toothpaste], swimming pool filters, and absorbants. Individual fossil cell walls are made of silicon dioxide [similar to glass]. They kill spiders/ants/scorpions when the little particles clog the breathing organs [spiracles] of these beasties. So, no poison or toxicity.
If you have seen brown scum on the inside walls of aquariums, you have seen thousands of diatoms.

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[quote=”VictoriaLST”][quote=”pharg”]
A number of questions come to mind immediately. These are “elderly subjects”. When did they spray? What did they spray? What was the concentration of the substances sprayed? What was their exposure (did they wear protective clothing and masks, did they spray on a daily basis, etc.)? Until all those questions are answered, there is no way to even begin to suggest that this study has validity.[/quote]

My, my, you are quick to dismiss the validity of this research because your questions are not answered. Are you assuming the victims are capable of answering any of your questions? I suggest you might talk it over with Catharina Wesseling at UNA before dismissing her multidecadal research. The publication appears to be another brick in the wall since, as Maravilla indicates, the topic has been generally known, since before Rachel Carson.
Meanwhile, another more technical analysis has appeared in the Proceedings on the National Academy of Sciences, summarized as:

New Connection Links Parkinson’s Disease with Pesticide Exposure
Scientific evidence already has connected pesticide exposure with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. Chemicals like paraquat, maneb, and ziram, commonly found in pesticides have been found in farmworkers and others living and working near the fields, and are tied to an increase in the disease. New research has identified another chemical from pesticides, benomyl, that is linked to Parkinson’s. The toxic effects of benomyl are still found in the environment, even 10 years after the chemical was banned by the EPA. This chemical triggers a series of cellular events leading to Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The most obvious symptoms are involuntary shaking, rigidity, slower movement, and difficulty walking or walking with a gait. As it advances, it can lead to dementia, sensory, sleep, and emotional problems. Famous individuals who suffer from the disease include actor Michael J. Fox and boxer Muhammad Ali.
Benomyl exposure begins the process of Parkinson’s by blocking the enzyme called ALDH, which is an enzyme responsible for preventing a toxin called DOPAL from accumulating in the brain. If the enzyme is blocked, DOPAL in the brain will eventually damage neurons and increase the risk of the disease.
For three decades, benomyl was used widely in pesticides in the USA. Evidence began to arise identifying its toxic effects including tumors, brain malfunction, carcinogenesis, and reproductive disorders. Benomyl was banned in 2001.
The new research conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) made the connection between benomyl and Parkinson’s. Most importantly, they identified the target enzyme, ALDH. This enzyme can be the focus of future research. If there is a way to prevent ALDH from being blocked by bodily contaminants, then the DOPAL could never build up and damage the nervous system.
“We’ve known that in animal models and cell cultures, agricultural pesticides trigger a neurodegenerative process that leads to Parkinson’s,” said Bronstein, who directs the UCLA Movement Disorders Program. “And epidemiologic studies have consistently shown the disease occurs at high rates among farmers and in rural populations. Our work reinforces the hypothesis that pesticides may be partially responsible, and the discovery of this new pathway may be a new avenue for developing therapeutic drugs.”
The study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

