|  | The EPA and Pesticide Safety It would be nice to believe that government agencies have our best interests at heart when they make decisions...but time and again we're seeing that it's just not so. Take the latest controversy surrounding the EPA, an agency with "protection" right in its name! They just announced they'd almost completed a ten-year study of every pesticide used in the U.S., saying their review "all but guarantees the safety of Americans."
So why did fourteen states petition the agency to require stricter labeling laws the very same day? Right now pesticide labels are required to include only active ingredients - those states are demanding that all ingredients be listed. Turns out those inactive (or inert, as they're also called) ingredients aren't the ones that specifically kill weeds and bugs...but they do appear to cause severe problems in humans, like cancer and kidney damage. Even worse, some pesticides contain 99% inert ingredients, meaning the active listed ingredient accounts for only 1% of what's in the bottle!
After hearing what the states had to say, the EPA response was party line all the way, basically saying that the products were safe for the general public, the agency is doing its job. But if that's so, then why is lindane, an inert ingredient tied to major health concerns, still on the market, considering it will be banned once it's current license expires? Lindane is currently banned in more than fifty countries, and under tight restrictions in over thirty more. But in the U.S., about 142,000 pounds of the stuff are used every year to treat corn and wheat seeds...even though lindane is known to damage the nervous system, impair the immune systems, and cause seizures.
Critics claim the EPA is caving in to political and corporate pressures, mainly the pesticide industry, and ignoring the research that shows many of these ingredients are dangerous to both people and the environment. The result is controversial chemicals - like carbamates and organophosphates, both considered risky to human health - are not being removed from the markets. In fact, we're not even being warned about their potential dangers, even though they are very common pesticide ingredients.
Bottom line: You can't judge a pesticide by its label. If you're concerned, visit the manufacturer's website or call them to obtain a full ingredients list. Or even better, use safe, natural alternatives to ward off pests in your home and garden (check out the Natural Resources Defense Council at www.nrdc.org for suggestions). And look for organically grown produce and grains when buying your food. | |  | | | | | Back to top | | |
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