Perhaps you've already seen this. It's clopyralid or aminopyralid contamination of manures & compost. Symptoms are essentially the same as from 2,4-D.
http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/soilmgmt/Clopyralid.htm

Descries an easy bioassay gardeners can do without having the plant analyzed.

Here is a link that might be useful: herbicide contaminated OM

Your original thread
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg062028424493.html?1734

Here is a link that might be useful: original thread w/images

Yes, Jean, I was convinced it was the landscape maintenance company that was damaging my plants. I had read the reports on contaminated manure but discounted that as I had bought a reputable brand and it was bagged. I guess I really have done my own bioassay as I have planted out 3 sets of replacements at three different times, one as late as June 24th, and they all showed damage within weeks. My question was are the tomatoes safe to eat and which one would you pull as they are all still producing some flowers and fruit, even though damaged. I guess I will pull the Gallo as it is more a paste type and I probably won't get enough to do anything with. If the contaminate is proven to be from the manure, then I should probably pull all the plants if the tomatoes aren't safe to eat.
Jennie

Pull the paste-type as the fruit shape will likely have concentrated any contamination problems for testing.

As to eating, it is a difficult choice and basically yours to make.

Consider this - We all eat store-bought foods that have been grown in herbicide and pesticide sprayed fields and have done so for many years. Personally, I wouldn't eat yours fresh but I would cook or can with them since I believe the cooking/canning process will destroy or neutralize many contaminants. They would be as safe as eating commercially canned tomatoes at least.

JMO

Dave

PS: thanks Jean for linking the previous discussion. It helps to have access to all the info.

Yes Thanks Jean for posting my original thread, I should have posted the latest on that thread but didn't think of it. Dave, I will pull the Gallo for the tests and will pull the rest of the severely damaged ones and dispose of them. Too tempting to eat the fruit!
But I have the other plants in a different area that had damage early in May, but now have all healthy new growth and are producing lots of new blooms and tomatoes. I must not have worked in as much manure there. That is the mystery to the extension agents and the NCDA inspector, that those plants seem to have outgrown the damage.
Thanks for all your help.
Jennie

You said "My question was are the tomatoes safe to eat and which one would you pull as they are all still producing some flowers and fruit, even though damaged."

If you contact the manufacturer(s), they would say "No."

Someone else said:
"We all eat store-bought foods that have been grown in herbicide and pesticide sprayed fields and have done so for many years...."

That's a far different issue. Those pesticides have been tested on edibles and the dose & application is designed to allow residuals on edibles at safe levels only.

The pesticides contaminating the OM weren't mean to be used for edibles.

Common sense should have told me the tomatoes were inedible. The fruits get their nutrients from the plant, which gets its' nutrients from the soil. And my soil is probably contaminated. This raises an interesting question in my mind though, if Clopyralid is still allowed on pastures where animals graze and hay fields they are fed.....are those animals used for meat and milk? Glad I buy only local organic meat!

The facts are in the link I posted.

Facts:
-Passes thru animal gut unchanged.
-Not absorbed by animal
-Manure must be composted for a year prior to using on sensitive plants
-Can be used on grasses (eg corn) & more; See the link I posted.

Jean, this is from the article you linked also: "It has long lasting effects against target weeds when applied at low rates. Clopyralid has low toxicity to humans and animals." I did read the entire article and many more starting back in May trying to figure out what was going on and if it was safe to eat our tomatoes. I have read so many conflicting articles on the safety of vegetables effected by herbicides, animals who consume herbicide tainted feed, the low (or high) toxicity to humans. Conflicting articles on the use of pesticides and whether they have "low toxicity" to animals and humans. Enough to make your head spin. Your last post seemed a little condenscending, but that is the problem with the written word. You may have just meant to be helpful. I have evolved as a gardener over the past 30 years. I would not have hesitated to use a pesticide on our garden that many years ago, now I do not. I would have sprayed weed killer on the lawn and in the beds that many years ago also. I haven't done that in years. I just don't buy that it passes through the gut of the animal unchanged or that it is "low in toxicity to humans".