Chemistry is a language. I will bet that in the future people with native language skills will do very well in chemistry. I hated chemistry in college but I loved biology and subsequently microbiology and I realized that I would have to force myself :-) so I learned a bit about chemistry during my PhD work on DNA damage and repair. I am although not the most at ease with languages other than English.
Acetone is C3H6O. Our own bodies make it in very small amounts. It is even somewhat true that the solution to pollution is dilution. People worry a lot about plastic and the tiny tiny amounts of problematic chemicals in it and are completely blind to the vastly larger amounts of toxic chemicals that they expose themselves to in other activities.
I also find it questionable to concentrate something -even a biological compound- ten, a hundred, a thousand fold and use it without question because it is natural. So is acetone but you really wouldn’t want to bathe in it, or breathe it, or… And while I am sure there are many beneficial essential oils, I am hesitant to become too trusting.
But I do know that the biocide neem oil is one of the most toxic compounds available on the market today. There is a reason that it is a good fungicide and is bactericidal. It will not be kind to your intestinal flora, it is highly toxic in aquatic environments think dragonflies many other mosquito predators. Please do not use it or allow your gardeners to do so.
On another chemistry note: Based on research completed at the United States Environmental Assessment Center, (www.dhmo.org)
Hydric acid (aka. dihydrogen monoxide) :
•is the major component of acid rain.
•contributes to the Greenhouse Effect.
•may cause severe burns.
•accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
•may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
•has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.Additionally, dihydrogen monoxide is found in many of the foods we eat, used as a solvent in most pesticides and is very difficult to be removed from most biological systems.
And, from my own research work:
•upon partial decomposition it generates hydroxyl radical one of the most toxic oxidants known.
•generates highly explosive gases upon full decomposition.
Two separate studies found that 86% and 90% of Americans, respectively, felt that they would in fact sign a petition and support an outright ban on dihydrogen monoxide.
And if you find the above appalling, feel free to comment. And I might have been too subtle here. Knowledge and reading is a really good thing. Dihydrogen monoxide is H2…. O (water) 86% and 90% of people questioned would vote to ban it. Please, please, please, if you want to be a permaculturist start by learning some basic chemistry.
Bob
Best to you all.
www.PuraVidaAquatic.com