---- We've lots of data about soft chemicals in bee hives - we filed a draft report with the NHB, and we are working on final confirmations. Some members of this list make the mistake of thinking that when something is analyzed for chemical residues (e.g. pesticides), one should see ALL of the chemical contaminants in a sample. This is simply not true. Each instrument, and each setup covers a different array of chemicals. There is no one analysis for all. If the test protocol is set up to look for chemical A-G, it won't see H-Z at all. Doesn't mean H-Z are absent, it just means the particular assay won't pick them up. The standard suite of analysis protocols for pesticides is aimed at specific compounds, and it still takes several different analysis protocols, plus at least two different ways of preparing/extracting the samples, in order to do anything even close to broad spectrum pesticide testing. Remember, at this time, most pesticides in use are synthetic organic compounds. Older pesticides were based on inorganic materials like sulfur, arsenic - to look for those, you need both a different sample preparation and a very different instrument. We've been looking at semi-volatile and volatile organic compounds (e.g., thymol, many pollutants such as break down products of gasoline and diesel, things off-gassing from plastics, HMF, etc.). Most of these, probably all, will NOT show up in the typical analysis for organic pesticides. We've also looked at HMF using more conventional approaches - and we can do these routinely - takes a very simple instrument, one that has little or no use for looking at conventional pesticides. We also looked at aflatoxins, things that fungi are likely to produce - yet another sample preparation and instrument - we sent these out to a lab that specializes in these things. So, just because someone did not report something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Jerry J.J. Bromenshenk **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for fuel-efficient used cars. (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007) **************************************************** * General Information About BEE-L is available at: * * http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm * ****************************************************