PFAS - Do you care?

[saysfaa]

I like this. How do you empty frozen waterers? I find myself having to jump on my rubber ones repeatedly to remove the ice! It gets stuck to my stainless steel waterers until spring sometimes, or until I bring them inside (that’s a bit annoying and messy.)

They are three-quart, double-walled, vacuum-sealed buckets set inside a pail on a 2" thick circle of foam insulation (yes, plastic) for the winter. They were originally ice buckets for cooling wine. They don't freeze enough to be hard to dump out (or thaw by adding hot water) within the 12 or so hours between times I do chicken chores until the temps are something under 15 F (-10 C). And then only over the night when the chickens don't disturb the surface by drinking. I went out three times on the few days it got really cold.

The buckets have very nice bale handles so they are easy to carry. I bring them into the house to clean them in the kitchen sink anyway. I thaw them there if needed. It was many mornings the first two winters - before I built the insulation pail. Then the buckets were set directly on cement block.

 

[BantyChooks]

They are three-quart, double-walled, vacuum-sealed buckets set inside a pail on a 2" thick circle of foam insulation (yes, plastic) for the winter. They were originally ice buckets for cooling wine. They don't freeze enough to be hard to dump out (or thaw by adding hot water) within the 12 or so hours between times I do chicken chores until the temps are something under 15 F (-10 C). And then only over the night when the chickens don't disturb the surface by drinking. I went out three times on the few days it got really cold.

The buckets have very nice bale handles so they are easy to carry. I bring them into the house to clean them in the kitchen sink anyway. I thaw them there if needed. It was many mornings the first two winters - before I built the insulation pail. Then the buckets were set directly on cement block.

Wow, great setup. Thanks for sharing - I have some ideas for my own setup now.

 

[saysfaa]

Paraquat has the connection to Parkinson's, not round up.

 

[BDutch]

Paraquat has the connection to Parkinson's, not round up.

Maybe you are right but I couldn’t find data on specific poisons. My MIL used a lot of round up when she was younger. So a I assumed this was what caused it with her.

Its seems its often poison mixtures that get people an other lifeforms into trouble. Especially when exposed at a young age.

I know of a flowerist who could prove her child died, bc of working with flowers when she was pregnant.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/jour...sons-disease/BE586F01EF3E2EA8D785C1E40394A6B7

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I don’t worry about things I cant control. People genetically speaking really were not meant to live beyond 65-70 years besides the genetic lottery candidates. Think about it, if you were to poll 10 people the age of 65 asking if they were taking medications 80-90% would say they are on some sort of heart medication, insulin, blood pressure medications etc. Because of modern medicine people are living well beyond what they should be. Thats not a bad thing, but let’s not get greedy with spending our lives worrying about how we can live longer instead of learning to be grateful for the moments we do have. I used to be a miserable person and if you asked me what happiness was I would have said that I didn’t know because I never felt happy. One day I realized it was because I spent my time constantly looking back angry about the past and when I wasn’t looking back I was looking beyond into the future worrying about everything I could not control. I have learned to just be happy with what I have each day and not take my time for granted. Could I spend my free time worrying about PFAS, epidemics and world wars? Sure, but how does that improve, prevent or change any of it? Why waste the little time we have worrying about what we have no control over?

 

[Canadian Wind]

I think one point that has been missed is the inclusion of PFAS in fertilizers (I believe they call it 'sludge') that has poisoned countless fields, and the fact that this inclusion was known by The Powers That Be (EPA in the States) yet they did nothing to stop it, nor are they now.

A number of ethical farmers have lost their livelihoods, not to mention all the animals they had to put down. *insert the S word here* has skyrocketed in farmers due to this.

As for disposable items, this was all because of convenience and greed from manufacturers. Why build something that will last when you can charge customers over and over again? They don't (and have never) cared about the consequences to the environment and peoples' health (unless caught and even then they make up excuses).

Unfortunately, this is now the world we live in. The chemicals that are there are there to stay, but that doesn't mean we should keep adding to them.

 

[Sally PB]

I do the best I can with what I have where I am. When I know better, I try to do better. Will it help? Will it add to the hurt? Will it even matter? I might not know in my lifetime.

I am going to die of "something." Going in my sleep because my body is just too old to go on would be fine by me, and I'd count that as very lucky.

I could slip on the ice in my driveway and die from a head injury. I could be killed in a car accident. I could have a stroke (my dad died from complications of a stroke at age 58), get some kind of cancer, or other disease.

As I said, I do the best I can with what I have where I am.