Water worries

'THIS RAISES A RED FLAG' | Potentially toxic bug repellent DEET turns up in Sun-Times tests of Chicago's drinking water

BY STEPHANIE ZIMMERMANN Staff Reporter/szimmermann@suntimes.com
April 21, 2008

In this age of West Nile virus, Lyme disease and other insect-borne health threats, millions of Americans have made slathering and spritzing themselves with the powerful repellent DEET part of their summer routine.

The insect repellent is used by 100 million Americans each year, in total quantities exceeding the use of some agricultural pesticides.

But after we shower and wash our clothes, DEET winds up in rivers and lakes.
And now, testing done for the Chicago Sun-Times has found, it's in our drinking water.

The concentration detected in a sampling of Chicago tap water was low -- 8.3 parts per trillion. Health experts said the level found in the Sun-Times testing shouldn't pose a health hazard.

Still, said Mohamed Abou-Dania, a professor at Duke University who has done extensive research on the neurological effects of DEET, "This raises a red flag. [When] you have so many people using it, the risk is there."

And the chemical was detected in Chicago drinking water sampled in March, when one would expect the use of mosquito repellent to be low.

The U.S. government doesn't have standards for DEET in drinking water. Nor does it require the removal of other contaminants recently found in other water studies -- including pharmaceuticals, flame retardants and plasticizers.

Last month, Illinois officials announced that they are testing treated and untreated water around the state for chemical compounds. The cities whose water will be tested include Chicago, Elgin, Aurora, Rock Island and East St. Louis. State officials said they expect to release results of those tests in late June.

Chicago also is doing further sampling of raw Lake Michigan water and finished drinking water, said John Spatz, commissioner of the city's Department of Water Management. Spatz said the city is using multiple labs "to build a baseline database over time" and get a better idea of what's in the water. He stressed that the trace amounts found so far aren't hazardous but point to a need for better monitoring.

"The water is safe to drink," said Spatz. "The last thing we want is to erode confidence in the public water supply."

Used as directed, DEET is considered safe for people over 2 months of age. But at very high levels or when used long-term, DEET has been implicated in nervous-system damage. Medical literature on the chemical cites rare cases of children suffering poisoning or even death from overexposure or ingestion of DEET.

Abou-Donia's studies of DEET exposure to laboratory rats found no effect when a standard dose was used for 30 days. After 60 days, though, brain-cell death occurred.

When DEET was approved a half century ago for consumer use, no one considered the potential environmental effects. But after DEET is washed down the drain, flushed down a toilet or thrown in the garbage, it doesn't degrade quickly. It has been detected in natural-water bodies throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and even in the North Sea.

Chances are that it has been in our water for some time but we didn't know it, said Paul Stackelberg, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, because only recently has testing technology improved enough to detect it.

Citing potential health and environmental concerns, some countries have scaled back the amount of DEET allowed in consumer products. In Canada, the maximum-allowed concentration is 30 percent. But in the United States, consumers can readily buy repellents containing 100 percent DEET.

Abou-Donia said concentrations above 30 percent are overkill and not necessary, "especially if you have a child or infant."

The drinking water in the Sun-Times tests came from an unfiltered kitchen faucet in a home on the city's North Side -- sufficient to indicate whether a wide range of chemicals might be present in the city's drinking water, according to the Kelso, Wash., testing laboratory Columbia Analytical Services.

The lab tested the water for the presence of 57 chemical compounds, ranging from synthetic hormones and anti-convulsants to Prozac, acetaminophen, methadone, flame retardants and plasticizers. Such compounds are not required to be removed from drinking water, and conventional treatment processes aren't equipped to catch them.

Though pharmaceuticals have been found in public water supplies elsewhere, the only compound besides DEET that the Sun-Times sampling detected was caffeine -- at what was described as a safe concentration of 7 parts per trillion.

Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said in a statement that while "the United States has one of the safest drinking-water supplies in the world," his agency "is concerned about the detection of a growing number of pharmaceuticals and other personal-care products in water. These contaminants occur at very low levels in water, and we continue to evaluate their effects on public health and aquatic life."

