Page 199 – Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog

25
Feb

California County Attempts to Protect Residents from Drifting Pesticides

(Beyond Pesticides, February 25, 2008) After two years of residents calling on local authorities for greater protection from drifting airborne pesticides, the Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner has adopted new pesticide buffer zone rules, or “permit conditions,” that prohibits aerial applications of restricted use pesticides within one-quarter mile of schools in session or due to be in session within 24 hours, occupied farm labor camps and residential areas.

The Allensworth School Board, the Cutler-Orosi School Board and over 1,750 organizations and individuals endorsed the call for buffer zones in Tulare County. Community members launched efforts to establish buffer zones because of the serious health risks posed by pesticide exposure, ranging from short-term effects such as dizziness, vomiting and rashes to long-term effects including asthma, cancer, birth defects, damage to the developing child and neurological harm.

Community efforts included conducting surveys documenting the general public’s exposure to pesticides, sampling for pesticides in the air and in residents’ bodies, and presenting local authorities with a petition endorsing the establishment of buffer zones around sensitive sites such as schools.

According to the Mercury News, “An Associated Press investigation found that 590 people in California were sickened by pesticides at schools from 1996 to 2005, more than a third of which were due to pesticide drift.”

“The times are changing about when, where and how pesticides can be applied,” said Gustavo Aguirre, Assistant Director of Organizing at Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment. “The ”˜business as usual’ approach of poisoning community members and polluting the air is no longer acceptable.”

Over 50% of all public schools in Tulare County are within one-quarter mile of agricultural operations. Towns such as Plainview that are next to alfalfa or cotton fields where aerial applications are common will benefit the most from the new rules.

“This is a great victory for communities who regularly and unwillingly breathe pesticides in their day to day lives,” said Irma Arrollo, Director of El Quinto Sol de América, a local Lindsay community group. “Regular people can change things when they get together. This is just a first step to protect the health of our families from pesticides. It’s an excellent start.”

Tulare joins Kern and Kings Counties which have similar permit conditions, and are the strongest buffer zone requirements in the San Joaquin Valley. Other San Joaquin Valley counties either have weaker or no general buffer zone rules in place around schools, labor camps and residences.

Pesticide drift is an inevitable problem in pest management strategies that rely on spray and dust pesticide formulations. Although of greatest concern is the aerial application of pesticides, where up to 40% of the pesticide is lost to drift, pesticides can also drift when applied from a truck or hand held application.

Recent reports in Hawaii of pesticides drifting onto school property and poisoning students have lead state lawmakers to consider legislation that would establish buffer zones around elementary schools (See Daily News of February 11, 2008).

According to Beyond Pesticides’ report Getting the Drift on Chemical Trespass: Pesticide drift hits homes, schools and other sensitive sites throughout communities, seven states have recognized the importance of controlling drift by restricting pesticide applications around school properties, residential areas and other sensitive sites. State required buffer zones range from 100 feet to 2 1/2 miles, depending on the application method, pesticide type and site to be protected from potential drift.

Source: Californians for Pesticide Reform

Posted in California, Children/Schools by: Beyond Pesticides
3 Comments

22
Feb

LBAM Spray Schedule Released, California Senate Responds

(Beyond Pesticides, February 22, 2008) The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has released its latest schedule for assault on the light brown apple moth (LBAM), adding specifics to its previous outline of the 2008 plan. As has been previously reported, public outcry against the aerial spraying of a pheromone mixture has been widespread, in spite of the state’s insistence on the necessity of such measures. As a result, two state senators are introducing measures to stop, or at least postpone, spraying until safety and efficacy can be assured.

The latest schedule from CDFA identifies anticipated components to the eradication effort. For instance, twist-ties (carrying the moths’ pheromone) will be applied to trees beginning February 25, which will be used alone in areas of low infestation, and “to complement mating disruption treatments against heaviest populations.” They will remain in place until an area is free from moths for two life-cycles. “Pheromone male moth attractant treatment,” applied to utility poles and trees, both on public and private property, will occur in areas of mid-level infestation, measuring at least 3,000 male moths per square mile. These applications will begin in April, and in areas of heaviest infestation, will precede aerial spraying. The latter will begin in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties on June 1, and in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin counties on August 1. The stingless wasp Trichogramma will also be released in the first three counties sometime this spring.

State Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) is introducing a resolution to set a moratorium on aerial spraying in San Francisco and Marin County, which would last until “the U.S. Department of Agriculture can guarantee the spray’s forumula is both safe for humans and effective against the moth.” Other counties may choose to join in the resolution, which CDFA is not required to follow. In addition, Assemblyman John Laird will introduce a package of bills today concerning LBAM.

Both politicians are responding to concerns that the aerially sprayed formula is a hazard to public health. CDFA received 330 illness reports after spraying began last fall, and hundreds more were collected by the group California Alliance to Stop the Spray. CDFA is sponsoring community meetings to get input on its coming Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The two remaining meetings will be held on February 25 in San Francisco and February 26 in Oakland. Full details are here. In addition, comments may be submitted no later than 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].

Sources: Santa Cruz Sentinel, San Mateo County Times, Monterey County Herald

Posted in California, LBAM by: Beyond Pesticides
2 Comments

21
Feb

Timber Company Agrees to Clean Up Dioxin from Wood Preservative

(Beyond Pesticides, February 21, 2008) The Simpson Timber Company, in a settlement with two environmental groups, has agreed to remove tons of sediment laden with cancer-causing dioxin from a contaminated ditch that empties into Humboldt Bay, California’s second largest natural bay.The timber company was sued in 2006 by the two Eureka-based environmental groups, Humboldt Baykeeper and Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATs). Tests were conducted, and dioxin was found at levels tens of thousands of times higher than Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, some of the highest levels found in the nation. The test sites were near where Simpson commonly sprayed plywood with the now-widely-banned wood preservative pentachlorophenol in the 1960’s.

