Warm greetings to everyone! I finally found a site so interesting and I think this is where I might get some critical help that I have been searching for so long. I have a concern relating to my community and an organization who is actively selling vegetables to the community at-large. My concern is they insist these veggies are healthy, no chemical fertilizer used and most of all safe. I know for a fact that where these so call healthy vegetables are planted and feeding our people, was once a Plant Nursery, where heavy poisons were sprayed. For many long years, poisons such as (excuse the spelling), 2-4 d, Paraquat, Todawn and herbicides were constantly required on this plant nursery. My husband used to be employed by this plant nursery and he and others were assigned to spray heavily. All though it has been about 5 years since they shut down, the organization known as the Hana community health center is actively leasing the land to farm vegetables. I am concerned that the soil is not cleared of those poisons and mostly concern on our people who are actively buying and eating those vegetables. How do I request some kind of support in having the ground tested? Who do I contact? The Community health Center knows about the heavily poisonous grounds at one time and this was mentioned at a public meeting by the Public health nurse. Instead, leaders of this organization and employees laughed thinking it was a joke. I need advise quick, I think our people's health is in jeopardy. Thank you and I look forward to your help real soon!!!

It takes three years of no pesticides and fertilizers used on or around soil to qualify as organic, although, at first they usually aren't that heavily used with chemicals and are highly churned and the concentration of chemicals are greatly reduced. Being as it was once used in the ways you say I could guarantee that you would find some chemicals within the soil and therefore in the foods. You're already running into a great problem if you are getting laughs and being denied justification on something as important as soil grown food and public sales of it. I've got a feeling the people you are dealing with aren't exactly health concience and therefore probably can't be trusted to care about others well being. This is a common dilemma. There are places that test soil and food, possibly a University? You may find trouble dealing with this if there aren't enough people in your area that really care. First off, check the colleges for someone who will test some soil and food, then go from there. Let me know how if you do. I myself have not eatin anything thats not organic for 4 months and do not think I could result in ingesting commercially grown pesticide laden food again.