Unlike some chemical compounds, DEET remains fairly intact as it passes through sewage or drinking-water treatment plants.

The U.S. Geological Survey's Stackelberg tracked water at a New Jersey water-treatment facility, testing it for contaminants when it began as source water and then after each step of the cleaning process. He found DEET at every step, in every one of the samples.

The insect repellent's resilience raises questions about whether it stays in the sediment of streams, and whether fish or birds -- to which DEET can be toxic -- could be harmed over the long term.

"A little bit seems to go a long way in the environment," said Dana W. Kolpin, a research hydrologist with the Geological Survey in Iowa City, Ia., who has studied DEET.

Ed Hopkins, director of the environmental quality program for the Sierra Club, said the U.S. EPA should be more aggressive about getting contaminants out: "They shouldn't be in our water supply, and we need to do much more to keep them out."

Said Stackelberg: "You wonder just how many human-related compounds there are in [a] sample, and what their cumulative effect would be. And right now, we don't really have an answer for that."

New WHO Report Focuses on Children’s Susceptibility to Chemicals

( August 8, 2007) For the first time, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report on children’s heightened vulnerability to chemical exposures at different periods of their growth and development. The organization cites over 30% of the global burden of disease in children can be attributed to environmental factors, including pesticides. The report highlights the fact that for children, the stage of their development when chemical exposure occurs may be just as important as the magnitude of the exposure. In respect to pesticides, the report cites several studies that tie pesticide exposure during key periods of development to neurobehavioral problems, Parkinson’s disease, and immunotoxicity, including respiratory diseases.

“Children are not just small adults,” said Dr. Terri Damstra, Ph.D., WHO’s team leader for the Interregional Research Unit. “Children are especially vulnerable and respond differently from adults when exposed to environmental factors, and this response may differ according to the different periods of development they are going through.”

Air and water contaminants, pesticides in food, lead in soil, as well many other environmental threats may cause or worsen disease and induce developmental problems. The report notes that children have different susceptibilities during different life stages, referred to as “critical windows for exposure” or “critical windows of development,” due to their dynamic growth and developmental processes, as well as physiological, metabolic, and behavioral differences.

Beyond Pesticides

Intersex Frogs Found in Suburban Areas

(April 8, 2008) Common frogs that live in suburban areas are more likely than their rural counterparts to develop reproductive abnormalities, according to David Skelly, PhD, professor of ecology at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. This phenomenon becomes a serious concern as the frog’s mating season begins, leaving researchers to wonder: will frogs be clear on their role in the annual ritual?

Research by Dr. Skelly, soon to be published, focuses on the common green frog, Rana clamitans, within the Connecticut River Valley. A total of 233 frogs were collected from various ponds and landscapes with the river valley and among them 13 percent have abnormalities occurring in their reproductive organs. In urban areas, 18 percent of the collected frogs are intersex, and in suburban areas 21 percent. Frogs collected from agricultural areas have the lowest rate of reproductive problems with just 7 percent classified as intersex. According to Dr. Skelly, the more suburban the land cover, the more likely the abnormalities.

“This is the first evidence that I think anyone has provided that agriculture is doing anything but pushing those rates higher,” remarked Dr. Skelly of the intersex phenomena.

In an attempt to explain the higher prevalence of intersex frogs in urban and suburban areas, the study notes that many suburban areas use septic systems that may be leaching chemicals or pharmaceuticals into streams or ponds. These areas also have higher rates of using herbicides and insecticides for lawn care and garden treatments.

Intersex frogs, also called hermaphroditic frogs, refer to frogs, mostly males observed to be producing eggs in their testes. There are many studies documenting this phenomenon, which is also blamed for the decline in many frog populations. Work by Tyrone Hayes, PhD, University of California, Berkeley, has linked the agricultural herbicide atrazine to reproductive disorders in frogs. A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), also suggests a strong link between the abnormalities and agriculture. However, this study is the first to document the relationship with a non-agricultural setting.

