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From: Self <123> Hi Kathy; I've been reading your posts on well water and thinking about my own childhood on a farm........ > > In a message dated 6/29/98 6:20:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > [log in to unmask] writes: > > Second, re pesticides and well water issues, there are more than 30 > studies which confirm an association between PD and rural living, drinking > well water, involvement in agricultural pursuits, etc., so you are correct > in seeking an explanation there. Again, however, the scientific community > overall stops short of calling these factors A cause or THE cause of > disease. > > > I don't understand why if there are 30 studies which confirm an association > between PD and pesticides in well water that they don't alert the general > public to this fact. Back when my family was drinking water out of a well > that was less than a foot away from a farmer's field they probably were > unaware of the association, but now that they know why aren't they trying to > protect other people from going through the same heartache that we are. It > makes me angry to think that right now there could be thousands of people > drinking well water that could trigger such a terrible disease just because > they are uninformed about the dangers. > > Kathy > Kathy, when I was a child in the '40s & '50s we did not have any environmental conscience what-so-ever....... We drank water from shallow wells, from snow melt, from run off etc. We had a blacksmith shop and there were vials of "quick silver" (mercury) and we rubbed pennies and played with mercury. We sprayed DDT everywhere, including kitchen and bedroom window screens, to control the housefly population. As teenagers we sometimes worked for other farmers spraying crops with 2-4-D and no one observed any precaution re: skin contact from mixing or cleaning nozzles; breathing the overspray; rubber gloves; protective clothing; etc. In the spring we planted acres of crop with treated seed (treated with a mercury compound). When I was 16, I worked in the oil patch and again virtually no precautions were taken when mixing drilling fluids; caustic soda; cement etc. We siphoned gasoline to prime stalled motors and sometimes got a mouthful. When I started working on elevators it was a common practice to wash electrical parts and even large motors with carbon - tet. Elevator shafts and entire buildings were lined with asbestos. There were no warnings or precautions. Most or all of these things were just part of rural life of the day that is now, in hindsight, associated with a potential increased risk for illnesses, including Parkinson's. I'm lucky to be as healthy as I am. My point is that todays environmental standards and the attendant awareness level is such that the preceding activities are for the most part banned by law and certainly no longer practised, naively or not, by anyone. I'm sure it is not considered necessary to post every action that might remotely be detrimental to your health - including the use of shallow wells as a source of drinking water. The focus, in my mind, should be on stopping mankind in the things we do that can harm the food chain. Yes, contaminated water sources are problematic, but let's stop the sources of this contamination. I've read many of the papers studying possible causes of PD and some factors appear to be identifiable as potential risks. None of the papers were able to actually define causes of PD. I think the potential health hazards associated with drinking untested, unfiltered, and unpurified water from shallow wells is far broader in scope and usually of a much more immediate concern than any defined risk for Parkinson's. This little dissertation is getting out-of-hand but they just can't possibly post every hazard. I hope I make a little sense........... Best regards.................Murray 53/4 By the way, I have no idea if any of the above contributed in any way to my Parkinsonian state........ I come from a large family and none of my brothers and sisters show any signs of PD or other serious health problems. My great aunt was born and raised and lived all her life in the city. She had Parkinson's. [log in to unmask]