(Beyond Pesticides, March 18, 2008) To kick off National Poison Prevention Week on March 17, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is urging people to “lock up” their pesticides to protect children —stopping far short of advising the public on non-toxic methods of pest management. According to public health advocates, EPA, as a facilitator and apologist for the unnecessary use of highly toxic pesticides that it registers missed an important opportunity during National Poison Prevention Week to alert families with children about integrated management and organic methods that are effective but not reliant on hazardous methods. “With the wide availability of non-toxic methods and products, there is no reason for people to have poisonous pesticides in their homes and risk their children’s exposure,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides.

Despite numerous scientific studies that show children carrying a body burden of pesticides used in homes and elevated rates of childhood cancer in households that use pesticides, given children special vulnerability to pesticides, EPA chose to focus on pesticide poisoning of children associated with accidental ingestion. The agency launched the week with the headline “Play It Safe, Prevent Poisonings, Lock Up Pesticides” and the quote, “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) observes National Poison Prevention Week each year to increase awareness of the danger to children of unintentional poisonings from pesticides and household products, and to encourage parents and caregivers to lock up products that could potentially harm children.”According to EPA, every 13 seconds, a U.S. poison control center receives a call about an unintentional poisoning. The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports that more than 50 percent of the two million poisoning incidents each year involve children younger than six years old. In 2006, poison centers reported more than 77,000 calls made to poison centers with concerns about potential exposure to common household pesticides.

EPA lists the following products as hazardous, again focusing only on ingestion (“products that could seriously harm a child if ingested”), but nevertheless recognizing the fact that they are poisons:

• bath and kitchen disinfectants and sanitizers, including bleach
• household cleaning or maintenance products, such as drain cleaner, paints, or glues
• automotive products stored around the home, such as anti-freeze or windshield washer fluid
• health or beauty care products such as medicines, hair and nail products
• roach sprays and baits
• insect repellents
• rat and other rodent poisons
• weed killers
• products used to kill mold or mildew
• flea and tick shampoos, powders, and dips for pets
• swimming pool chemicals

In keeping with what advocates say is EPA’s failure to alert the public to the limitations of the pesticide regulatory process (such as no evaluation of endocrine disrupting effects, low level exposures, the effects of mixtures and synergistic effects between pesticides and with pharmaceuticals, etc.), the agency is also promoting its “Read the Label First!” campaign, which is said to be misleading in suggesting that compliance with the pesticide label instructions is fully protective of children, the public and the environment.

See Beyond Pesticides’ factsheets for managing pests without toxic pesticides and report Ending Toxic Dependency for more information.

(Beyond Pesticides, March 17, 2008) Not everything that goes down the drain can be removed by water treatment plants, which leaves some alarming contaminants in America’s drinking water. A five-month investigation by the Associated Press (AP) finds trace quantities of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water of 41 million Americans. Scientists fear that ingestion of these tiny amounts of drugs may pose health risks to the public, wildlife and aquatic organisms.

The AP investigation surveyed the 50 largest cities in the country and a dozen other major water providers, as well as other small providers in each of the 50 states. A wide range of pharmaceuticals, whether administered to humans or to farm animals, are found in the water of 24 major metropolitan areas, and tests done in the watersheds of 35 major water providers shows 28 testing positive for pharmaceuticals. The levels of pharmaceuticals found in the water are at levels measured in the parts per billion or trillion, far below levels of medical use. The federal government has not set safety limits for drugs in drinking water. In fact, fewer than half of the 62 major water providers could say their water was tested.

Water treatment plants are not designed to remove these types of contaminants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not require utilities to test for these chemicals. The drug residues in tap water join hundreds of other synthetic chemicals Americans are exposed to daily, as contaminants in food, water, air and in common consumer products.

EPA’s assistant administrator for water, Benjamin Grumbles, told the AP in a related story, “No Standards to Test for Drugs in Water,” that “the EPA has launched a four-pronged approach: to identify the extent of the problem, to ”˜identify’ what we don’t know and close the gap,’ to take steps using existing science and regulatory tools, and finally, to increase dialogue and awareness with water providers and state and local agencies.” This sounds like business as usual at EPA — a lot of talk and little action, according to advocates.

Sudeep Chandra, an assistant professor at University of Nevada, Reno told the AP, “There’s enough global information now to confirm these contaminants are affecting organisms and wildlife.” According to the AP article, Drugs in Water Hurt Fish and Wildlife, “More than 100 different pharmaceuticals have been detected in surface waters throughout the world.” Several species from algae to fish to vultures have serious reproductive problems as a result from these contaminants. Problems like lower sperm counts, damaged sperm, feminization of males, create androgynous characteristics, increased hormone levels, kidney failure, and inhibited growth.