Atrazine, which is classified as an endocrine disruptor, interrupts the workings of natural hormones. However, many household products, such as antibacterials and antimicrobials like triclosan and its cousin triclocarban, which are found in detergents, bar soaps, and other personal care products, have been shown to produce the same effects when released into streams and ponds. A recent study found that these antibacterials enhance endocrine disruption and have also been found to have the highest user rates among the wealthy. These antibacterials and other estrogenic chemicals are detected at high concentrations in the effluent discharged in the areas where the abnormalities are found. Lawn care chemicals like 2,4-D, permethrin, and glyphosate (Round-up) also cause damaging endocrine effects, even though the U.S. EPA does not currently evaluate or consider the endocrine disrupting properties of pesticides during registration or re-registration. These chemicals run off from treated lawn surfaces to contaminate nearby streams.

“Looking upstream and downstream from wastewater-treatment plants, we see there’s obviously been an impact by some of the chemicals discharged,” said Vicki S. Blazer, PhD, fish biologist at USGS.

Recent news reports have brought attention to antibacterials and pharmaceuticals in drinking water. While these chemicals pose serious health concerns to human populations, the harm posed to wildlife species being documented at alarming rates

Source New York Times.

Members of Congress Push EPA to Act on Endocrine Disruptors

Seven U.S. Representatives wrote to the EPA last Thursday, urging the government agency to act promptly to identify and screen products for dangerous endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Pesticide Exposure Linked to Asthma in Farmers

(Beyond Pesticides, September 18, 2007) On September 16, 2007, researchers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences presented findings to the European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in Stockholm showing that exposure to several commonly used pesticides increases the risk of asthma in farmers. Pesticide exposure is a “potential risk factor for asthma and respiratory symptoms among farmers,” said Dr. Jan A. Hoppin, a lead author. “This is the first study with sufficient power to evaluate individual pesticides and adult asthma among individuals who routinely apply pesticides,” Dr. Hoppin said.

”The study consisted of 19,704 farmers, 441 of which had asthma. Farmers who have experienced high pesticide exposure were twice as likely to have asthma.” Sixteen of the pesticides studied were associated with asthma.

Approximately 20 million Americans have asthma and it is the most common chronic childhood disease – afflicting 6.1 million children nationally. A bad asthma attack can be fatal. In urban areas around the country, death rates from asthma are disproportionately high. In fact, the asthma death rate in Chicago has more than doubled in the past 20 years, particularly for African American and Puerto Rican children.

To learn more about Asthma and Pesticides go to our fact sheets on Asthma, Pests, and Pesticides, and Pesticides in Schools and Childcares: What are the Health Risks.
Pesticides in Schools & Childcares: What Are the Health Risks?Asthma, Pests and Pesticides

Cook County, Illinois Acts to Cut Widespread Use of Antibacterial Agents

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) is asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cut the widespread use of antibacterial agents, including triclosan and triclocarban, commonly used in liquid ‘anti-bacterial’ soaps. These products are washed down drains, often in large quantities, contaminating US waterways.

Terrence J. O’Brien, president of the MWRD, cited recent reports in scientific journals linking increased use of these antimicrobial compounds to the growing problem of antibiotic resistant drugs. Numerous studies have found that triclosan promotes the emergence of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. Triclosan has also been linked to the formation of dioxin and chloroform, two highly carcinogenic substances.

The American Medical Association and Association for Professionals in Infection Control have said there’s no evidence that antibacterial soaps prevent infections in homes.

PESTICIDES FOUND IN DAYCARES NATIONWIDE

(10/24/06) Pesticide residues were found in every daycare center tested during a study led by the National Research Exposure Laboratory of the U.S. EPA. Of 39 pesticides tested, at least 1 showed up in every childcare facility involved in the study. Although many pesticides were found in low concentrations, the data indicates a large number of pesticides are used in and around child care facilities. This suggests that children’s exposure to pesticides is elevated during a period when they are most vulnerable to toxic environmental contaminants.