I am not a pesticide chemist, nor do I play on on TV.:P

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This seems to be the de facto thread to expound on dietary opinions, and since there has been comment on the desirability or organic/nonorganic ag products, I thought I’d throw this in about pesticides. It just appeared in
the professional journal ‘Environmental Research’ (volume 120, pages 96-101, January 2013). One of the authors is C. Wesseling, from UNA in Heredia, and if you’re interested enough, you can try to contact this person for more details. The title of the research article is:
“Occupational pesticide exposure and screening tests for neurodegenerative disease among an elderly population in Costa Rica”.
Here is the summary (abstract)of the article:
Background. Pesticides have been associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in many studies, and with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in a few.
Methods. We conducted screening tests for neurologic disease and occupational pesticide use in a population-based sample of 400 elderly subjects at two government-run clinics in Costa Rica; 361 subjects who failed the initial screen were given both the Mini-mental States Exam (MMSE) and a modified version of a 10-item United Parkinson’s Disease Rating Motor Subscale (UPDRS). Among subjects who failed either test, 144 were then examined by a neurologist.
Results. Past occupational pesticide exposure was reported by 18% of subjects. Exposed subjects performed worse on the MMSE than the non-exposed (mean 24.5 versus 25.9, p=0.01, adjusted for age, sex, and education). The exposed had significantly elevated risks of abnormal scores on two UPDRS items, tremor-at-rest (OR 2.58, 1.28–5.23), and finger-tapping (OR=2.94, 95% CI 1.03–8.41). Thirty-three (23%) of those examined by the neurologist were diagnosed with possible/probable PD, 3–4 times the expected based on international data; 85% of these cases had not been previously diagnosed. Among subjects who took the UPDRS, the exposed had an increased risk of PD (OR=2.57, 95% CI 0.91–7.26). No excess risk was found for a diagnosis of AD or mild cognitive impairment.
Conclusions. Elderly subjects with past occupational pesticide exposure performed significantly worse on screening tests for dementia and PD, and had an increased risk of an eventual PD diagnosis. Screening may be particularly appropriate among elderly subjects with past pesticide exposure.
________________________________________
Highlights. We screened 400 elderly subjects for neurologic disease and pesticide exposure in Costa Rica in 2 government clinics. ? Those with self-reported past occupational pesticide exposure performed significantly worse on cognitive and motor tests. ? Those reporting past occupational pesticide exposure had an odds ratio of 2.57 (0.91–7.26) for Parkinson’s disease. ? Prevalence of Parkinson’s disease was 3–4 times the expected in this population. ? Screening for neurologic disease may be particularly appropriate for those with past pesticide exposure.

FWIW
PEH

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[quote=”guru”]
Probably the most underdeveloped popular beach town in CR is Cahuita. We were shocked when we got there at sundown that there were no sizable hotels or anything recognizable as a hotel/motel. [/quote]

Another anecdote. It looks like Cahuita has not changed much. In 1979 I stayed on the beach overnight in a 150cm long tent [I am 185 cm long].
I awoke at dawn to find a determined and extensive regiment of leaf cutter ants quick-stepping across my ankles with their loot. Fascinating. 😛

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[quote=”guru”]
We had a similar experience on the way to Cahuita in Orrosi (just South of Paraiso). We found the hotel Sanchiri just as they were closing the gates. This place had very nice large rooms with one of the most fantastic views of anywhere we visited in CR.
[/quote]

I second that comment on Hotel Sanchiri – the views of the valley are spectacular, the grounds are beautiful, & the food is good. BUT the downshifting of 18-wheelers coming down into the valley all night long, with the surrounding hills acting as a sounding board, will keep light sleepers awake.:?
http://www.sanchiri.com/

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Due to the FDA and innumerable marketing schemes and farm lobbyists, the word “organic” has come to mean, explicitly or implicitly, healthy stuff that is better for you than non-organic. The reality is, that any substance based on carbon atoms, frequently but not always of biological origin, is by definition organic: formaldehyde, coal, dioxin, nerve gas, limestone, gasoline, etc. are all organic compounds. I am skeptical of arguments that “organic” foods (in a marketing sense) are “better”. The life expectancy of someone imbibing organic formaldehyde, nerve gas, and coal is not promising. The chemical composition of persons who promote an “organic” lifestyle sometimes has some surprises. Regardless of where you live, you have measurable amounts of organic chemicals that do you no good, which enter you from food you eat, water you drink, and [b]especially[/b] air you breathe. The astounding variety of these chemicals was the subject of a National Geographic article several years ago. Unfortunately I lost the exact reference but an approximation is here:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2006/10/toxic-people/duncan-text/1

Human physiology uses these unwanted chemicals in unpleasant ways, but whether you live in Costa Rica or Cleveland or Cornwall, you’ve got ‘em. Different areas, different chemicals. Doubt it? Here’s a typical example. Though DDT has been banned for decades, and has never been used in polar regions, both penguins in the Antarctic and polar bears in the Arctic have DDT in their tissues which has been implicated in reproductive inhibition and reduction in adult size in both. Though an “organic” [in a health food sense] diet may [or may not] reduce our overall exposure to organic [in a chemical sense] chemicals, they are with us always. Happy New Year.