Philadelphia has the highest number of pharmaceuticals, 56, found in its drinking water. Washington, DC has six different drugs in its drinking water, one of which is triclocarban, an antibacterial compound widely used as an additive to a range of household and personal care products including bar soaps, detergents, body washes, cleansing lotions, and wipes. Triclocarban, like its cousin triclosan, has been linked to numerous health and environmental effects. Researchers from the University of California- Davis and Yale University found triclocarban to have an amplification effect on the activity of natural hormones, which in turn can lead to adverse reproductive and developmental effects. Triclocarban has a synergistic interaction with the sex hormone, testosterone, present in both males and females. Researchers further explained that ovulation and ovarian function in females can be disrupted, while sperm quality can be decreased in males. They also note that since triclocarban has the potential to amplify synthetic compounds, further investigation into its interaction with oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy is needed. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that triclocarban is the fifth most frequent contaminant among 96 pharmaceuticals, personal care products and organic wastewater contaminants evaluated and the levels of triclocarban in water resources nationwide are much higher than previously thought. A recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study finds earthworms in agricultural fields contain chemicals from household products, indicating that such substances are entering the food chain. Chemicals introduced to the environment via land application of biosolids, the solid byproduct of wastewater treatment, and manure as fertilizers are transferred to earthworms. Earthworms continuously ingest soils for nourishment and can accumulate the chemicals present in the soil. Several compounds were detected in earthworms including triclosan and phenol (disinfectants), tributylphosphate (antifoaming agent and flame retardant), benzophenone (fixative), trimethoprim (antibiotic), and galaxolide and tonalide (synthetic fragrances). In previous research, the USGS found several drugs, including triclosan, in Shoal Creek in Missouri back in 1999 and 2002, according to The Joplin Globe.

Additionally, researchers at Virginia Tech have found that triclosan reacts with chlorine in tap water to form significant quantities of chloroform. Chloroform is classified by EPA as a probable human carcinogen. The research also suggests that the reaction of triclosan with chlorine could produce highly chlorinated, and thus dangerous, dioxins in the presence of sunlight.

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) of Oakland, California, among others, has already begun doing something about pharmaceuticals in waste water. One EBMUD flyer distributed during the summer of 2007, states, “The [EBMUD] plant, like others around the Bay, cannot remove 100 percent of these chemicals, which then ultimately end up in San Francisco Bay. You can help protect the Bay by reducing the use of antibacterial soap (containing triclosan), finding less-toxic pesticide alternatives and properly disposing of hazardous wastes such as pharmaceuticals and mercury-containing products.” EBMUD has also phased-out its own purchases of products containing triclosan and triclocarban.

In 2006, the Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative – Emerging Contaminants Workgroup, which was created to provide a forum to discuss issues related to endocrine disrupting compounds and recycled water, wrote a white paper on the hazards of triclosan. Among other solutions discussed, the heavily cited paper suggests looking into drafting legislation to limit antibacterial products and other emerging watershed contaminants in consumer products.

In response to the AP investigation, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) called on EPA to establish a national taskforce to investigate and make recommendations to Congress on any legislative actions needed. “The Associated Press report raises serious questions about the safety and security of America’s water system. I am especially concerned about the lack of information known on the potential for pharmaceuticals in the water to bio-accumulate in humans or potentially decrease the effectiveness of antibiotics or other life-saving medicines,” writes Congresswoman Schwartz in a letter to EPA. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, announced that they plan to hold a hearing on the issue sometime in early April.

In the wake of the AP investigation, the Governor of Illinois has ordered its state’s waterways to be tested for pharmaceuticals and the New York City Council has scheduled an emergency public hearing for April 3rd.

(Beyond Pesticides, March 14, 2008) An innovative pilot program integrating organic apple and organic pork production proves successful by decreasing pest problems and increasing farm profitability, according to the initial results of a one-year USDA Integrated Organic Program funded study.Jim Koan, owner of Al-Mar Orchards in Flushing, Michigan, had been fighting the plum curculio (PC) beetle, a major pest of pome and stone fruits. Mr. Koan decided to team up with David Epstein, Tree Fruit IPM Integrator with the Michigan State University IPM Program, to study a way to control the beetles without using hazardous pesticides. They are finding that hogs are the answer Mr. Koan was looking for.

The pilot program results showed that in three days, twenty-seven, two-month old Berkshire hogs ate more than 98 percent of the dropped apples in one-acre plots, many of which were infested with PC larvae. Mr. Epstein found that the PC do not survive in the hog digestive system. Thus, subsequent summer feedings by the PC on apples decreased five-fold where hogs grazed. Without the hogs eating the PC infested apples, the larvae in the apples would have moved into the soil and later during the summer, re-emerged to feed on the fruit remaining on the tree.

Young hogs, less than 60 pounds, were found to be the most suitable for the apple farm as they were more likely to forage throughout the one-acre plots, rooting shallowly. Larger hogs, greater than 60 pounds, preferred staying in shadier areas and rooted so deeply that they exposed tree roots. Mr. Epstein also found that “hogs grazing and rooting provided superior weed control and improved nutrient availability.”

For fruit producers with on-farm markets, locally produced organic meat products can provide additional income. Although Mr. Koan’s hogs did not reach a desirable market weight at 8 months, he will harvest them when they reach a live weight of 100kg, expected sometime this month.

After showing favorable results from the pilot project, the team is looking to additional funding to continue with the study and begin measuring hog food intake in a laboratory growth study.

For more information on organic agriculture, see Beyond Pesticides Organic Food pages.

(Beyond Pesticides, March 13, 2008) Exposure to certain chemicals, including pesticides and nerve agents, explains the high rates of illness in Persian Gulf War Veterans, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Veterans from the 1990-91 conflict have a higher rate of chronic, multi-symptom health problems than either non-deployed personnel or those deployed elsewhere. Symptoms routinely reported by these veterans include fatigue, muscle or joint pain, memory problems, trouble sleeping, rash and breathing problems.