Young children are at greater risk of the health effects of pesticides because their bodies are still developing, putting them at greater risk of these poisons. Currently, no national standard exists to regulate low concentration exposures for children.

Illinois Joins 14 States in Petition to Require Disclosure of Secret Pesticide Ingredients

(10/24/06) Illinois is one of 14 states petitioning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require pesticide manufacturers to disclose all ingredients on product labels. More disclosure would lead to greater consumer awareness of the potential health and environmental impacts of pesticide use.

Currently, EPA requires that pesticide labels disclose only the product’s “active” ingredients, the toxic materials intended to kill insects, weeds or other target organisms. However, pesticide products contain many “inert” ingredients. Despite their name, inert ingredients are often toxic themselves.


Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said: “Consumers have the right to know what they’re exposing themselves and their children to when they use pesticides. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose by requiring these toxic substances to appear on product labels.”

Currently, so-called “inert” ingredients - which make up as much as 99% of many common pesticides, are kept secret and are not listed on the pesticide labels. The chemicals used as “inerts” include many that EPA has officially determined to be hazardous or toxic.

The petition is available at www.oag.state.ny.us. For more information on the health risks of inerts, see the study entitled “Unidentified Intert Ingredients in Pesticides: Implications for Human and Environmental
Health” by Cox and Surgan, at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2006/9374/abstract.html.

RESMETRHIN SPRAYING INEFFECTIVE AS AN ADULTICIDE FOR MOSQUITOES

A study conducted by researchers from Harvard’s School of Public Health and published in the journal Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases foundaerosol spraying of Resmethrin from trucks to be an ineffective control method for mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus. Resmethrin, a popular
synthetic pyrethroid compound used as an adulticide, does not reduce airborne mosquito populations to the extent necessary to affect disease transmission.

Since aerosols must actually contact mosquitoes in order towork, their efficacy is greatly reduced because much of the spray does not reach the targeted Culex mosquitoes which are host to the virus. Even when applied at maximum allowable rates the effective range of aerosol is limited to a small area.

Lindane Banned for Agriculture Use

(8/8/06) The US EPA announced the withdrawal of all agricultural products containing lindane, a potent neurotoxin used as an insecticide to treat crop seeds. Originally slated for cancellation proceedings in 1977, serious review did not occur until mandated by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. This action will eliminate 230,000 pounds of Lindane used yearly in seed treatment products.

Jim Gulliford, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Prevention, called lindane "one of the most toxic, persistent, bioaccumulative pesticides ever registered.” It is more acutely toxic than DDT, and can cause serious health problems such as seizures, nervous system damage, and a weakened immune system. Lindane is also a suspected carcinogen.

Once released into the environment Lindane is very persistent and does not breakdown easily. It is capable of traveling over air and water, and has been found in high concentrations in people as far away as the Arctic. As a result of this potential for hazardous exposure fifty-two countries have banned all uses of lindane, including Mexico.

Despite the EPA announcement, lindane is still approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in medical prescription treatments for lice and scabies. Many groups want a complete ban on pharmaceutical uses of Lindane.

SPCP is working with the national Ban Lindane coalition in support of a total ban on lindane use. See our fact sheet on Lice for more info on alternatives to Lindane.The Truth About Head Lice

Household Pesticides Scrutinized

Alarmed that popular insecticides that end up in urban streams are killing tiny aquatic creatures, California’s pesticide agency is conducting a review that is likely to lead to restrictions on many products commonly used on lawns and gardens.

The chemicals, pyrethroids, are man-made versions of natural compounds in chrysanthemum flowers. Their use has skyrocketed in the past few years as U.S. consumers and exterminators search for less-toxic alternatives for dangerous insecticides already banned.

But last fall, a UC Berkeley scientist reported that pyrethroids are polluting streams in Northern California suburbs, wiping out crustaceans and insects vital to ecosystems.

The compounds, particularly one called permethrin, are prevalent in lawn products and household and pet sprays as well as in insecticides sprayed by exterminators. Also, many cities spray a pyrethroid for mosquito control to prevent the spread of West Nile virus.