Further indications that dioxin, which is one of the most potent carcinogens known, had persisted in the environment came last year when the State Water Resources Control Board listed Humboldt Bay as “impaired” after dioxin was found in the tissues of local fish and oysters. Under the settlement, Simpson is required to dig up contaminated sediment in the ditch, which is adjacent to Humboldt Bay’s only public fishing pier, and haul it to a licensed disposal site. The company also must restore the ditch as a functioning wetland and install a network of groundwater-monitoring wells to ensure that residual subsurface contamination doesn’t leave the site.

Humboldt Baykeeper director Pete Nichols said, “This settlement is a pivotal step in addressing and fixing the dioxin problem in and around Humboldt Bay. The work required under this agreement will help protect those who fish from this public pier and throughout the Bay, in addition to the fish and other inhabitants of the Bay.”

The suit was brought under the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which was established by Congress to address hazardous waste issues and prevent sites, such as the old plywood mill, from creating an ongoing threat to public health and the environment. Michelle Smith, Humboldt Baykeeper’s staff attorney, said, “This is precisely what Congress had in mind when they crafted provisions in environmental laws that allow citizens to take legal action to protect their communities and the environment.”

During the 1960s, pentachlorophenol was used at close to a dozen lumber mills around Humboldt Bay. Patty Clary of CATs said her group has mapped many of these old mill sites, most of which don’t exist anymore. “We’ll carefully watchdog the results of data collected by the extensive system of monitoring wells Simpson will install as a result of this settlement,” Ms. Clary stated, “Our goal is to prevent further degradation of the Bay by dioxin, and see it restored to its former health and vitality”.

See Beyond Pesticides’ comments on EPA’s preliminary risk assessment for pentachlorophenol.

For more information, see: CATs news release (including previous releases on this subject) and contact: Pete Nichols, Executive Director Humboldt Baykeeper, 707-268-0664 / 707-845-0832 (cell); Patty Clary, Policy Director Californians for Alternatives to Toxics, 707-445-5100/707-834-4833 (cell).

Posted in Wood Preservatives by: Beyond Pesticides
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20
Feb

Pesticide Mixtures Have Greater Effect on Salmon

(Beyond Pesticides, February 20, 2008) Pesticides that run off agricultural land and mix in rivers and streams combine to have a greater than expected toxic effect on the salmon nervous system, according to researcher Nathaniel Scholz, PhD, a zoologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Seattle.

Dr. Scholz, who presented his findings at the symposium entitled From Kitchen Sinks to Ocean Basins: Emerging Chemical Contaminants and Human Health, which was organized by NOAA and hosted at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting, had previously looked at the effects of individual pesticides. However, to get a more realistic idea of exposure, combinations of several pesticides were used and juvenile salmon exposed to them two at a time. The results surprised Dr. Scholz and his team. The total impact observed from combined pesticides was greater than the sum of the individual pesticides, demonstrating a synergistic effect. Some pesticides that were not deadly when tested in individual trials killed all salmon exposed to combinations. A mixture of the pesticides diazinon and malathion, exhibited the greatest synergistic effect and killed all the salmon exposed to them, even at the lowest concentrations.

“It was eye opening,” Dr. Scholz said. “We’re seeing relatively dramatic departures” from what happens with each pesticide by itself. “The real world is usually more complex, and exposures to mixtures of chemicals can be more of the rule than the exception.”

Dr. Scholz said the findings, which are in review for publication, mean that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may be underestimating the hazards pesticides pose to salmon. It also indicates that combinations of pesticides found on fruits and vegetables may also pose an unknown and unexpected risk for people.

Pesticides sprayed on agricultural crops are widespread in streams in the Northwest and half of the waters sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey contain six or more pesticides. Pesticides found in salmon watersheds were at concentrations at or above levels set to protect fish and other aquatic life. The pesticides used in Dr. Scholz’s study include the organophosphates malathion, chlopyrifos and diazion, among others. Organophosphates are neurotoxic and kill cells by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme that helps neurons communicate. This in turn harms the ability of salmon to feed. Diazinon also reduces sperm production in male salmon even at extremely low levels.

In a 2002 order, a U.S. District Court in Seattle found that the federal government had failed to protect threatened species of salmon and 26 other endangered species from toxic pesticides. The judge ordered EPA to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to identify permanent measures needed to protect the salmon and others from pesticides. Despite the ruling, federal agencies have been negligent in their efforts to protect declining salmon populations. In November 2007, fishing and environmental groups seeking to force the federal government to uphold the five-year-old rule once again filed a lawsuit (See Daily News Blog of November 7, 2007).

For more information on endangered salmon see articles from the Spring 2002 and Summer 1999 issues of Pesticides and You.

Sources: ScienceNOW Daily News, Bio-Medicine

Posted in Chlorpyrifos, Diazinon, Malathion, Water, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. by: Beyond Pesticides
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19
Feb

Researcher Shows Chemicals Alter Male Reproductive System

(Beyond Pesticides, February 19, 2008) Common household chemicals and widespread pollutants are changing male reproductive health and impacting sexual function, development and cancer rates of today’s generations and possibly their offspring, according to more than 15 years of research by a Colorado State University expert. For example, one study looking at sperm counts globally from 1940, when chemicals first began to be widely produced, to the 1990s, indicates a 1.15 percent per year decline in sperm counts. These declines may be linked to chemical exposure.Rao Veeramachaneni, BVSc, MScVet, PhD, a biomedical sciences professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has found that chemicals including pesticides, common pollutants in ground water, and chemicals in plastics, make-up and nail polish are on a growing list of culprits causing developmental abnormalities such as impaired sperm quality and impotence. Reproductive health can be compromised if males are exposed at various times in life spanning from in utero up to adulthood.Dr. Veeramachaneni’s findings span the globe and are across species lines, from humans to horses, wildlife to frogs. His research, coupled with the collective findings of other experts in the field, indicates a strong link related to pollutants, and incidence of such impacts continues to increase from year to year as chemicals infiltrate the modern world.