Due to the findings, the study author, Beatrice Golomb, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, warns of the potential risk to civilians exposed to pesticides.“Health issues among Gulf War veterans have been a concern for nearly two decades. Now, enough studies have been conducted, and results shared, to be able to say with considerable confidence that there is a link between chemical exposure and chronic, multi-symptom health problems,” said Dr. Golomb. “Furthermore, the same chemicals affecting Gulf War veterans may be involved in similar cases of unexplained, multi-symptom health problems in the general population.”The study synthesized evidence regarding a class of chemicals known as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AchEs), including organophosphate (OP) and carbamate pesticides, sarin and pyridostigmine bromide (PB).

OPs and carbamates were aggressively used in the Gulf to control sand flies and other insects. Some military personnel were exposed to sarin, a chemical nerve gas, when demolishing Iraqi munitions. The nerve gas protection pill PB was ingested by military personnel as a preventive measure during the war. (Due to a previous report by Dr. Golomb detailing concerns about these pills, military policy has been changed in the US and elsewhere.)

The study linked exposure to each of these chemicals with the chronic, multi-symptom health problems in 25 to 33 percent of returning Gulf War veterans. “There is evidence that genetics have something to do with how a body handles exposure to these chemicals,” said Dr. Golomb. “Some people are genetically less able to withstand these toxins and evidence shows that these individuals have higher chance of suffering the effects of exposure.” Specifically, illness is linked to lower activity of enzymes that detoxify AChE, due to genetic variants.Among those service members given PB pills as a preventive measure, those with the mutations that reduced their ability to detoxify the pills were at significantly higher risk of illness, according to Dr. Golomb.

Previous studies have shown genetic variants of these enzymes are also associated with increased rates of some neurological diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Dr. Golomb says this may explain the elevated levels of ALS seen in Gulf War veterans. Nearly one million servicemen and women were deployed to the Gulf between August 1990 and February 1991. Veterans started reporting health problems within months of returning. In 2004, a federal panel of medical experts set up by the Veterans Administration concluded that many Gulf War veterans suffer from neurological damage caused from exposure to neurotoxic chemicals, including pesticides, that inhibit the production of AchE.

In 2003, two studies showed that an abnormally high number of Gulf War veterans have become sick and are dying from ALS. According to both studies, the disease, which affects roughly 30,000 people in the U.S. between the ages of 50 and 70, is impacting this subsection of veterans at more than two times those in the general population. Additional studies have found elevated birth defect rates tied to Gulf War service and that pesticides cause a genetic effect linked to attention deficit disorder and Gulf War syndrome. In 2001, the Defense Department admitted that pesticides may be to blame for Gulf War Syndrome. “These findings carry important implications for current members of the armed forces as well as the general public, suggesting that exposure to these pesticides in any setting may increase risk for impaired neuropsychological function and poor health” said Dr. Golomb.

Some of the chemicals linked to these multi-symptom illnesses continue to be used in agriculture, and at homes and offices for pest control in the United States and around the globe. Studies not related to the Gulf War showed that agricultural workers exposed to organophosphate pesticides had 10 times the number of health symptoms as those not exposed. Whether for residential, commercial, or agricultural uses, according to Beyond Pesticides’ Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management, commonly used carbamate pesticides used in include: aldicarb, carbaryl, fenoxycarb, and propoxur; and commonly used OPs include: acephate, bensulide, chloryprifos, diazinon, dichlorvos, malathion, parathion, propetamphos, and trichlorfon.

(Beyond Pesticides, March 12, 2008) BioDiversity Research Institute, a nonprofit ecological research group, released a new report that was presented March 12, 2008 to Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Natural Resources. Entitled “Contaminant Screening in Maine Birds,” it documents over 100 harmful contaminants that were found in Maine bird eggs.

Scientists collected 60 eggs, representing 23 species of birds, all of which test positive for chemical contaminants, some at levels believed to be harmful to the birds. Flame retardants (PBDEs), industrial stain and water repellants (PFCs), transformer coolants (PCBs), pesticides (OCs), and mercury are found in all 23 species of birds tested. The bird species studied live in a variety of habitats: on Maine’s ocean, salt marshes, rivers, lakes and uplands.

“This is the most extensive study of its kind to date and the first time industrial stain and water repellants were discovered in Maine birds,” says report author, senior research biologist Wing Goodale with the Institute.

The Common loon, Atlantic puffin, piping plover, belted kingfisher, great black-backed gull, peregrine falcon and bald eagle have the highest contaminant levels. The flame retardant deca-BDE, banned last year in Maine, is found in eight species. Overall, eagles carry the greatest contaminant load, and for many contaminants have levels multiple times higher than other species. Many of the contaminants levels recorded are above those documented to have adverse effects.

“These results are significant because many of these contaminants can interact to create effects more harmful than one toxic pollutant alone,” said Mr. Goodale, “and the pervasiveness of the pollutants strongly suggests that birds and wildlife in other states are also accumulating these contaminants.”

“Since we found that birds with high levels of one contaminant tended to have high levels of other contaminants, these compounds may cause top predators, such as bald eagles and peregrine falcons, to have greater difficulty hunting and caring for young,” Mr. Goodale added.

