Johnno
The Living Force
I have some water saving crystals which I have been using in my herbs to prevent them drying out. I'm not sure if anyone is aware of them but they are small crystals which look like coarse sugar. You add water and they swell to around 500 times their size. Seeing we have experienced periods of no rain, I thought these would be a good idea.......or perhaps not.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question581.htm
Anyway curiosity got the better of me, what are these crystals and how do they work?
What I found was that they are either polyacrylamide which was first developed by Monsanto under the trade name Krilium which was first used as a soil stabiliser in the 50's. Either that or Sodium (or Potassium) Acrylate developed by Dow Chemicals.
Now here's the rub. Polyacrylamide is a polymer formed from acrylamide which is a known carcinogen AND a neurotoxin. And Polyacrylamide in it's chained state degrades back over time to form acrylamide. The stability of this acrylamide seems to degrade in 4-12 days to form acryllic acid. Anyway, I found this from a PhD in horticulture on polyacrylamide.
http://www.epa.gov/sciforum/2004/oeiposter/Jha_Mitra.pdf
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16379384
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gel_electrophoresis
http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Chemtrails/Dyn-O-Gel.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question581.htm
Anyway curiosity got the better of me, what are these crystals and how do they work?
What I found was that they are either polyacrylamide which was first developed by Monsanto under the trade name Krilium which was first used as a soil stabiliser in the 50's. Either that or Sodium (or Potassium) Acrylate developed by Dow Chemicals.
Now here's the rub. Polyacrylamide is a polymer formed from acrylamide which is a known carcinogen AND a neurotoxin. And Polyacrylamide in it's chained state degrades back over time to form acrylamide. The stability of this acrylamide seems to degrade in 4-12 days to form acryllic acid. Anyway, I found this from a PhD in horticulture on polyacrylamide.
And also this from a researcher at the EPA.Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor,
Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University
The Myth of Polyacrylamide Hydrogels:
"Polyacrylamide hydrogels are environmentally safe substances that reduce irrigation needs"
The Myth
With a significant drought looming on the horizon for the Pacific Northwest, those of us whose business
or pleasure includes landscape plants are understandably concerned with water issues. In response, the
dot-com websites are full of products promising to reduce water usage in the landscape. Prominent
among these products are hydrogels, which have been used successfully by the landscape industry to
reduce transplant shock and increase containerized plant growth. These hydrogels, sometimes referred to
as root watering crystals or water retention granules, swell like sponges to several times their original size
when hydrated. Water is then released slowly to the surrounding soil, reducing the need for irrigation.
Once considered to be a professional nursery product, hydrogels are increasingly popular with
homeowners who add them to vegetable gardens, container plants, annual beds, lawns, and perennial
landscapes. The most commonly available are polymers of acrylamide and potassium acrylate. These
polymers have a longer functional life, perhaps up to five years, compared to other organic hydrogels
composed of starch, gelatin or agar. These latter hydrogels are commonly used in cosmetic surgery;
polyacrylamide gels are not used for this purpose.
The Reality
My initial concern with hydrogel usage is the public perception that it is a permanent fix. Hydrogels are
routinely touted as pH-neutral, non-toxic, environmentally friendly compounds, which they are in their
polymerized form. The fact remains that after five years virtually all hydrogel will be depolymerized
through natural decomposition processes. The rate of degradation is increased especially in the presence
of fertilizer salts (and no, it doesn’t make any difference if these are synthetic or organic fertilizers).
One is then left with the original soil conditions; in a permanent landscape, this can be problematic unless
other water-conserving steps are then implemented.
My second, and probably greatest, concern occurred when I discovered that hydrogels are constructed of
acrylamide units. When hydrogels break down, they release potassium acrylate and acrylamide.
Acrylamide is a lethal neurotoxin and has been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals. It readily
passes through the skin and can be inhaled as dust. Unfortunately, the chemical data sheets on hydrogels
do not mention the fact that within a few years they will be composed entirely of these acrylamide units.
