Question from J.C.L.
In the late 1990’s, I was required to attend an OSHA lecture given by Monona Rossol, President/founder of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety, Inc., which provides health and safety services to the arts. I recall her writing the molecular structure of orange oil next to the molecular structure of an E.P.A.-regulated pesticide. They were identical. She said think of all the people spraying orange-based cleaners believing they were safe when the molecular structure was the same as a regulated pesticide.
I have never used citrus based products since. But I see in stores and on your web site that these types of products are still popularly considered and advertised to be safe.
Do you know anything about citrus-based products and pesticide (I don’t know which particular one) being molecularly identical?
(She lectured on this topic because citrus based solvent was being used as an alternative to low-odor solvents in art. I had used each solvent and both were so irritating that I was up at night coughing from them. I switched to other media.)
She said that just because something comes from nature does not mean it is a safe replacement for other materials. Many chemicals in plants can kill us.
Thank you.
Debra’s Answer
This is an important subject and I’m happy to have us discuss it here.
I am not a trained chemist, but have studied a lot of chemistry on my own in an attempt to understand the chemicals in consumer products.
So what I say here is my understanding, but may not be what a chemistry book says.
You brought up two points, which are each separate ideas.
The first was that the molecular structure of a natural substance can be the same as the molecular structure of a man-made substance. And an assumption was made that since the molecular structure of orange oil was identical to the pesticide that they were equally toxic.
I don’t agree with this. There is a lot more to a substance than it’s molecular structure. Let’s just look at molecular structure for a moment. There are, in nature, basic elements that make up all life. These are outlined in the Periodic Table of Elements. These elements include hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, etc. These basic elements are found throughout life, in plants, animals, our own human bodies, water, petroleum, and everything else. Every single material form can be broken down into these basic building blocks of life. [a really easy explanation of the elements].