The report also shows the contaminants are coming from both global and local sources. All the types of contaminants were found in all species””including birds that feed hundreds of miles offshore. This indicates that the pollutants are most likely in rain and snow. Birds in mid-coast and southern Maine tended to have higher levels, suggesting the compounds may also come from local sources such as incinerators and water treatment facilities.

“There is good news,” Mr. Goodale said. “We found that banned chemicals like PCBs and DDT were significantly lower in Maine today than in the past, showing that by banning chemicals we can decrease levels of harmful contaminants in the environment.”

Organochlorine (OC) pesticides, such as DDT, endosulfan, chlordane, and dieldrin have been especially problematic due to their persistent nature. OCs are moderately toxic to bird species and are stored in the fat of birds. Residues find their way into egg yolks at measurable concentrations. Recent studies have found that these pesticides are also responsible for reducing the hatching rate of alligator eggs (See Daily News of July 9, 2007). The National Park Service (NPS) has also documented chemical contamination across parks throughout the western United States and Alaska, exceeding consumption levels for humans and wildlife in some areas. (Daily News of February 29, 2008). Other wildlife species such as sharks, frogs and salmon are also at risk from chemical contamination.

Source: BioDiversity Research Institute

(Beyond Pesticides, March 11, 2008) A Decade of Children’s Health Research: Highlights from EPA’s Science to Achieve Results Program, a ten-year Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study released March 10, 2008, summarizes important research findings found from $127 million invested in research grants on children’s environmental health in response to an executive order issued in 1997. Executive Order 13045, Protection of Children From Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks, requires federal agencies to place a high priority on assessing risks to children. EPA, through its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, issued more than 60 research grants in response to this order, which in turn, produced more than 1000 scientific journal articles.

“Understanding potential environmental health risks to children is important to EPA,” said George Gray, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “This research will help us assess and address environmental factors that may affect some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”

The report summarizes research from the STAR children’s health program over the past 10 years, highlighting scientific findings in epidemiology, exposure science, genetics, community-based participatory research, interventions, statistics and methods.
Some of the major findings of this research include:

• People metabolize pesticides differently based on their genotype; some faster, others slower. This finding is of particular concern during pregnancy, as many babies do not develop the ability to metabolize some pesticides during the first two years of life, putting them at greater risks of health effects.
• EPA’s ban on two household pesticides (diazinon and chlorpyrifos) resulted in a rapid decrease in exposures in New York City. Children born after the ban were also healthier.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) can be effectively implemented in urban areas to reduce both pesticide and allergen triggers.
• Children living close to major roadways in Southern California have a higher risk of asthma.
• Community partners play a critical role in informing, implementing, and translating children’s environmental health research.

Environmentalists believe that studying children’s health is a good first step, but criticize the agency for not doing more to protect children’s health. For example, the report cites the residential bans on chlorpyrifos as having positive effects on children’s health. Yet, this neurotoxic insecticide still poisons children’s diet through its use in agriculture. In addition, EPA has a double standard when it comes to protecting the children of farmworkers and other rural children, who are exposed through pesticide drift. Additionally, many of the pesticides that replace chlorpyrifos in the residential marketplace, often synthetic pyrethroids, are linked to endocrine disruption, learning disabilities and asthma — all diseases on the rise in the U.S.

To learn more about the impact of pesticides on children’s health, and to learn how to help protect children at home and in schools, visit Beyond Pesticides Children ans Schools project page. For more information on EPA’s report, visit EPA’s Children’s Research page.

(Beyond Pesticides, March 10, 2008) Head lice affect an estimated 12 million people in the U.S. each year, and are rapidly becoming resistant to over-the-counter and prescription medications. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have found that ivermectin, a compound produced by soil-dwelling bacteria, was 100 percent effective in killing head lice resistant to many standard treatments. Results were published in the January 2008 edition of the Journal of Medical Entomology. Although ivermectin is not well-absorbed through the skin, some public health advocates are concerned about its use on humans for lice and scabies.

The National Pediculosis Association (NPA), a non profit agency, directs parents, health care professionals and child care providers to safer head lice control options via a standardized prevention approach focusing on routine screening, early detection and thorough combing and manual removal of lice and nits. NPA promotes this as a rational strategy over chasing lice with pesticides that offer more risk than benefit and have a well-documented history of lice resistance and failure.Most products used to treat head lice contain the insecticide pyrethrum, or its synthetic cousin permethrin, as the active ingredient. Over the past two decades, resistance to these chemicals has become a serious worldwide problem, causing a crisis in the chemical management of head lice. Some studies have found that lice are also becoming resistant to malathion, a pesticide used in prescription treatments that is more toxic than pyrethrum.“The arsenal of medications used to treat head lice is limited and shrinking, and health providers are spending an increasing amount of time and resources dealing with infestations,” says J. Marshall Clark of the veterinary and animal sciences department.

(Beyond Pesticides, March 7, 2008) A number of counties in California’s Bay Area have voiced strong opposition to state plans to aerially spray a pheromone mixture over areas where the light brown apple moth (LBAM) has been found. While the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) plans to begin spraying this summer, state legislators and county officials alike are taking steps to postpone or halt it completely.