Since polyacrylamide is defined as “not readily biodegradable” (less than 10% is degraded after 28 days),
some sellers of hydrogels actually promote their products as “nonbiodegradable!”
Who is at risk to acrylamide exposure? Workers in the nursery and landscape industry who routinely use
hydrogels may become exposed to them as they degrade and become toxic. Homeowners who add
hydrogel-containing potting mix to their landscapes or compost piles are exposed. Dogs, cats, and
wildlife that come in contact with these substances are at risk. On a larger scale, entire ecosystems are at
risk as acrylamide is water-soluble and can easily enter watersheds.
One of the greatest pleasures of gardening is getting your hands into good, rich soil and breathing in its
aroma. I believe that the increased, and indiscriminate, use of polyacrylamide hydrogels is an extremely
serious hazard to human health and to the environment.
The Bottom Line
• Hydrogels are organic compounds that will degrade after 2-5 years; they are not a long-lasting
solution to droughty conditions
• Exposure to fertilizer salts will increase the degradation rate of hydrogels
• When hydrogels degrade, one of the byproducts is acrylamide, a deadly neurotoxin and potential
carcinogen
• Acrylamide can be absorbed through the skin or by inhaling; people who have a likely risk of
exposure to this compound absolutely require safety clothing and dust masks
• There are safe (albeit shorter-lived) alternatives to polyacrylamide hydrogels, including starch-
based gels and others currently used in cosmetic surgery
• There are other environmentally sound ways to reduce water usage and improve water retention
of soils than through hydrogels
*You can contact Dr. Chalker-Scott at lindacs@wsu.edu.
http://www.epa.gov/sciforum/2004/oeiposter/Jha_Mitra.pdf
And some people in Wales did some reseacrh where they found the following.Polyacrylamide (PAM) has been sold in the U.S. since 1995 for use as a soil amendment. It has
both soil stabilizing and flocculating properties, controls soil erosion, and improves the soil’s
water-holding capacity. It substantially improves runoff water quality by reducing sediments,
nitrogen, phosphorus, chemical oxygen demand (COD), pesticides, weed seeds, and
microorganisms. An ecological model has been developed to understand the mechanism of
degradation, movement, and the ultimate fate of PAM in environment. PAM in soil systems has
been reported to decompose as a result of physical, chemical, biological, and photochemical
processes and reactions. PAM degrades to an acrylamide monomer via a free radical process
initiated by sunlight by breaking carbon-carbon bonds. Acrylamide is hydrolyzed in soils,
producing NH4
+. The NH4
+ produced, is oxidized to NO2 and NO3 under aerobic condition and
accumulates as NH4
+ under waterlogged conditions. A wide variety of microbes possess the
ability to degrade acrylamide under light or dark, anaerobic or aerobic conditions. Direct
measurement of acrylamide monomers or carbon dioxide/ammonia and their ecological
consequences in the agro/aquatic environment has not been evaluated. PAMs are water soluble
and capable of moving through different soil type under various conditions. Most of the
acrylamide released to the environment is expected to end up in water. PAM has many safety
and environmental concerns. Acrylamide monomers are potential groundwater contaminants and
toxic to human, animal, and plant life. There are several reports of short and long term exposure,
subacute and acute toxicity, subchronic and chronic toxicity, mutagenecity and carcinogenecity,
reproductive disorders, and pharmaookinetic effects of acrylamide on human and animal health.
Since PAM is not covered under FIFRA, it is not regulated. Section 303 (c) of Clean Water Act
requires states and tribes to adopt criteria necessary to protect designated uses and where those
uses may be adversely affected by the presence of a pollutant. In Colorado there is a project to
seal irrigation canals by using PAM. Bureau of Soil Reclamation and other agencies have asked
Region 8 whether PAM (a harmful substance after degradation) application is appropriate to
reduce the Selenium pollution. The use of PAM application has been increasing year after year
in farms and other places. A research pilot is needed to evaluate the PAM-impaired agro/aquatic
system.