In restricting pyrethroids, the state agency hopes to keep some as options and ensure that people don’t switch to products that wind up being worse. The EPA is also reviewing pyrethroids for possible national restrictions.

Consumers can identify pyrethroids in products by checking labels for compounds that end in “thrin”. They are broad spectrum insecticides effective against a wide variety of flying and crawling insects.

When manufacturers receive the state notices next month, they must agree within 60 days to begin gathering information about their products’ toxicity and buildup in waterways. If they refuse, the agency will immediately cancel their products and they cannot be sold in California.

Beyond Pesticides

Widespread Pesticide Poisoning of Water Focus of Landmark Government Study

March 2006

(March 3, 2006) The U.S. Geological Survey released
Pesticides in the Nation’s Streams and Ground Water, 1992-2001, a ten-year survey of the contamination caused by pesticide use in agriculture and urbanized areas.

Every year, nearly one billion pounds of pesticides, many of which are linked to cancer, birth defects, neurological disorders, and environmental impacts, are used in the U.S, much of it ending up in our nation’s waterways. When pesticides are applied on fields, gardens, parks and lawns, a percentage of the chemicals end up running off the treated site.

Studies of major rivers and streams find that 96% of all fish, 100% of all surface water samples and 33% of major aquifers contain one or more pesticides at detectable levels. As a result of pesticide contamination of streams, rivers, lakes and underground water supplies, drinking water is also widely contaminated.

“The data shows an urgent need to strengthen policies at all levels of government and curtail pesticide use,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, a national information and advocacy group.

“This report underscores the need to strengthen, not weaken, water quality protections from toxic pesticides that pollute rivers, streams, lakes and our underground water supplies,” said Paul Schwartz, National Policy Coordinator of Clean Water Action.

As the USGS report shows, pesticides and their degradates are getting into the drinking water sources for millions of Americans. These contaminants combine with disinfectants, such as chlorine, added by drinking water providers to kill dangerous viruses, bacteria and pathogens, and form disinfectant by-products that are associated with increases in birth defects and miscarriages.

“Drinking water providers,” said Mr. Schwartz, “are then faced with a dilemma about how to deal with the twin problem of killing dangerous bacteria while not increasing the chemical health risks for pregnant women and healthy infants.”

“The toxic cocktail of pesticides in our drinking water can’t be addressed by the chemical by chemical regulatory approach of government,” said Jane Nogaki, pesticide program coordinator of NJ Environmental Federation. “Citizens can take action at the local level to reduce or eliminate pesticides in their own back yard, in their local parks and schools. ”

reprinted with permission from Beyond Pesticides

New Study Finds Pesticide Poisoning at Nation’s Schools

( July 27, 2005) A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that students and school employees are being poisoned by pesticide use at schools and from drift off of neighboring farmlands. The study, “Acute Illnesses Associated With Pesticide Exposure at Schools” (Vol. 294, No. 4, pp455-465), by Walter A. Alarcon, M.D. (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) et al, analyzed 2593 poisonings from 1998 to 2002 from three surveillance systems. While the analysis finds incident rates overall of 7.4 cases per million children and 27.3 cases per million employees, the authors conclude, “[T]hese results should be considered low estimates of the magnitude of the problem because many cases of pesticide poisoning are likely not reported to surveillance systems or poisoning control centers.” The authors recommend that strategies be adopted to reduce the use of pesticides at school and reduce drift.

The authors of the study work for a range of federal and state agencies, including theNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Office of Pesticide Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and state health and environmental agencies in California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. The surveillance data comes from three sources: California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) and the Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR), and Toxic Exposure Surveillance System (TESS).

The study finds that the incidence rates among children increased significantly from 1998 to 2002. Illness of high severity is found in three cases, moderate severity in 275 cases, and low severity in 2315 cases. Most illness is associated with insecticides (35%), disinfectants (32%), repellents (13%), and herbicides (11%). Among 406 cases with detailed information on the source of pesticide exposure, 281 (69%) are associated with pesticides used at schools and 125 (31%) are associated with pesticide drift exposure from farmland.