By late February, Senator Carole Midgen had introduced a resolution to set a moratorium on aerial spraying in San Francisco and Marin counties. Assemblyman John Laird and others introduced a four-bill legislative package designed to ensure CDFA is “adequately prepared” for pest problems and public health is protected.

Since then, a number of city councils have approved a variety of resolutions to oppose aerial spraying. Santa Cruz County has filed a lawsuit to stop the spraying, the court hearing for which has been postponed until April 24 in order to complete paperwork. “The county just received the administrative record from the state,” said county spokeswoman Dinah Phillips. “We’ll be going through that with a fine-tooth comb. We’re trying to get everything ready before the spraying begins.”

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has signed on to Sen. Midgen’s resolution. “We haven’t seen this level of concern and debate since the medfly days of then Governor Jerry Brown,” said Sup. Ross Mirkarimi.

The Berkeley City Council notified the Secretary of Agriculture, during a presentation on the planned spraying, that it is planning a lawsuit, or to collaborate with other Bay Area counties on one. The Oakland City Council likewise unanimously approved a resolution to oppose spraying until a “reliable outside independent source verifies that there are no health effects.” According to Councilwoman Jane Brunner, “People are very pleased that we took such fast action.”

Even in Fairfax, where state officials have no plans to aerially spray for LBAM, the City Council has voted to request a moratorium on spraying over the Tiburon peninsula. “We need to scream to the heavens on this issue,” said Councilman Lew Tremaine. “The government is declaring war on the people of this community. We need to make sure this doesn’t happen.” Mayor Mary Ann Maggiore worried that strong winds would bring the pheremone to Fairfax from other areas. “We have no idea how much this might drift,” she said. “We’re strongly against pesticides here.”

CDFA is still accepting comments on its Environmental Impact Report. You can send yours in through March 14. Address your comments to Jim Rains, Staff Environmental Scientist, California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, fax (916) 654-1018, or email [email protected].

The LBAM issue will be addressed next week at the National Pesticide Forum, held at the University of California-Berkeley. A Saturday workshop, “Taking the Lead at the Local Level,” will feature an informative presentation by Paul Schramski, state director of Pesticide Watch, followed by an informal discussion session on Sunday. For more details and to register for the Forum, click here.

Sources: Santa Cruz Sentinel, Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Salinas Californian, Marin Independent Journal

(Beyond Pesticides, March 6, 2008) The public is invited to a screening of the remarkable Rachel Carson film, A Sense of Wonder, opening at the D.C. Environmental film festival, March 12th at 7 pm at E Street Cinema in Washington, D.C. The film was shot last fall at Miss Carson’s cottage in Maine and is adapted from the one-person play of the same name. Bill Moyers of PBS said of the play, “I was deeply moved by Kauilani Lee’s incarnation of Rachel Carson in A Sense of Wonder. You cannot watch. . .without reflecting on universal themes – life death, the power of place, courage in growing old and speaking truth. You cannot walk away unmoved.”

The film should have a great life spreading Miss Carson’s vital and timely words. The actress Kaiulani Lee with director Christopher Monger and co-producer Karen Montgomery bring Ms. Lee’s play based on the life and writings of environmentalist Rachel Carson to the silver screen. Ms. Lee will perform the play at the upcoming 26th National Pesticide Forum, Reclaiming Our Healthy Future, March 14, 7:30pm at the Clark Kerr Conference Center at the University of California, Berkeley. For directions, details on the film or general festival information, visit the film festival website. View the film trailer here.

About the film
A Sense of Wonder (USA, 2008, 54 min.) Based on the life and writings of environmentalist Rachel Carson, this film tells the story of a woman’s love for the natural world and her fight to defend it. Rachel Carson was thrust into controversy with the 1962 publication of her book, Silent Spring, which alerted the world to the dangers of chemical pesticides and launched the modern environmental movement.In this film, acclaimed actress Kaiulani Lee portrays Miss Carson during the last year of her life. Shot on location in Carson’s cabin on the Maine coast, the first scene takes place as she is preparing to leave her summer home. Fighting cancer, she fears this may well be her last visit to her beloved Maine.

The second scene takes place two months later in her winter home outside of Washington, D.C. where her life is embroiled in the furor over her book, Silent Spring. Miss Carson is simultaneously battling the chemical industry, the government, the press and her continuing illness to get her message to Congress and the American people. Recalling the arduous but triumphant process that resulted in Silent Spring, she recounts with humor and some anger the attacks on her by the chemical industry and the film concludes with a moving and inspiring recitation by Miss Carson that summarizes her environmental worldview.

This film, screened in high definition, is based on Kaiulani Lee’s critically acclaimed one-woman play of the same name, written with the help and guidance of many of Miss Carson’s friends and colleagues. Directed by Christopher Monger and produced by Karen Montgomery. Director of Photography: Haskell Wexler.

Introduced by Flo Stone, President & Founder, Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. Discussion with actress Kaiulani Lee follows screening.

Ticket/Reservation Info:

Tickets, $10, available at E Street Cinema Box office beginning Feb. 15.
E Street Cinema, 555 11th St., NW (entrance on E St. between 10th & 11th Sts.)
(METRO: Metro Center). Get tickets in advance. Seating limited.

For information on the Berkeley, CA performance of A Sense of Wonder, contact Beyond Pesticides, 202-543-5450, or go to Beyond Pesticides’ conference webpage.

