WELCOME TO DR. BILL'S SCIENCE INFORMATION SITE.
PARADOXES
Pharmacology is the science that studies the effects of drugs.
Toxicology is the study of poisons.
What exactly is the definition of a poison?
No one would disagree that a poison is some chemical that causes harm to some species. What species, if poisoned, causes us concern - Is it man - a fish - a Plant - a bacteria?
Antibiotics are poisons to bacteria but beneficial to man. Is it acceptable to destroy the bacteria (a living form), because this will benefit man by preventing disease?
What about using living forms for food? Animals and/or plants are living forms that can be consumed for their nutrients.
A vegetarian prefers eating plants. Are they , in not eating animals, justifying eating the plant because they have rationalized that it is more dispensible or a lesser life form?
But, these same vegetarians may also subtype plants into those which they consider okay to destroy but others which should not be destroyed.
For example, they may have no problems eating seeds, leaves, stems, or roots of various plants, but may not want trees in the rainforest to be destroyed.
These paradoxes are being presented - not to put down - any person or group in terms of their beliefs, but rather to open discussions between divergent and sometimes contentious disputes between groups.
Another paradox involves spraying insecticides/pesticides to destroy mosquitoes which may carry west nile virus. In the fall of 1999 and spring of 2000 many officials in Westchester County New York, and other states are considering what to do about possibly infected mosquitoes.
In the tri-state area approximately 7 people died , possibly from infection with west-nile virus. Normally, in a typical epidemiological discussion of possible epidemics or pandemics, a total number of deaths so small would be considered insignificant. Believe me any death is serious to the families and loved ones. However, again a question is raised - should insecticides/pesticides such as malathion or sumithrin be sprayed over the tri-State areas (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut)?
The insecticides in question are potentially dangerous to the total population, while west nile virus is significant primarily to the elderly, immune compromised people, and those with respiratory diseases. The experts claim that the insecticides - malathion and sumithrin - are dangerous to only a small percentage of people. What is that percentage? If the number of deaths from insecticide spraying exceeds 7 (the number of deaths from west nile virus) - what is the benefit of spraying.
Likewise, the current focus in the Westchester County area in the spring of 2000 is to use larvicides and then sumithrin (or something else) to try to eradicate mosquitoes.
Again, the question must be asked - Can we eliminate mosquitoes only with the insecticide/larvicide formulations?
Are the authorities going to use these chemicals after every heavy rain through the spring, summer and fall seasons - BECAUSE - following every rain - mosquito breeding will occur.
These issues and many others are fair game for open discussions. However, one must recognize that some base of scientific information is required to assess the risks and benefits of any chemical that is being used.
It is my goal to present such scientific information and hopefully allow for more temperance in attitudes among concerned individuals.