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16379384
Polyacrylamide is used as a gel in DNA research to separate out DNA, RNA and protein molecules.Cross-linked polyacrylamide gels are increasingly being used in environmental restoration schemes and horticulture as a means of enhancing water supply to plants. However, the environmental impact of cross-linked polyacrylamide gel deployment in soil remains poorly understood. This study assessed the chemical, physical and biological properties of new and field-conditioned cross-linked polyacrylamide gels. Both monomeric acrylamide (11 μg 1[-1]) and acrylic acid (285 μg 1[-1]) were observed in new gel; however, the levels of monomers in field-conditioned gels (1-6 years old) were very low (acrylamide < 1 pg 1[-1]; acrylic acid < 7 μg 1[-1]). Generally, freeze-thaw processes and exposure to UV radiation had little effect on gel acrylic acid and acrylamide concentrations. However, elevated temperatures (35 °C) caused a significant release of up to 144 μg 1[-1] of acrylamide and 453 μg 1[-1] of acrylic acid in new gel and up to 25 μg 1[-1] of acrylamide and 157 μg 1[-1] of acrylic acid in field-conditioned gels. In contrast, gel water holding capacity was highly dependent upon environmental conditions (UV exposure and freeze/thaw cycles produced the greatest loss of water holding in new gels) and gel age. Optical microscopy revealed that after placement in the field the gels became increasingly colonised over time by fungi and bacteria. In enrichment cultures, we were unable, however, to demonstrate microbial growth when cross-linked polyacrylamide was used as the sole nitrogen source. In , under a range of conditions cross-linked polyacrylamide did not release acrylamide above legally permitted limits, with the exception of gel subjected to elevated temperatures. However, their capacity for holding water decreased sharply within 18 months. We therefore conclude that cross-linked polyacrylamide placed in soil is relatively stable with respect to the production of potentially toxic acrylamide, a species with a short half-life, which degrades to the much less toxic acrylic acid. However, the loss of water holding capacity raises questions about its long-term effectiveness in land restoration schemes as this is the main reason it is used in this role.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gel_electrophoresis
And stranger still, a company who sprayed these crystals ahead of a storm and dried the cloud up.The term "gel" in this instance refers to the matrix used to contain, then separate the target molecules. In most cases the gel is a crosslinked polymer whose composition and porosity is chosen based on the specific weight and composition of the target to be analyzed. When separating proteins or small nucleic acids (DNA, RNA, or oligonucleotides) the gel is usually composed of different concentrations of acrylamide and a cross-linker, producing different sized mesh networks of polyacrylamide. When separating larger nucleic acids (greater than a few hundred bases), the preferred matrix is purified agarose. In both cases, the gel forms a solid, yet porous matrix. Acrylamide, in contrast to polyacrylamide, is a neurotoxin and must be handled using Good Laboratory Practices to avoid poisoning.
"Electrophoresis" refers to the electromotive force (EMF) that is used to move the molecules through the gel matrix. By placing the molecules in wells in the gel and applying an electric current, the molecules will move through the matrix at different rates, usually based on size, toward the cathode if negatively charged or toward the anode if positively charged. This is because negative molecules will be repelled by the negative anode and drawn toward the positive cathode (and vice versa).
http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Chemtrails/Dyn-O-Gel.html
The Dyn-O-Mat company, based in Florida, has patented a substance called Dyn-o-Gel. It's made of water absorbent polymer plastic called a polyacrylamide,which the Dyn-O-Mat company uses in products like oil-absorbing mats that catch auto fluid leaks in garages. It's also used to liquid absorbing disposable diapers. Their theory is that on a massive scale, Dyn-O-Gel can be dumped into hurricanes and possibly lessen their wind speed (the estimate of effectiveness is a 20 mph reduction). Their motivation is purely humanitarian, of course - to save lives and lessen property damage. Their site even helpfully lists some hurricanes, their death tolls and property loss totals to remind us of just how bad hurricanes are and to hint that they could have just sucked the life out of say, Hurricane Andrew, a major super cell of a hurricane that holds the record for the Big Kahuna. My, won't the insurance companies be interested in this!
