Blog Archive

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Lies or naïveté?

I'm becoming more cynical in my old age, and I think it stems from being marketed to on a daily basis. It is very hard to get a direct answer to a question and I am starting to think too much of the population has undergone media training and turned themselves into mini politicians.

Just watch the 7:30 report and take note of the familiar format: question asked by presenter - marketing guff replied by guest politician (without question being answered) and you'll see what I mean. Then go out and ask someone a question that they may find confronting and watch their inner marketer errupt a la 7:30 report.

Where am I going with this?

Well, it came to mind just now after talking to a lovely man outside my house in a reflective jacket, rubber gloves and a big hand help sprayer tank full of bright green liquid.

So he's the one who killed my violets. Why did he not spray the thistles two meters down the road from the poor violets? I won't ever know because, well, I didn't ask him.

Instead, I asked what is that you're spraying?
'biodegradable round up'
Me: oh, it's round up. Ok.
'yep, it's made from pine needles and is safe to pour into your fish tank, it won't kill the fish.'
Me: ok, thanks. (walking away)
'yeah, that's the way the councils going nowadays, all green you know.'

So, curious about the need for rubber gloves with this new whizz bang biodegradable pine needle version of round up, I promptly googled it.

Well, it doesn't exist, there is one called biactive that can be used for aquatic sites, but it still warns against use on fish and waterways! It is a glyphosate, these are linked to non Hodgkin lymphoma, DNA damage and hormonal disorders, and not a lovely natural pine needle derived solution at all! What I did find by googling is that the company that produces round up have been sued in two large developed nations (not Australia) for claiming that their product is biodegradable.

Food for thought...

1 comment:

  1. I think he wasn't lying at all, I think he was probably just repeating what his employer had said to him. It's a lesson in the importance of skepticism. Especially for workers who are unknowingly being exposed to potentially hazardous chemicals they are told are safe.

    ReplyDelete

About Me

Footscray, Victoria, Australia
I sew, design and create whilst also being a loving mother of one beautiful son. Like thousands of other women, my nesting instinct led me to a sewing machine and I haven't stopped since. I adore all fabric, but try to only buy organics. I simply can't resist a good Japanese linen though, so I do make an exception on organics sometimes!!