The film will be available soon for public distribution. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the DVD, please contact Beyond Pesticides at [email protected].

“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the Earth are never alone or weary of life.” – Rachel Carson

(Beyond Pesticides, March 5, 2008) The state of Minnesota will this week make a decision on a bill that would create a public database of all pesticides applied in the state. The bill would also require farmers and commercial applicators to notify neighbors before using restricted pesticides that are volatile.

Democratic Rep. Ken Tschumper of La Crescent, author of the bill, Pesticide Right to Know, believes that the public has a right to know what chemicals are being used in their neighborhoods. The bill will require pesticide applicators to give 48 hours advance notification to an area where pesticides will be sprayed, both in urban and rural areas, and what kind of pesticide would be used. The legislation also calls for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to create an Internet database indicating the time and location of pesticide application. Under the measure, pesticide applicators would have to report to the Agriculture Department every 30 days.

“The bill is not that onerous. Pesticide applicators have to keep track of every application of pesticide they do,” Rep. Tschumper said. “All we’re simply saying is that data, that information, needs to be made public.”

Using volatile chemicals such as atrazine, which is widely used in Minnesota and travels great distances with the wind, would require advance notification by the farmer. Spray drift is currently illegal in Minnesota.

“The applicators have to give some sort of advanced notice — like a day or two ahead of time when they’re going to apply these pesticides, so that the public can be aware of that and protect themselves if there is spray drift, for example,” Rep. Tschumper said.
More than 200 pesticides are bought and sold in Minnesota and farmers and other applicators have to keep track of every application. Current laws state that applicators only have to release information when it is requested from state agriculture officials, a medical doctor or veterinarian. The state, however, does not track how or when these chemicals are used.

Rep. Al Juhnke (DFL-Willmar), who leads a House agriculture funding committee, said he is opposed to the pesticide bill. Rep. Junke says he is concerned the legislation would impinge on the privacy rights of pesticide applicators and farmers. “People are private. We don’t want our information, our name, address, given out to just anyone,” Rep. Juhnke said, adding the information already is available to agriculture officials and health caregivers. “Beyond that, I’m hard pressed to understand why we’d want to do this, other than to appease some anti-chemical activists.”

Farmers opposing the bill say notifying neighbors 48 hours in advance would be too difficult. Some are concerned about their customer data becoming public. “My competitors could go online, find who my customers are and contact them, try to make them deals and sway them away from me,” farmer, Ken Peterson said. “They can find out what mixtures I’m using that work better on certain things, and, you know, it would be like giving up trade secrets.”

This bill has bounced around the state Legislature for years, but Rep. Tschumper says support for it has grown this year. The Environment and Natural Resources Committee is set to take up the bill this week.

Minnesota is not alone in wanting pesticide disclosure and consumer notification. Recently the District of Columbia took up the issue of reforming pesticide law by proposing an amendment that requires licensed pesticide applicators to provide hazard information to potential customers. Beyond Pesticides testified in support of expanding this bill to ensure that people are fully warned before purchasing pest control services or pesticide products. The amendment bill also addressed the issue of inadequately trained commercial applicators. (See Daily News of January 17, 2008.)

Source: Minnesota Public Radio

(Beyond Pesticides, March 4, 2008) Concern about environmental health and justice has exploded in our communities and around the world as a political and moral issue. One of the central threats, toxic pesticides, is directly linked to adverse health effects, particularly in children, and poisoning of the environment. We have learned enough in the last several decades since the publication of Silent Spring to make dramatic shifts away from toxic chemical dependency — as science increasingly links exposure to disease; insect, plant and bacteria resistance to chemicals multiplies; the energy and carbon footprint associated with pesticide use is documented; and the viability of sound and safe practices is realized.

While the shift away from pesticide dependency has begun to take hold in communities around the world, conventional chemical intensive practices in agriculture and residential and institutional management continue to pose unjustifiable and unwarranted hazards. Regulatory standards and underlying laws accept unnecessary risks for workers that handle and work around pesticides and children who eat treated food, breathe contaminated air, or touch toxic surfaces.

Studies link pesticides to cancer and immune, reproductive and nervous system damage. Subtle low level exposure effects that cause learning disabilities or impede brain function defy classical dose-makes-the-poison theory and show elevated effect at lower doses. Reclaiming Our Healthy Future: Political change to protect the next generation is intended to hone our knowledge of the latest science and real world experiences from around the world to inform our activism as effective agents to protect health and the environment, today and for the next generation. We will share experiences and models that have met with success, as well as challenges that must be overcome. The program’s issue and strategy discussions cut across topics affecting the health of children, workers, families, and communities; justice for those most affected by pesticides; and a food system that protects, rather than threatens, the sustainability of the planet.

The Forum is an opportunity to develop new strategies for restructuring our approaches to eliminating toxic chemicals in the management of land, agriculture, and buildings. We begin the Forum with the inspiration and words of Rachel Carson, leading us to renew our energy in the fight against chemicals that destroy the very natural environment that we depend on for life. We do this with a sense of urgency and a spirit of resolve that solutions are within our grasp. — Jay Feldman, Beyond Pesticides; Kathryn Gilje, PANNA; David Chatfield, CPRReclaiming Our Healthy Future: Political change to protect the next generation, the 26th National Pesticide Forum will be held March 14-16 at the University of California Berkeley Clark Kerr Conference Center. The full program is now available online. For full details and registration, visit the forum web page.