“Exposure to these chemicals, particularly during certain windows of time during fetal development, in newborns or as adolescents, can do permanent damage,” said Dr. Veeramachaneni, who works in the university’s internationally-known Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory. “It’s been a difficult task to trace the impact of these chemicals because an exposure as a fetus may not be manifested until that fetus becomes an adult. Once exposed, many males develop a condition for life. But when we look at the big picture — at trends over time — research shows lasting effects of chemicals since their popularity after World War II.”

Some of these chemicals can survive in the environment for 30 to 40 years, and the chances for exposure are high because the chemicals have permeated our world. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that about one-third of the nation’s lakes and one quarter of its rivers are polluted. There is also evidence that exposure today to some of these chemicals can affect the reproductive health of this generation as well as the future health of offspring of those exposed. The incidence of testicular cancer in young men 15 to 35 years old has increased three to four fold over the past 50 years, particularly in the Western world.

These chemicals affect the body through several channels. They attach to receptors in the body that help hormones carry out their functions and either block actual hormones from attaching or mimic the expression of the real hormones, causing confusion in the male body. In addition, some interfere with the body’s natural production of hormones.

A pattern emerges when comparing the explosion of the world’s use of chemicals, including pesticides and herbicides, and the steadily increasing incidence of testicular cancer, reproductive system abnormalities and impotence.

Phthalates, which are used in a variety of products including cosmetics, upholstery, pharmaceuticals and medical tubing, and also are found in drinking water and air. The chemicals can be found in body fluids of people who have been exposed, including in urine, blood and breast milk. Presence in breast milk can pass exposure on to an infant.
In a series of studies funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Veeramachaneni’s laboratory found that exposing tadpoles to dibutyl phthalate, one form of phthalate, drastically slows their growth and reproductive development. At varying doses, tadpoles lagged weeks behind non-exposed frogs in developing legs and entering adulthood. More significant, however, was the impact on their ability to reproduce; one effect of the chemicals is particularly notable on their mating calls. Those exposed to chemicals had calls that were weaker and shorter. Images of the larynx, the voice box, showed that it was significantly underdeveloped. Without a competitive mating call, the frogs will not be able to reproduce successfully.

DDT and other pesticides have been linked to testicular cancer in humans and animals. Reflecting human trends in the U.S. and abroad, in collaboration with medical scientists at University of Pretoria, South Africa, Dr. Veeramachaneni has found instances of testicular cancer in wildlife in Africa, potentially tied to the increasing renewed use of DDT to fight malaria-carrying mosquitoes. His research showed that DDT causes precancerous lesions in the testis. Dr. Veeramachaneni also documented cancerous lesions in the testes of infertile domestic horses and wild deer, and is working on a possible connection to ubiquitous pollutants.

The incidences of hypospadias and cryptorchidism are increasing. While figures indicating the increase vary by population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites a marked twofold increase in the last 25 to 30 years, now impacting almost one per 100 males born. Hypospadias can affect urination and sexual function. Dr. Veeramachaneni’s laboratory has found that exposure to some chemicals such as phthalates causes hypospadias and cryptorchidism.

Historical studies show that the quality of sperm in humans has decreased rapidly in the last 50 years. With the assistance of research associate Carol Moeller, Dr. Veeramachaneni’s electron microscopic studies show that sperm quality is affected by malformations of structures that are needed for fertilization of the egg or two or more sperm attached to each other following exposure to a variety of so-called innocuous chemicals.

Erectile dysfunction is reported in one-third of the U.S. male population. It also is being linked to chemicals in the environment. Vinclozolin, a fungicide commonly used in agriculture, can contaminate food and water supplies. In laboratory tests, Veeramachaneni and his research associate, Jennifer Palmer, found that some male offspring of animals exposed to vinclozolin during pregnancy displayed a complete lack of interest in females.

Other researchers have made similar findings. For instance, Cecilia Berg, Ph.D., a researcher in environmental toxicology, found frogs to be more sensitive to hormone-disturbing environmental pollutants. Recent studies by Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D. at the University of California have demonstrated that atrazine is an endocrine disruptor that chemically castrates and feminizes male amphibians. In addition to hermaphroditic deformities in frogs, pseudo-hermaphrodite polar bears with penis-like stumps, panthers with atrophied testicles, and intersex fish have all been documented as the probable result of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment. Many scientists believe that wildlife provides early warnings of effects produced by endocrine disruptors, which may as yet be unobserved in humans.

Dr. Hayes will be speaking about his research at the 26th National Pesticide Forum, Reclaiming Our Healthy Future: Political change to protect the next generation, held March 14-16 at the University of California, Berkeley.

Source: Colorado State University

Posted in Chemicals, Disease/Health Effects, Endocrine Disruption, Infertility by: Beyond Pesticides
1 Comment

15
Feb

Study Shows Increased Pesticide Use with GE Crops

(Beyond Pesticides, February 15, 2008) Two studies have just been released, one by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), a promoter of genetically-engineering crops, and the other by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and Friends of the Earth, each with differing conclusions on the impact of genetically engineered (GE) crops on the health of our food systems. The debate is one that has existed for years, particularly as GE seeds have spread worldwide, now accounting for 280 million acres of cropland in 23 countries.

Reports have historically provided significant documentation of herbicide-resistant weeds developing as a result of heavy reliance on the chemicals crops are bred to tolerate. Insect resistance has also been recently discovered. Legislators have recognized the need to protect farmers from GE contamination and resulting lawsuits from seed developer Monsanto. Concerns over a litany of health and environmental risks from GE crops continue. The timing of these two studies highlights the disparity between how the GE industry represents its product and how public interest groups evaluate the effects and risks they see to farmers and consumers alike.

The ISAAA study, entitled Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2007, celebrates the first twelve years of GE commercialization, claiming the “very high adoption rate by farmers reflects the fact that biotech crops have consistently performed well and delivered significant economic, environmental, health and social benefits to both small and large farmers in developing and industrial countries. Thus, this is a strong vote of confidence from approximately 55 million individual decisions by farmers.”