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[quote=”maravilla”]the “rust” is really not something to worry about, where as fluoride and iodine (neither naturally-occuring but chemicals of dubious origin) are.
[/quote]

Last flog of a dead horse.
Nearly all table salt is dried or fossil seawater. In normal liquid seawater, fluorine is about 13 parts per million; iodine is much less: 0.064 parts per million. So, both are “naturally occurring”.
ALL chemical elements are the result of stellar explosions over the last 13 billion years, so they are not of “dubious origin”.
Iodine is a NECESSARY micronutrient. Deficiency leads to hypothryroidism due to loss of thyroid hormones, leading to goiters, depression, weight gain; also this deficiency is the leading cause of PREVENTABLE mental retardation..
The End

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[quote=”maravilla”] i buy pink himalayan salt. …………. you have to read the labels.[/quote]

Yes, himalayan pink salt has the distinction of being several hundred million years old, and in addition to being 95-96% sodium chloride, is up to 2% calcium sulfate dihydrate [that is, gypsum: great for wallboard, not so much for digestion]. The pink color is due to iron oxide, which we call “rust”. You don’t see this on the label, but hey, everyone needs a little iron for “strong blood”
Merry Xmas. 😛

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[quote=”elindermuller”]Does anyone know if and where you can buy, in Costa Rica, salt that is free of any chemicals such as fluorine and jodine ?[/quote]

When you say “salt,” you probably mean table salt as a condiment. Table salt is overwhelmingly sodium chloride: about 99%.

There are other anions of the halide series, especially bromide, fluoride, iodide and astatide, which are normally present in trace amounts, even in table salt that is not “iodized”.

These are pretty much in all table salt, which is normally mined in various places (that is, it is fossil dried up ocean water).

“Sea Salt” also contains all of these, plus more. The only sodium chloride NOT containing the other halides is reagent grade sodium chloride, used in lab experiments.

I strongly doubt that any table salt lacks these trace amounts. Table salt may also contain sodium ferrocyanide [in nontoxic amounts], and traces of other salts that retard caking such as silicon dioxide, calcium & magnesium carbonate, calcium aluminosilicate, and tricalcium phosphate.

You could probably buy reagent grade salt (that is, sodium chloride) in Costa Rica, but it would be prohibitively expensive. Better to forget this mini chemistry lecture and just buy un-iodized table salt.

😉

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[quote=”camby”][quote=”sprite”]Especially comforting knowing that the IRS is not even a part of the US government. It is a private company which collects taxes which go to foreign banks.[/quote]
IRS is an illegal, unconstitutional agency, Federal Reserve is a private banking estblishment, that for last 100 yrs, the GOp and Dems both have kept alive and w/tentacles in our lives…[/quote]

Without mentioning any names, methinks there are some members of this forum who appear to be reincarnations of the late great George Carlin.
[go to YouTube, hunt for “George Carlin – Why You are in Debt”]

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Not to flog a genetically engineered (or not) horse, but the following article just popped into my consciousness:
http://blog.ucsusa.org/the-long-and-short-of-long-term-safety-testing-of-ge-foods-part-2/
It seems that this thread is dying out, so this may be a last gasp.
PEH

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[quote=”Scott”]

“Who gives a damn what anybody else thinks, and that includes you own family which is typically the biggest stumbling block for most people.”
[/quote]

Unfortunately a lot of unsolicited opinion is based purely on [b]ignorance[/b] (present group excepted of course :wink:) – a good example is “Why do you want to move to that place – it’s an island, isn’t it?” (confusing Puerto Rico with C.R.). And of course there are scores of examples of ignorance leading up to the U.S. election.

A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation. -Moliere

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Can Scott or anyone else recommend a GOOD restaurant in the vicinity of Parque La Sabana? (preferably less than $115 for two)
PEH

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. . . which is just one more example of forum drift.
[/quote]

I believe Scott has a vaccine for that.

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[/quote]
And viruses mutate.[/quote]

…and speaking of mutate, the topic of this thread here is Crime in Costa Rica, which seems to have mutated to: “why I will/will not get vaccinated no matter what you say”.
PEH

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