While that may most certainly be true, possibly you could expain this article. They used a spray form not just a gas and concluded: "The methods used for extraction, clean-up and estimation of residues were found to be satisfactory qualitatively as well as quantitatively. The residues of both the insecticides reached below the maximum residue limit after 1 day of spray at the tested doses. Hence, a safe waiting period of one day is suggested before consumption of cauliflower curds."
According to this, its my understanding that any residual contamination left should not be harmful. And this was using dichlorvos in a liquid spray form.
Other facts that can be found here.
It evaporates easily into the air, where it is broken down into less harmful chemicals.
It will dissolve in water, where microorganisms can break it down.
It takes about 24–36 hours for half of the chemical to be broken down in water.
Dichlorvos does not appear to accumulate in plants, fish, or animals.
It has been found on some fruits, vegetables, and grain, but washing and processing destroys the dichlorvos.
This product also uses a slow-release gas that should not form a film or residue on your plant. The plant "breathes" it in and then releases it back into the air. This is not a fogger or spray. It is NOT the same thing as just spraying Raid on your plants. And if you are worried about residual contamination, you have the option of washing your plants and/or a doing a water cure on the finished product.
In addition, this study in 2008 concluded:
We find little evidence of an association between cumulative lifetime use of DDVP and risk of any cancer at this stage of follow up of the AHS.
And this studied the use of the liquid form which is much stronger than what's in the pest strips for home use.
Also, the directions on the package state that you can be in the same room with these things for up to 4 hours a day safely. Any studies that have shown cancer or suggested that it causes cancer is from repeated and long exposure to high doses of the chemical. IMHO, if used CORRECTLY, anything that would be left on the final product would be insignificant and relatively harmless. At worst, its not any more dangerous to your health than than the toxins released during combustion if you smoke your meds.
I could go on, but will conclude and remind everyone that this IS a toxin. And at high levels, is probably not good for you (as are many things at high levels). I would never use this as preventative maintenance or for an entire grow. But used correctly, for a one shot nuke, this is a cheap and highly effective way to get rid of spider mites. On the other hand, I completely understand why someone would want to avoid this product, or any pesticide, entirely.
I'm by no means an expert, and if someone could point to studies that prove otherwise, I encourage you to do so for the saftey of us all.
"My 2 cents"
For further reading and discussion, this thread has just about every view represented on this topic found here.
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