The report particularly focused on the growth of biotech in developing countries, which it claims have “humanitarian implications” through increased small farmer income. It calls these the “tip of the iceberg,” and concludes by identifying five contributions GE crops can make to the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. Those are: “Increasing global crop productivity to improve food, feed and fiber security in sustainable crop production systems that also conserve biodiversity;” “Contributing to the alleviation of poverty and hunger;” “Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Agriculture;” “Mitigating Climate Change and Reducing Greenhouse Gases;” and “Contributing to the Cost-effective Production of Biofuels.”

The CFS/Friends of the Earth study, Who Benefits from GM Crops?: The Rise in Pesticide Use, is much more skeptical of biotech’s overall benefit to society. A press release by CFS says the report found that “genetically modified (GM) crops have led to a large increase in pesticide use and have failed to increase yield or tackle world hunger or poverty.” CFS disputed ISAAA’s claims, citing misrepresentation of data and exclusion of information on herbicide-resistant crops, increased pesticide use, shrinking numbers of small farmers, and the negative effects of Monsanto’s monopoly over the technology.

“For years, the biotech industry has been trumpeting the benefits of GM crops, but this report shows the true emerging picture,” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of CFS. “These crops really promote greater use of pesticides, and cause direct harm to the environment and small farmers. More and more, foundations and international aid and development organizations are recognizing the dead end that GM crops represent.”

The report also rejects ISAAA’s projected contributions to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. “The biotech industry tells Africans that we need GM crops to tackle the food needs of our population. But the majority of GM crops are used to feed animals in rich countries, to produce damaging agrofuels, and don’t even yield more than conventional crops,” said Nnimmo Bassey, Friends of the Earth International’s GMO coordinator in Nigeria.

With ISAAA saying “the number of biotech crop countries, crops and traits and hectarage are projected to double between 2006 and 2015,” the debate between industry and food safety alliances will only increase. To read more about the continuing development of GE crops, visit our program page, Daily News, and archives.

Source: Washington Post

Posted in Genetic Engineering, Monsanto by: Beyond Pesticides
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14
Feb

Insect Resistance to Biotech Cotton Found

(Beyond Pesticides, February 14, 2008) Researchers have found what they are calling the first insect resistance in the field to genetically engineered plants that are modified to produce an insecticide called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt. The University of Arizona (UA) researchers, who have previously received research support from Monsanto and Cotton, Inc., are supportive of bioengineered crops and dismiss the findings of resistance, given that they are only in cotton and no other crops. The report, “Insect resistance to Bt crops: evidence versus theory,” is due out in the February issue of Nature. Concern about resistance has raised fears in the organic community that Bt, derived from natural soil bacterium, would be rendered ineffective as insect resistance spreads and this natural control collapses over time.In organic systems, composted manures and cover crops replace synthetic fertilizers, innovative weeding strategies are used instead of herbicides, beneficial insects and trap crops control insect pests, and alternatives to toxic defoliants prepare plants for harvest.

Bt-resistant populations of the insect bollworm, Helicoverpa zea, were found in more than a dozen crop fields in Mississippi and Arkansas between 2003 and 2006.

The bollworm resistance to Bt cotton was discovered when a team of University of Arizona entomologists analyzed published data from monitoring studies of six major caterpillar pests of Bt crops in Australia, China, Spain and the U.S.

Because they have only found resistance in one crop over a seven year period, the researchers maintain that their data refute some experts’ worst-case scenarios that predicted pests would become resistant to Bt crops in as few as three years.

To delay resistance, non-Bt crops are planted near Bt crops to provide “refuges” for susceptible pests. The biotech industry originally resisted the requirement for refuges arguing that it was unnecessary. Because resistant insects are rare, the only mates they are likely to encounter would be susceptible insects from the refuges. The hybrid offspring of such a mating generally would be susceptible to the toxin. In most pests, offspring are resistant to Bt toxins only if both parents are resistant. In bollworm, however, hybrid offspring produced by matings between susceptible and resistant moths are resistant. Such a dominant inheritance of resistance was predicted to make resistance evolve faster. It remains to be seen whether resistance will grow over time.

The UA researchers found that bollworm resistance evolved fastest in the states with the lowest abundance of refuges.

To combat resistance, researchers are adopting the more is better approach. The first-generation biotech cotton contained only one Bt toxin called Cry1Ac; however, a new variety contains both Cry1Ac and a second Bt toxin, Cry2Ab. The theory is that the combination overcomes pests that are resistant to just one toxin.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture funded the research.

As an alternative to chemical and biotech cotton, in 1996, in an effort to develop and spread knowledge about alternatives to chemical farming systems in cotton, the California-based Sustainable Cotton Project (SCP) launched its BASIC (Biological Agriculture Systems) program. In Cotton, the BASIC program includes mentor farmer outreach, step-by-step growing assistance, organic and sustainable field research trials and systematic monitoring. See http://www.sustainablecotton.org/html/growers/growers.html.

Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Bt, Genetic Engineering, Pests by: Beyond Pesticides
1 Comment

13
Feb

CDC Blocks Report On Environmental Hazards In Great Lakes States

(Beyond Pesticides, February 13, 2008) The publication of a federal study undertaken by the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) has been blocked for more than seven months because it contains “alarming information” of evidence of elevated infant mortality and cancer rates in the region surrounding the Great Lakes.The report entitled, Public Health Implications of Hazardous Substances in the Twenty-Six U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern, was commissioned by the International Joint Commission (IJC), an independent organization that advises the U.S. and Canadian governments on the use and quality of boundary waters between the two countries, and compiled by the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). The report outlines the “areas of concern” in which more than nine million people in major metropolitan areas as Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee, face higher health risks from exposure to dioxin, PCBs, pesticides, lead, mercury, or six other hazardous pollutants.Contributors to the report include senior experts from the Environmental Protection Agency, CDC, universities, as well as federal and state researchers. These experts have been reviewing data since 2004 and have found low birth weights, elevated rates of infant mortality and premature births, and elevated death rates from breast cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer in the region.The 400-page report was due to be released in July 2007 but was withdrawn by the ATSDR just days before it was to be published. The ATSDR claimed that it needed further review and that the quality of the report was “well below expectations.” However, Peter Orris, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Illinois School of Public Health in Chicago and one of the experts who reviewed the study for ATSDR, acknowledged that the study does not determine cause and effect, but, he said, “[I]t raises very important questions”¦.[N]ot to release it is putting your head under the sand.”