The authors cite that the study misses incidents for which medical attention is not sought or reported to a surveillance system or a poison control center. “Even when individuals seek medical care, their illness may not be recognized as pesticide-related, because of the nonpathogomonic nature of the signs and symptoms and because clinicians receive little training on these illnesses.”

While the study looks at acute, or short-term, effects, the study authors note that, “Repeated pesticide applications on school grounds raise concerns about persistent low level exposures to pesticides at schools.” Continuing, the authors state, “The chronic long-term impacts of pesticide exposures have not been comprehensively evaluated; therefore, the potential for chronic health effects from pesticide exposures at schools should not be dismissed. Unfortunately, the surveillance methods used in our report are inadequate for assessing chronic effects.” In addition, the authors note that pesticides on school grounds can be tracked inside school buildings.

The article concludes that to prevent pesticide exposure at schools implementation of integrated pest management programs in schools, practices to reduce pesticide drift, and adoption of pesticide spray buffer zones around schools are recommended.


Reprinted with permission from Beyond Pesticides

New York City Pesticide Reduction Law

New York City Steps Up to the Plate in Dealing with Pesticides

On May 9, 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City signed two laws into legislation that will help change the way the city deals with pesticides. The first is the New York City Pesticide Reduction Law which has several components. First, it applies to all pest control activities performed by city agents and contractors on property owned by the city. Second, it bans the use of all pesticides classified as Toxicity Category 1, as probable carcinogens, or as developmental toxins. Next, it establishes an interagency pest management committee headed by the NYC Department of Health. This Committee will come up with a plan to reduce the use of pesticides. This law also exempts a number of pesticides including those used on professional playing fields, in drinking water, in heating/cooling systems and a few others. It allows the Department of Health to grant waivers in the interest of public health. It requires city agencies to post advance notice of all pesticide applications and finally, it requires city agencies to maintain record of pesticide application.

The second law passed was the Pesticide Neighbor Notification Law. This law requires all schools and day care centers in the state of New York to provide certain types of notification when pesticides are used indoors or on school grounds. Although this law does not cover all pesticide applications, it is a step in the right direction. As Laura Haight, senior environmental associate for NYPIRG (New York Public Interest Research Group) says, “These bills put New York City at the forefront of the national effort to move pest control in a new direction, away from poisons and towards prevention”. She also goes on to say that, “If we can make safer pest control work here (New York City), we can make it work anywhere”.

Connecticut Bans Use of Lawn Care Pesticides for Schools and Childcares

On Thursday June 8, 2005 a Bill (SB 916) was passed in the Connecticut legislature that bans the use of all lawn care pesticides on the grounds of children’s day care centers and elementary schools. Under SB 916, private and public preschools will be allowed to use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to spray pesticides sparingly on play grounds and fields until July 2008. After this date, all pesticides will be banned. Nancy Alderman, president of Environment and Human Health, Inc. says that allowing schools to use pesticides sparingly for three years is a compromise seeing as “sports fields need a period of transition to come off their chemical addiction.” For a similar reason, the Bill does not apply to high schools. Some fear that lack of herbicides will reduce the quality of playing fields. However, Representative Lile Gibbons, one of the many co-signers of the Bill, says that “Eventually all schools are going to fall under this Bill”.

According to the Bill, a “lawn-care pesticide” means a pesticide registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for use in lawn, garden, etc. and “integrated pest management” means use of all available pest control techniques including sensible use of pesticides, when warranted, to maintain a pest population at an acceptable level. In addition, as reported in Greenwich Time, a local paper, emergency applications of pesticides will be allowed when local or state health officials cite human health threats. With this Bill, many hope that Connecticut will set an example that other states will follow. SPCP has been working with Illinois Legislature to try to pass a similar Bill in Illinois.

Supreme Court Allows Lawsuits Against Pesticide Manufacturers

April 27, 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that citizens damaged by pesticides have the right to sue the companies who manufacture the toxic products. The Dow Chemical Company argued that EPA registration under the Federal Fungicide, Insecticide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) protects manufacturers from liability. Dow claimed that the EPA registration process is designed to provide protection from these risks-if the chemical is registered then the registration process is responsible for resulting damage, not the manufacturer. The High Court ruled that FIFRA has inadequate warnings and has been this way since its enactment in 1972.