(Beyond Pesticides, March 3, 2008) In a five-year study of the Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found that, “Synthetic organic pesticides and their degradation products have been widely detected at low levels in the watershed, including emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and hormones.“ The report finds that concentrations of DDT, while still present, have declined since the 1970s when it was phased out. The findings are contained in a report entitled Synthesis of U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem and Implications for Environmental Management. The study is a part of the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), which is a multi-agency partnership working to restore the Bay ecosystem. According to the report introduction, “In 2005, which represented the mid-point of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement, there was growing concern at all levels of government and by the public that ecological conditions in the Bay and its watershed had not significantly improved. The slow rate of improvement, coupled with the projected human-population increase in the Bay watershed, implied that many desired ecological conditions will not be achieved by 2010. The Government Accountability Office (2005) recommended that the CBP complete efforts for an integrated assessment approach of ecosystem conditions and develop a comprehensive, coordinated implementation strategy. To address these challenges, the CBP partners are writing a strategic implementation plan (SIP) to more accurately define the degree to which restoration goals can be achieved by 2010, and the most effective approach to achieve the goals. The USGS findings and their implications provide critical information that will be used by the CBP partners to prepare the SIP and develop improved management strategies. A major CBP restoration goal is to “Have a “toxics free“ Bay to improve conditions for aquatic-dependent wildlife.“ As a part of this effort, the study seeks to define the occurrence of contaminants in the Bay watershed. Some of the findings include:

Two year earlier, according to Water Quality in the Nation’s Streams and Aquifers-Overview of Selected Findings, 1991-2001, released in 2004 as a compendium of 51 USGS reports on the health of major river basins across the country, insecticides such as diazinon and malathion were found in nearly all of the streams that were sampled in urban areas. Streams in agricultural areas were more likely to contain herbicides-especially atrazine, metolachlor, alachlor, and cyanazine. A summary of the findings were reported in Beyond Pesticides’ Daily News Blog.

(Beyond Pesticides, February 29, 2008) The National Park Service (NPS) recently released a report documenting airborne pesticides.  The report of the  Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP), with data collected from 2002 to 2007, found high concentrations of “numerous” airborne contaminants, including current and former use pesticides. Contamination is widespread throughout twenty parks throughout the western United States and Alaska, exceeding consumption levels for humans and wildlife in some areas.

According to the report, the contaminants of second and third “highest concern” are “Dieldrin – an acutely toxic insecticide banned from use in the U.S. since 1987 that decreases the effectiveness of the immune system” and “DDT – an insecticide banned in the U.S. since 1972 that reduces reproductive success.”

NPS also reported that Dieldrin and DDT levels exceeded the threshold for recreational fishermen in several parks, and Dieldrin levels exceeded that for subsistence fishermen in all but Olympic National Park. Fish-eating birds are also at risk in some parks. While NPS could not establish a correlation between contaminant levels and fish reproductive effects due to small sample size, two parks produced individual “intersex” fish. However, NPS stated, “This condition is commonly associated with exposure to certain contaminants (e.g., dieldrin and DDT) that mimic the hormone estrogen.”

NPS reported that the sources of this extensive contamination are widespread, both locally and globally. It announced, “Evidence suggests that the contaminants found in this study are carried in air masses from sources as far away as Europe and Asia, and as near as the local country. According to Landers, the presence of contaminants in snow is well-correlated with the proximity of each park to agricultural areas, pointing to these areas as probable major sources of these contaminants. In Alaska Parks, with little nearby agriculture in the region, there are very low concentrations of most current-use compounds. However, concentrations of historic-use chemicals in Alaska systems are similar to those in other parks sampled, suggesting greater influence from global atmospheric transport.”

According to report co-author Michael Kent, “Contaminants are everywhere. You can’t get more remote than these northern parts of Alaska and the high Rockies.” They have also not been reduced with the bans of DDT and dieldrin; newer chemicals are persisting in measurable quantities. University of Washington researcher Daniel Jaffe said, “We replaced [DDT and dieldrin] with pesticides with much shorter lifetimes in the environment. But in places like the Central Valley of California, we are applying many, many tons of these every year. We now know they can move substantial distances.”

Sources: National Park Service, Associated Press

(Beyond Pesticides, February 28, 2008) Earthworms studied in agricultural fields have been found to contain chemicals from household products (including the widely marketed triclosan, a hazardous antimicrobial) and manure, indicating that such substances are entering the food chain. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Scientists and their colleague from Colorado State University at Pueblo published their findings in Environmental Science and Technology. The study results demonstrate that organic chemicals introduced to the environment via land application of biosolids, the solid byproduct of wastewater treatment, and manure as fertilizers are transferred to earthworms. Earthworms continuously ingest soils for nourishment and can accumulate the chemicals present in the soil.The scientists collected soil and earthworms from three agricultural fields””a soybean field fertilized with biosolids, a corn field fertilized with swine manure, and a soybean field that had received no applications of either biosolids or manure for at least 7 years.

The chemicals investigated are considered indicators of human and animal waste sources and include a range of active ingredients in common household products such as detergents, antibacterial soaps, fragrances, and pharmaceuticals. All of these chemicals tend to be concentrated in the municipal waste distribution and disposal process and are referred to as anthropogenic waste indicators (AWI).