In December 2007, Dr. Orris wrote a letter to the ATSDR asking for the report to be released. His letter states: “This report, which has taken years in production, was subjected to independent expert review by the IJC’s Health Professionals Task Force and other boards, over 20 EPA scientists, state agency scientists from New York and Minnesota, three academics (including myself), and multiple reviews within ATSDR. As such, this is perhaps the most extensively critiqued report, internally and externally, that I have heard of.”

Since the report’s failure to launch, several officials, including members of Congress, have expressed concern over what seems to be “the appearance of censorship of science and distribution of factual information regarding the health status of vulnerable communities.” In February 2008, members of Congress, including Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee, chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology, Rep. Brad Miller of North Carolina, chairman of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the Science and Technology Committee, and Rep. Nick Lampson of Texas, chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, wrote the CDC’s director demanding an explanation as to why the report was being withheld. Sources involved with the report say that the study has been suppressed because it suggests that industrial pollutants have harmed vulnerable populations, which ultimately implies liability and costs of remedial action.

The letter goes on to further express concern over what appears to be retaliation against an ATSDR official who blew the whistle on the suppression of the report. “The public is well served by federal employees willing to speak up when federal agencies act improperly, and Congress depends upon whistle blowers for effective oversight,” the letter states. “We will not tolerate retaliation against any whistle blowers.” The official, Dr. Christopher De Rosa, a highly respected scientist who has a strong international reputation from his 15 years in charge of ATSDR’s division of toxicology and environmental medicine and who oversaw the study, was demoted after pressing for its release. He is currently seeking reinstatement to his former position.

The study reviewed data from hazardous waste sites, toxic releases, and discharges of pollutants and also, for the first time, mapped the locations of schools, hospitals, and other facilities to assess the proximity of vulnerable populations to the sources of environmental contaminants. One former administrator from the ATSDR noted, “This research is quite important to the public health of people who reside in that area. It was done with the full knowledge and support of IJC, and many local health departments went through this in various reviews. I don’t understand why this work has not been released; it should be and it must be released.”

Source: The Center for Public Integrity

Posted in Breast Cancer, Chemicals, Children/Schools, Disease/Health Effects by: Beyond Pesticides
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12
Feb

New details: Healthy Future Conference, March 14-16 , UC Berkeley

Reclaiming 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. This exciting environmental health conference is just about a month away, sign-up now to pay the pre-registration rate.Speakers, panels and workshops
Many scientists, authors, community leaders and activists have been added to the Forum line-up, which already includes Arturo Rodriguez, Devra Davis and Tyrone Hayes. View the updated speaker list and schedule of events, which now includes a list of workshop topics.

Bus tour of CA agriculture community
Join the bus tour on Friday, March 14 to learn about the amazing efforts of activists from the San Joaquin Valley the source of much of the state’s food for California, US and foreign markets. Tour begins at noon (meet at UC Berkeley Clark Kerr Conference Center). RSVP required.

Travel and lodging
We’ve found that inexpensive airfare is still available, but should be booked soon. Kayak seems to find good rates (round trip from Seattle $170; Chicago $285; New York & Washington, DC $300). Lodging in Berkeley is very tight the weekend of March 14-16. We recommend that you book your hotel now.

A Sense of Wonder
This year’s Forum will include a performance of A Sense of Wonder, a play written and performed by Kaiulani Lee, based on the life and works of Rachel Carson. The play is the story of one woman’s love for the natural world and her fight to defend it. It is the story of the extremely private Rachel Carson thrust into the role of controversial public figure.

Please help spread the word! Print the Forum flyer to display in your community.

The conference is sponsored by Beyond Pesticides, Californians for Pesticide Reform and Pesticide Action Network North America. Registration and further details are available online on the Forum website.

Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Announcements, California, Environmental Justice, Events, National Politics by: Beyond Pesticides
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11
Feb

School Pesticide Poisonings Spur State to Consider Legislation

(Beyond Pesticides, February 11, 2008) Growing out of concern from pesticides drifting onto school grounds, the Hawaii Senate has begun looking at adopting legislation that would better protect students and staff from nearby pesticide applications.The bill, SB 3170, will establish a 1,500 foot no-spray buffer zone for all backpack applications and a half-mile buffer zone for all aerial applications around all elementary schools. It will also require a 72-hour prior written notification to all schools in the immediate area of a pesticide application as well as a one-week prior notification of all commercial use of pesticides within a five-mile radius of any school or educational institution property to the Department of Education (DOE). DOE will then notify the appropriate schools within 72-hours of the proposed application. The bill’s author, Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser, stated on his website, “A pesticide is poison. It is designed to kill. No child should be subjected to it, especially in a learning environment. To allow it doesn’t even make sense.”

Many of those that spoke at the public hearing on the bill on February 4th had been impacted by the type applications the bill is trying to prevent.

Kauai’s Garden Island Newspaper states that this past January ten students and one teacher were sent to the hospital complaining of dizziness, headaches and nausea after pesticides drifted onto the Waimea Canyon Middle School campus. Similar incidents occurred at the school in January 2007 and in November 2006, closing the school for several days. Now the Hawaii State Teachers Association has filed an injunction for Syngenta Seeds Inc. to halt its pesticide applications on the neighboring property it leases.

Last May a similar incident made students sick at Kahuku High and Intermediate School on Oahu. Ameri-Turf applied Orthene on 9,000 square-feet of its property that borders the school. The pesticide drifted onto the school grounds. As a result, the school was shut down for three days due to lingering fumes. Soil samples taken by state agriculture officials confirm the drift incident.