The Federal Court’s decision reads, “history emphasizes the importance of providing an incentive to manufacturers to use the utmost care in distributing inherently dangerous items. Private remedies that enforce misbranding requirements would seem to aid, rather than hinder, the function of FIFRA”.

According to Beyond Pesticides, a national advisory organization, the court’s decision is extremely important because: “The same companies or their trade associations including Dow Chemical Company that have successfully lobbied for weak national laws and standards do not want people who are harmed as a result to seek redress. The potential for court review of cases in which people are harmed creates a strong incentive for the development of safer products” .

EPA Sued for Failing to Protect Farm Children from Exposure to Pesticides

On June 7, 2005, a coalition of farm workers, environmental and public health groups filed a law suit against EPA for failing to recognize health risks posed to children living on farms. The plaintiffs include Pesticide Action Network North America, United farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO, Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC), Clean Water Action, and Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. The plaintiffs claim that EPA has not taken into account the risk farm children face to exposure to pesticides when making standards for pesticide use on food.

Children living on farms have an increased risk of exposure to pesticides at home and at school. At home they are exposed to pesticides in the air, their food, and even their parent’s clothing. Also, many of the schools are located very close to pesticide-treated orchards. Children are more susceptible to exposure to pesticides because they eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more water than adults. Children also come into contact with dirt/dust and have a higher rate of hand to mouth contact. Exposure to pesticides is linked to problems such as neurological disorders, developmental delays, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, and many other adverse affects.

Under the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, EPA is required to account for special needs situations when setting standards for pesticide use. The plaintiffs petitioned in October 1998 for EPA to identify farm children as needing special protection from pesticide exposure. EPA failed to respond. Mary Reeves, PhD and senior scientist with Pesticide Action Network North America, says “We can no longer wait patiently while we hear every day from our communities directly affected by toxic pesticides. It is time to light a fire under EPA to force it to act to protect farm children’s health”. The plaintiffs are asking the court to force EPA to respo

Birth Weights Higher After Insecticide Bans

New research recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives (July 2004) indicates a direct correlation between pregnant women's exposure to pesticides and the birth weight and height of their children. The research showed that before 2001, higher levels of the insecticides diazinon and chlorpyrifos in umbilical cord blood correlated with reduced birth weight and length in newborn babies, comparable to the effects of smoking. Chlorphyrifos and diazinon were commonly used as home pesticides.

In 2000 & 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took regulatory action to phase out residential use of these insecticides. Babies born after the 2001 ban show lower levels of these insecticides in their umbilical cord blood. According to the study, elimination of exposure to these pesticides by pregnant women has made a difference in the health of their newborn children. Since diazinon and chlorpyrifos are still registered for use on several agricultural crops, this is still an ongoing concern for the agricultural community.

Diazinon is an organophosphate insecticide, whose common trade names include Spectricide™, Knoxout™ and Basudin™. In the past it was the fifth most commonly used residential pesticide (2 to 4 million pounds annually). Chlorpyrifos (Dursban™) is one of the most widely used chemical pesticides in the country with 20-24 million pounds used annually.

New Report by Family Physicians in Canada Recommends Reduction in Pesticide Use

A report released in April by the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) reviews 250 peer-reviewed studies published from1992 to 2003 on the human health effects of pesticides. The researchers found compelling evidence for a link between pesticide exposure and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, brain, prostate, kidney, and pancreatic cancer. In addition, they found that pesticide exposure consistently affects the nervous system. For children, pesticide exposure is associated with elevated risks for several cancers including brain cancer and leukemia. The College makes a strong overall recommendation, "avoid exposure to pesticides whenever and wherever possible" and specifically advocates "researching and implementing alternative organic methods of lawn and garden care and indoor pest control." The full report can be read online at www.ocfp.on.ca.