It all sounds warm and fuzzy until I read further and the company, on a more realistic level, gushes over the possibility of Saving The Day by using this technique to dry up approaching storms that might ruin that All Important Sport Game. Woman's World magazine wrote in March '02: "this powder will give you perfect weather every day and that in a top-secret test, this weather wonder drug was scattered over a storm by military planes. The company spokesman: Peter Cordani. The product: DYN-O-Gel. The Spin: it will "protect the lives of millions, but it'll protect your leisure time, too."
According to the Associated Press, the American Meteorological Society says no hypothesis for hurricane modification has ever been proven to work. Meteorologists remain intrigued by Dyn-O-Mat's idea, but the field's history of unfulfilled promises has left them wary of Cordani's claims. "The Dyn-O-Mat folks need to develop a credible scientific hypothesis and move beyond anecdotal accounts [of] 'We dumped the stuff in a cloud, and it went away,'" says Hugh Willoughby, director of the Hurricane Research Division at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The Dyn-O-Mat company also says the gel is 100% safe. Even though the chemical reports of what's in the stuff says otherwise. The Dyn-O-Gel patent says one of the ways it could be 100% safe would be to use a family of organically based polymers. But they don't. And that's just a theory that hasn't even been worked with. They don't give the actual chemical components of their Gel, and no one is making them.
The Patent states that the product is made of: 'A superabsorbent polymer is a resin capable of absorbing water up to several thousands times as its own weight. These superabsorbent polymers are prepared from water-soluble polymers, but have cross-linking structures which render the polymers water-insoluble. By taking water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomers which readily undergo vinyl polymerizaton, such as acrylamide , with the use of cross linking agents, a polymer can be produced that is of uniform small size, has a high gel capacity, is highly insoluble, but highly water swellable i.e. a superabsorbent polymer. (Gel capacity refers to the property of the water swollen polymer to resist viscosity changes as a result of mechanical working or milling. The patent says the particles are "less than 4000 microns but greater than 50 microns" in size. )
The other reason the D-O-M company assures us their water-absorbing power would never harm anyone is because it won't ever be dumped over land where it could settle in our drinking water, our garden tomatoes, Fido's coat and in Junior's backyard wading pool. Or our lungs and eyes. I guess all those pesky rain clouds they can absorb so they don't rain out Olympic Games or big money making Play-Offs will be polite enough to hang out over the ocean, even if you live in Kansas. There won't be any unpleasant events because Dyn-O-Mat says there won't.
So begins, and ends, all the research on what effect it would, could or will have on humans.
I'd like to know how a business like Dyn-O-Mat self-appoints itself to Savior Status and is able to 'decide' and 'assume' all this is just fine and for some reason, no one with even one regulation or safety concern stops them. I'd like to know why they were just taken at their word that the material is 1000% safe to any and all marine life and humans, because the World Health Organization and EPA sure say otherwise.
Is there something fishy going on with this stuff?I'd like to know if this would have been one big happy Photo-Op and Boys-With-Toys media giggles if you or I decided to do this. How do you get to call a press conference, fire up your own personal tanker, and go do a weather modification experiment. Why did they get Federal funding for this? What happened to the law that makes it illegal for the military to do weather modification experiments or contract anyone to conduct them? Oh...I forgot - they can lie. Hell, it's the American Way.
"So has the military come calling at Dyn-O-Mat?"
"Absolutely". There is an awkward pause, and then a laugh. "Whether I can comment on that is another matter."
The Dyn-O-Mat company is hoping to sell this to the Government/Military. I put this story up because I remembered this company and it's goal when I started hearing from people in Arizona that they have been witnessing military jets spraying 'something' just in front of incoming storms, and those storms broke apart and never turned to rain. They have not had a monsoon/normal rainy season in Arizona for three years because of apparent weather modification.