Kahuku’s Principal Lisa Delong told NBC’s KHNL Channel 8, “We think it is an important bill and we would encourage them to pass it so we can insure our students have a safe learning environment.”

For more information on how pesticides impact children’s health and strategies for getting pesticides out of your school, visit Beyond Pesticides’ Children and Schools webpage.

Posted in Children/Schools, Hawaii, State/Local by: Beyond Pesticides
3 Comments

08
Feb

Action Alert: Tell EPA to Cancel Endosulfan!

(Beyond Pesticides, February 8, 2008) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asking for public input on its review of the chemical endosulfan, an antiquated and dangerous insecticide. Now is the time to go on record to protect children, farmworkers and rural communities from this harmful nerve toxin.

Used in the U.S. on tomatoes, cotton and other crops, endosulfan harms the hormone system, and low levels of exposure in the womb have been linked to autism, male reproductive harm, and other birth defects. Acute poisoning can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, and in extreme cases, unconsciousness and even death.

EPA’s own analysis shows that endosulfan endangers workers who handle it directly and those who work in endosulfan-treated fields. Endosulfan travels great distances, accumulates up the food chain, and poses grave risks to aquatic ecosystems.

The European Union and several other countries have already banned endosulfan, and alternatives are available. It’s time the U.S. does its part to protect communities and the environment at home and around the world from this persistent organic pollutant.

TAKE ACTION: Let EPA know that continued use of this unnecessary poison is unacceptable. Add your name to the petition today and forward to as many people as possible. Every signature is important! You can submit yours through the Pesticide Action Network North America or United Farm Workers. All signatures must be received no later than February 15, one week from today!

Posted in Announcements, Endosulfan, Pesticide Regulation by: Beyond Pesticides
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07
Feb

EPA Awards Grants For Environmental Health Education

(Beyond Pesticides, February 7, 2008) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded more than $500,000 in federal grant funds to several states and non-profit organizations to be used for programs to educate health care providers and women of childbearing age on environmental health risks.The grants were provided to five states and non-profit organizations in Ohio, Michigan, Oregon, Florida, and Texas, and are to focus on educating women, especially pregnant women, on the hazards of environmental contaminants and hazards to children. Health issues such as exposure to mercury, lead, environmental tobacco smoke, chemicals, pesticides, drinking water contaminants, and indoor and outdoor air contaminants have been especially targeted. These grants are estimated to benefit 3,000 health care providers and 10,000 women of childbearing age.“We’re giving pregnant women information on how to avoid exposure to certain environmental hazards to give children a healthy start to life,” said Dona Deleon, acting director, Office of Children’s Health Protection and Environmental Education. “These grants help the public health community reach women during this important time in their lives.”According to the EPA, pregnancy is a time for joy and celebration, but it is also a time to be especially careful about the environment in which one works and lives. Various behaviors and experiences are associated with adverse health outcomes for both the mother and infant. These experiences can occur before, during and after pregnancy.

Recent studies have found that pregnant women and young children are vulnerable to household exposures of pesticides and other chemicals. Children born to mothers living in households with pesticide use during pregnancy have over twice as much risk of getting cancer, specifically acute leukemia (AL) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Asthma, autism and a host of other respiratory and neurological problems have been associated with exposures to pesticides and other environmental agents.

Also important are the effects of pesticide residues on foods eaten by children. A study published this month in Environmental Health Perspectives also found that children who eat a conventional diet of food produced with chemical-intensive practices carry a greater chemical burden than those on an organic diet.

Grant recipients would develop training programs for physicians and other prenatal care providers to help assess and educate preconception and pregnant women about environmental health exposures and risks during pregnancy. Some programs would focus on providing sustainable and replicable outreach programs that empower communities and families to identify and reduce environmental exposure risks.

EPA is awarding the following grants:

The Duval County Health Department, Jacksonville, Fla., received $100,000 to develop health care provider training, assessment tools, and consumer education materials on environmental health risks.

The Ohio Department of Health, Columbus, Ohio, received $97,204 to increase health care provider awareness through the development of provider assessment tools and an all-inclusive patient screening tool for environmental home risks.

The Michigan Inter-Tribal Council, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., received $117,747 to develop health care provider training for Healthy Start Program Maternal and Child Health home visiting staff at seven tribal Healthy Start project sites on environmental health assessment and education, and to provide community-wide education on environmental health risks to their prenatal patients.

The South Central Area Health Education Center, San Antonio, Texas, received $98,115 to develop health care provider training in five South Texas clinics and to develop patient education materials on environmental health risks.

The Oregon Department of Human Services, Portland, Ore., received $100,000 to develop education and assessment tools for public health nurses and their prenatal patients on environmental health risks.

Source: US EPA NewsRoom

Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Asthma, Autism, Disease/Health Effects, Lymphoma by: Beyond Pesticides
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06
Feb

EPA Calls for Cancellation of Deadly Insecticide

(Beyond Pesticides, February 6, 2008) EPA has submitted a draft Notice of Intent to Cancel (NOIC) for all carbofuran registrations to EPA’s Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP). Carbofuran is a highly toxic insecticide used on field, fruit and vegetable crops and has long been the subject of controversy and a series of use restrictions that environmentalists have decried as too limited.

EPA has opened a docket containing the materials provided to the SAP that is convening on February 5-8. The SAP will review the scientific assessment underlying EPA’s NOIC for carbofuran and respond to questions posed by the agency related to the impact on health and the environment of the proposal. The docket number is EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1088; view docket information.This action is the result of an interim reregistration eligibility decision reached by EPA in August 2006, in which the agency found all products containing carbofuran ineligible for reregistration. FIFRA requires that EPA consult the SAP before issuing an NOIC. The SAP meeting, which is open to the public, will be held at an EPA Office of Pesticide Programs conference room at One Potomac Yard in Arlington, Virginia.Carbofuran was first registered in the United States in 1969 and is classified as a restricted use pesticide.

