Patf Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 I was horrified today to see a tractor with container of something evil on the back, the driver spraying with a large manually held hosepipe along the edges of a nearby lane. Clouds of the stuff blowing about and the driver with no protection at all. Our dogs started to chase it but I managed to get them in. Surely the driver can't be ignorant of the dangers? Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 There seems to be a school of thought (or maybe a school of not thinking) that assumes that these products must be OK, otherwise they wouldn't be available.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 It could of course have been nothing more dangerous than lime powder - personally I would have used a mask but basically not dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted September 12, 2006 Author Share Posted September 12, 2006 So what would lime powder be used for, Andy? He was spraying the hedgerow too. Pat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 It's a soil improver - and totally accepted by the organic gardeners. It helps break down heavy clays and balances out acidic (peaty for example) soils.However if he was spraying the hedgerow it seems unlikely - but the real point I was trying to make is that since we do not know what he was spraying we have no idea if there was any risk to anyone/anything at all. We simply have no idea whether the farmer was acting responsibly, or maybe with criminal negligence.There is a general misunderstanding in the community at large that "chemicals" are bad/dangerous, and we should stick with "natural" products. In some, even many, cases this may be true, but we are surrounded by chemicals and are even made up of them ourselves.Just as an example:Water is a chemical - and jolly good for you in the correct amounts.Belladonna - deadly night shade - is natural, and appart from putting a tincture in the eyes to dilate the pupils, I would not recommend being in contact with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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