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Re: [GWL]: Rodale Press

Carol wrote:
>
> And like Ellen I'd love to know the drawbacks with Neem. I have a bottle
of it and was amazed
> that the advised safety precautions on the literature that came with it
are far stronger than
> those given by the manufacturers of chemical products. So strong that the
bottle sits untouched
> until I find out why they want me to wear a suit of armor before spraying.
> Carol
> --
>

I don't know why the precautions are so strong. I haven't used it for a few
years, so don't have a bottle handy. And all my books are packed because I'm
getting ready to move, so I can't even look it up. So I called a friend who
has been using it this year and asked her to check the label when she goes
to work tomorrow. She has a formulation meant for commercial growers and
I'll be curious to see what it says. She did say that she undoubtedly read
the label before using it and that she hasn't done more than the usual mask.
Like most farmers, she uses a mask even when spraying something as benign as
liquid seaweed or nettle tea.

I do know that neem is non-toxic to mammals unless they actually chew up a
bunch of the seeds that contain the active ingredient. In India, it's a
common ingredient in toothpaste, many cosmetics, and some pharmaceuticals.
It kills many types of insects, but only if they ingest it. Predatory and
parasitic insects escape from it because they don't eat it. It biodegrades
quickly into totally harmless substances. The active ingredient is an
extremely complicated chemical. I have read that this is why insects do not
easily become immune to it. Some researchers think it also inhibits the
germination of some fungal diseases.

My problems with neem have to do with money, not ecology. Neem has been used
for hundreds of years in India. A multi-national (I've forgotten which one)
registered their formulation a few years ago. Thanks to the registration,
all neem products now cost many times more than the older formulations. This
would be fine if the only people paying this huge increase were non-Indian.
However, these products have edged out the old ones. Consequently, Indian
farmers are either paying an exorbitant amount for neem or they are not able
to buy it. Vandana (you-know-her-last-name and I-wish-I-had-my-books-handy)
has written extensively about this issue and is well worth reading.

Miranda Smith

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