Through an agreement between EPA and the technical registrant in 1991, granular carbofuran has been limited to the sale of 2,500 lbs per year in the U.S. since 1994, and to use on spinach grown for seed, pine seedlings, cucurbits, and bananas only. Additionally, in the late 1990s the technical registrant made a number of changes to labels for flowable carbofuran in order to reduce drinking water and ecological risks of concern. These included reducing application rates and numbers of applications for alfalfa, cotton, corn, potatoes, soybeans, sugarcane, and sunflowers.

Three human studies have been conducted for carbofuran — one oral and two dermal. These studies were reviewed by the agency’s Human Studies Review Board (HSRB) in May 2006. The HSRB concluded that, while informative, the studies are not appropriate for use by the agency in either the individual carbofuran or N-methyl carbamate cumulative risk assessment. The agency did not use any of the human studies in the risk assessment for carbofuran.Carbofuran is a systemic, broad spectrum N-methyl carbamate insecticide and nematicide registered for control of soil and foliar pests on a variety of field, fruit, and vegetable crops. There are no residential uses. Nearly one million pounds of carbofuran are applied annually. Carbofuran is a restricted use pesticide. As with other N-methyl carbamate pesticides, the critical effect of carbofuran for various exposure durations is cholinesterase inhibition; that is, it can overstimulate the nervous system causing nausea, dizziness, confusion, and at very high exposures (e.g. accidents or major spills), respiratory paralysis and death. Similar to other N-methyl carbamate pesticides, inhibition is followed by rapid recovery of cholinesterase. Carbofuran is classified as “Not Likely” to be a human carcinogen.

Carbofuran is very highly toxic to birds on an acute basis, and highly toxic on a sub-acute basis. A chronic effect level could not be established due to the fact that all concentrations tested caused mortality in the test subjects. Carbofuran is highly toxic to mammals on an acute basis. Chronic toxicity testing on laboratory rats showed reduced offspring survival and body weight reductions. Carbofuran is very highly toxic to freshwater and estuarine/marine fish on an acute basis. The available chronic test showed larval survival as the most sensitive endpoint for freshwater fish and embryo hatching as the most sensitive endpoint for estuarine/marine fish. Carbofuran is considered to be very highly toxic to freshwater and estuarine/marine invertebrates on an acute basis. Chronic tests showed reproductive effects. Further information on carbofuran is available on EPA’s Web site.The SAP meeting is being held at Environmental Protection Agency Conference Center, Lobby Level, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA 22202.

Comments. Submit your comments, identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1088, by one of the following methods:
”¢ Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
”¢ Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
”¢ Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only accepted during the Docket’s normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). Special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.

Instructions. Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1088. If your comments contain any information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected, please contact the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT to obtain special instructions before submitting your comments. EPA’s policy is that all comments received will be included in the docket without change and may be made available on-line, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. See previous Beyond Pesticides’ stories on carbofuran.

Posted in Carbofuran, Pesticide Regulation by: Beyond Pesticides
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05
Feb

Show Your Love with an Organic, Fair Trade Valentine’s Day

(Beyond Pesticides, February 5, 2008) Whether you love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is less than ten days away. Millions of flowers and chocolates will soon be bought and given to loved ones. Unfortunately, these gifts come at a cost much higher than the one on the price tag. Conventional roses and chocolate sold in the United States are produced using toxic pesticides, with little regard for the workers or the environment.The United States imports about 70 percent of its flowers from foreign countries, mostly from Ecuador and Columbia. Roses analyzed in the past few years were found to contain a myriad of harmful pesticides that ranged from organophosphates such as Dimethoate, carbamate- Aldicarb, to organochlorines like Captan, Bravo, Tedion, Iprodione and Procymidone.

Organophosphates are considered to be the most likely pesticide to cause an acute poisoning. They are a highly toxic class of pesticides that affect the central nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Symptoms of exposure include: numbness, tingling sensations, headache, dizziness, tremors, nausea, abdominal cramps, sweating, incoordination, blurred vision, difficulty breathing, slow heartbeat, unconsciousness, incontinence, convulsions and fatality. Some organophosphates have been linked to birth defects and cancer. Organochlorines are known estrogenic pesticides and have been linked to cancer. They also have been found to cause immunotoxicity and neurotoxicity.

Such heavy use of pesticides means that workers are coming in contact with them daily. Furthermore, the roses are grown in greenhouses that contain the pesticides and prevent proper ventilation, making it even more dangerous. Workers are also not given proper protection when working with the pesticides so they become particularly vulnerable. According to the International Labor Organization, women in the rose industry had more miscarriages than average and that more than 60 percent of all workers suffered headaches, nausea, blurred vision or fatigue. Nearly 70% of the 50,000 rose workers are women.

Chocolate faces a similar set of problems. Chocolate is conventionally grown in the sun. Since the canopy of shade that controls pests and weeds naturally is often destroyed to make way for sun grown crops like cocoa and coffee, the use of toxic pesticides is prevalent. EPA allows certain levels of pesticides to be present in non-organic chocolate imported to the U.S. These pesticides include: Methyl Bromide, Pyrethrins, Hydrogen Cyanide, Naled, and Glyphosate.

The chocolate industry has been accused of using forced child labor to harvest the cocoa in West Africa. Companies like Nestle, Archer Daniels Midland, and Cargill have been charged with using cocoa producers that trafficked children from Mali into the Ivory Coast and forced them to work inhumane hours with no pay, little food and sleep, and frequent beatings. On top of all these horrors, the children, who are particularly vulnerable to the effects of toxic pesticides due to their age and stages of physical development, are being involuntarily exposed to toxic pesticides, some of which are banned in the United States.