Scientists found 28 AWIs in biosolids being applied at a soybean field for the first time and 20 AWIs in earthworms from the same field. Similar results were found for the field where swine manure was applied. Several compounds were detected in earthworms collected both from the biosolids- and manure-applied fields, including phenol (disinfectant), tributylphosphate (antifoaming agent and flame retardant), benzophenone (fixative), trimethoprim (antibiotic), and the synthetic fragrances galaxolide, and tonalide. Detergent metabolites and the disinfectant triclosan were found in earthworms from the biosolids-applied field, but not the manure-applied field. Earthworms from the control field (no recent application of biosolids or manure) contained detections of some of the same compounds, indicating potential persistence in the environment or another source.

In published studies, triclosan has been linked to skin irritations, allergy susceptibility, depression of the central nervous system, bacterial and compounded antibiotic resistance, and dioxin contamination as well as the destruction of fragile aquatic ecosystems. It has also been found in plasma and breast milk of nursing mothers and in urinary samples of three out of four individuals tested.

Biosolids are made from the sludge generated by the treatment of sewage at wastewater treatment plants. Biosolids are used as fertilizer by farmers, landscapers, and homeowners when it meets U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (http://www.epa.gov/OWM/mtb/biosolids/index.htm) and local regulations for nutrient, metal, and pathogen content. About half of the 8 million dry tons of biosolids produced in the U. S. each year are applied to the land. Biosolids have been found to be rich in AWIs compared to levels in wastewater treatment plant effluent. Triclosan cannot be removed from wastewater by conventional treatment processes.

The USGS results build upon a 2006 study that found 25 household chemicals in every biosolid sample collected including compounds that are pharmaceutically and hormonally active, such as such as triclosan, a musk fragrance (tonalide), an antihistamine (diphenhydramine), and an antiepileptic drug (carbamazepine).

When used outside of health care settings, triclosan is unnecessary, and constant exposure to triclosan becomes a health and environmental hazard. The best solution to preventing infections is plain soap and water.

Source: USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program

(Beyond Pesticides, February 27, 2008) EPA is seeking public comments on a proposed list of 104 possible drinking water contaminants that may need to be regulated in the future to ensure the continued protection of drinking water. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA includes on the draft Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) currently unregulated contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and which may require regulation. This draft CCL, which is the third such listing, lists 93 chemical contaminants or groups and 11 microbes, and describes the process and basis for selecting these contaminants.“EPA is casting a broader scientific net for potential regulation of chemicals and microbes in drinking water,” said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. “EPA’s proposed list of priority contaminants will advance sound science and public health by targeting research on certain chemicals and microbes and informing regulators on how best to reduce risk.”

(Beyond Pesticides, February 26, 2008) The United Farm Workers of America, Beyond Pesticides and others, represented by lawyers from Earthjustice, argued in federal court that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to allow the use of azinphos-methyl until 2012 was unconscionable. The plaintiffs say EPA did not consider harm to farmworkers and their families, or to rivers, lakes and salmon, and the agency should be forced to reconsider.

“There are workers getting sick,” Patti Goldman, a lawyer for Earthjustice, told U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez. “This isn’t just hypothetical. There are workers being taken out of the field.”The AP reports that Cynthia Morris, a Justice Department lawyer who argued on the agency’s behalf, told the judge that the short-term benefits of allowing growers to keep using AZM for the next several years outweigh the potential harm. She argued that the agency’s decision was reasonable, and failed to meet the “arbitrary and capricious” standard for the judge to undo it.In November 2006, EPA decided that AZM poses unreasonable adverse effects and must be banned but allowed its continued use on fruit crops for six more years — until 2012 — and on nut crops for three more years — until 2009. The plaintiffs contend this phase-out period is too long because of the immediate and severe risks it poses to farm workers and their families.AZM is a highly neurotoxic organophosphate insecticide. Organophosphate insecticides attack the human brain and nervous system. Exposure can cause dizziness, vomiting, convulsions, numbness in the limbs, loss of intellectual function, and death. New alternatives have emerged that cost only slightly more and produce the same amount and quality of food crops. Farmworker families and communities are exposed to organophosphates through take-home exposures on clothing, contamination of cars and drift onto outdoor play areas.

In 2001, EPA found that AZM poses unacceptable risks to workers, but it allowed continued use of the pesticide for four more years because less toxic alternatives cost more to use. Farmworker advocates challenged that decision in federal court because EPA failed to take into account the costs of poisoning workers, exposing children, and polluting rivers and streams. To settle the lawsuit, EPA agreed to reconsider whether to ban AZM and announced its six-year phase-out.

“With safer alternatives already in widespread use, EPA has betrayed the trust of the men, women, and children whose health it is duty bound to protect by allowing this extremely hazardous pesticide to remain in use for six more years,” said Shelley Davis, attorney for Farmworker Justice. “It is time to make that shift now.”

Judge Martinez said he would rule as soon as possible.

The groups bringing the lawsuit are the United Farm Workers of America, Sea Mar Community Health Centers, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, Beyond Pesticides, Frente Indígena Oaxaqueño Binacional, and Arnulfo Lopez, a farmworker in California.