What: CDFA is holding a meeting in Sonoma prior to covering the Arnold Drive portion of the valley with thousands of toxic twist ties.

Where & When: June 2nd, 5:30 PM at Flowery Elementary School which is located at 17600 Sonoma Hwy
Sonoma. CA 95476

It is especially horrific to me that this meeting is being conducted at an elementary school, and yet at the same time, it is appropriate, because Flowery School’s children will soon be exposed to extremely dangerous substances if CDFA is allowed to proceed with their plan to festoon the area with toxic Isomate LBAM Plus twist ties. I have been trying to contact the principal of the school, Joyce Schipper to alert her to the danger her students will be in, but have so far only managed to speak with another employee who said she would give my contact information to the principal.

Facts You Need To Know

Here is the Material Safety Data Sheet for this product. Bearing in mind that Material Safety Data Sheets are prepared by pesticide manufacturers and therefore not very trustworthy, here are several salient points to notice on the data sheet:

1) 33.48% of the ingredients in the twist ties are secret. They do not have to be disclosed to the public because of laws which protect trade secrets rather than public health.

2) The product is being listed as harmful if absorbed through skin and dangerous to the eyes. People exposed to the product are instructed to contact a poison control center and go to a doctor.

3) You are supposed to bring the container for the toxic twist tie with you to the doctor. You will not have the container if you are poisoned by LBAM twist ties.

4) Because 33.48% of the ingredients on the twist ties are secret, your doctor will have no idea what you were poisoned by.

5) The MSDS says that this poison must not be applied to water or areas where water surface is present. In other words, you must not put it near creeks, ponds, coasts, reservoirs, rivers, or any other type of watershed. The sheet says do not contaminate water when disposing of this product. From this, we understand that Isomate-LBAM PLUS twist ties contaminate water.

6) This is an unregistered product that has been approved for use in California only. It has not gone through the normal battery of tests required of registered products.

7) The effects of synthetic insect pheromones on human beings are unknown. CDFA will say they have been used for a decade without incident, but they will not say synthetic insect pheromones have been used on VEGETABLES, not people. There is a growing body of scientific evidence which, in fact, indicates that exposure to synthetic insect pheromones like the ones on the twist ties may cause violent, sexually aggressive behavior in large mammals, including human beings. Please, do not fail to read this article regarding the effect of synthetic insect pheromones on humans and large mammals, published by Professor Joe Cummins and Sam Burcher of the Institute of Science in Society. This is not something we want our children or ourselves to be exposed to – these synthetic lab chemical pheromones are likely to soon be declared a major human health menace.

Why is the California Deparment of Food and Agriculture Doing This?

The twist ties are being use as part of CDFAs program that intends to eradicate a small, basically harmless insect called the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). One by one, independent scientists have stepped forward to prove that the LBAM poses NO threat to agriculture. Even CDFA admits that it has done zero damage in California. One by one, independent doctors have stepped forward to explain how the chemicals in CDFA’s program are incredibly, and in some cases, fatally toxic to human beings – especially children! Rather than correctly reclassifying the LBAM has a harmless pest, based on the modern findings of science, CDFA has chosen to benefit from millions of dollars worth of federal funding for their program and they are willing to sicken some 7 million Californians with a combination of aerial spray, twist ties, permethrin-coated telephone poles and other toxic devices in order to get that money.

Again, the moth is NO THREAT to agriculture, native plants or gardens. CDFA’s toxic program, however, is a huge threat to human health.

How Will Children Be Affected?
School children and others in the eradication zone will come into direct contact with the twist ties while walking and playing in the area. We all know how inquisitive children are about their environment, and if they see bright orange ties hanging from every tree and bush they pass or play in, they will investigate these ties with their hands and mouths. The listed and secret chemicals on the ties will come into contact, in this manner, with their skin, their eyes and get into their mouths.

Should CDFA not be stopped in their outrageously dangerous plan and you have children or pets in the eradication zone, please, keep this Poison Control number with you at all times:
1-800-222-1222. Should your child or pet show signs of chemical injury to eyes or skin, begin vomiting or display other signs of illness and you are living or visiting the twist tie zone,
do not delay in seeking emergency help. Because nearly 1/3 of the ingredients in the twist ties are being kept secret from the public, we have no way of knowing just how much damage can be done to a person or animal by coming in contact with them and CDFA will not tell us.

What You Can Expect From CDFA
CDFA has just been found guilty of violating the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by two superior courts because of their hasty, dangerous LBAM program. The bottom line is, CDFA agents are telling lies to the public about the safety of their chosen poisons in this public health crisis.

If you attend the Flowery School meeting, you are likely to meet with a carefully selected panel of ‘experts’ who will tell you that the twist ties are ‘harmless’, ‘safe’, ‘environmentally-friendly’ products. You have the Material Safety Data Sheet that says the exact opposite. Isomate LBAM PLUS Twist ties are poisonous products that humans should not come into contact with and which contaminate the watershed. They do not belong in your neighborhood!

When it comes down to it, this is not an agricultural issue. It is a human rights issue which hinges on your right not to have your body, your children’s bodies exposed to toxic chemicals against your will. This is a human rights issue and the time to fight CDFA’s arrogant intention of violating your body is now.