This Valentine’s Day, show your love for not only your friends and family, but also the earth and the global community. Buy organic and fair trade flowers and chocolate, both of which are more readily available than ever. Here are some resources of suppliers of organic flowers and chocolates:

Flowers

Chocolate

If you don’t have access to organic flowers or chocolate, try other creative ways of expressing your love. A homemade card or picture collage, a poem, or a special homemade dinner are all ways to show someone you care while doing minimal harm to the environment and society. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted in Chemicals, Holidays, International by: Beyond Pesticides
1 Comment

04
Feb

New Report Supports California’s Green Chemistry Initiative

(Beyond Pesticides, February 4, 2008) Following on the recommendation of a California Legislature-supported report in 2006, a new report (January 17, 2008) prepared by the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA, reinforces the earlier call for a statewide initiative to adopt comprehensive efforts to eliminate hazardous chemical use and reduce billions of dollars of associated costs from pollution and chemical-related diseases. The report, Green Chemistry: Cornerstone to a Sustainable California, calls on California to lead the nation in implementing a comprehensive approach to the management of chemicals and products.Policy recommendations include: (i) Passing new laws to remedy the insufficient data available on the toxicity of chemicals so California businesses, regulators and consumers can make informed choices about the products they use; (ii) Providing California agencies with a new legal framework to enable them to act when there are reasonable concerns about a product’s safety, even when complete hazard or tracking data are unavailable; and (iv) Investing in the design of chemicals, materials and manufacturing processes that are inherently safer for humans.Some of these recommendations echo the 2006 UC report to the California Legislature on green chemistry policy, which contributed to the introduction of new state legislation in 2007 to require improved reporting on the sale of high quantity chemicals and reductions in some uses of the most toxic chemicals. That legislation is expected to be reintroduced in 2008.

According to the report, serious gaps in existing laws regulating the production and use of hazardous chemicals fail to protect public health and the environment. As a result of this inadequate oversight, chemical and pollution-related diseases among children and workers in California cost the state’s insurers, businesses and families an estimated $2.6 billion in direct and indirect costs, says the report, which includes a set of recommended policy reforms for the state.

In 2004, more than 200,000 California workers were diagnosed with deadly, chronic diseases – such as cancer or emphysema – attributable to chemical exposures in the workplace, according to the report. Another 4,400 died as a result of those diseases. The new findings, based upon well-established methodology for analyzing economic impact, indicate that those diseases resulted in $1.4 billion in both direct medical costs and indirect costs that include lost wages and benefits.

An additional $1.2 billion in direct and indirect costs is attributed to 240,000 cases of preventable childhood diseases in California related to environmental exposure to chemical substances, the report says.

The California Environmental Protection Agency commissioned the UC Berkeley and UCLA Centers for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) to prepare the report. COEH is a multi-disciplinary research program based at the UC campuses of Berkeley, Davis and San Francisco in Northern California, and at UC Irvine and UCLA in Southern California. Additional funding for the report came from the UC Office of the President, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This report, for the first time, puts cost estimates on the consequences for Californians of current chemical and product management policies,” said Dr. John Balmes, COEH director, UC Berkeley professor of environmental health sciences and UCSF professor of medicine. “California has shown that creating new jobs and investment opportunities can go hand in hand with protecting human health and the environment. We have been doing this with vehicle emissions and energy use, and this new report makes it obvious that we will need to do the same with chemicals and products.”

In May, 2007, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, which supported the report, announced The Cal/EPA Green Chemistry Initiative, as a collaborative approach for identifying options to significantly reduce the impacts of toxic chemicals on public health and the environment. The agency defines the Initiative as providing recommendations for developing a consistent means for evaluating risk, reducing exposure, encouraging less-toxic industrial processes, and identifying safer, non-chemical alternatives.

In a memo to her directors initiating the Green Chemistry Initiative, Secretary Adams wrote: “In the absence of a unifying approach, interest groups and policy makers have been attempting to take these issues on one-by-one. Product by product, chemical by chemical, and now even city by city approaches can often have unintended, even regrettable consequences, even with the best of intentions. I believe we need to develop a coordinated, comprehensive strategy”¦.”

The report is authored by Michael Wilson and Dr. Megan Schwarzman, both COEH research scientists at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health; Timothy Malloy, professor at the UCLA School of Law; Elinor Fanning, COEH assistant director of research at UCLA; and Peter Sinsheimer, a COEH affiliate and director of the Pollution Prevention Education & Research Center at Occidental College.

See UC Berkeley press release.

See CAL EPA press release.

See report.

Posted in California, State/Local by: Beyond Pesticides
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01
Feb

Studies Find “Corn Belt” Agriculture Increases Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone

(Beyond Pesticides, February 1, 2008) Two studies of nutrient levels in the Gulf of Mexico, one by the United States Geological Survey and the other by Yale and Louisiana State University researchers, have recently been published. Both reveal that nutrient levels in the Mississippi watershed have risen significantly, and that the growing “dead zone” in the Gulf can largely be attributed to changes in agricultural practices in the last half-century.

The first report, entitled “Differences in Phosphorus and Nitrogen Delivery to The Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River Basin,” modeled nutrient delivery to the gulf in order to determine the watershed management practices required to reduce nitrogen discharge by 30 to 45 percent, and the size of the dead zone in half, by 2015. 13 states in the midwest contributed the overwhelming majority of inputs to the watershed. The largest contributor to nitrogen pollution of the watershed came from corn and soybean production, which also contributed to a quarter of the total phosphorus runoff into the Gulf.

The researchers concluded that future management strategies must “include recognition of important differences in the agricultural sources of N[itrogen] and P[hosphorus] . . . and better control of both N and P in close proximity to large rivers.” Recent efforts to reduce agriculture’s impact on waterways have included conservation and reduced tillage, which the report says, “are generally effective in increasing water infiltration and removing particulates from runoff, but have little effect on nitrate leaching, with more mixed results on dissolved forms of phosphorus.” In fact, “the N:P ratios in the waters delivered to streams from corn/soybean cultivation are, on average (0.164/0.023), seven times higher than the N:P ratios for the nutrient inputs to these lands.”

The second study, “Anthropogenically enhanced fluxes of water and carbon from the Mississippi River,” measured the rise in inorganic carbon inputs to the Gulf of Mexico over the last 50 years, using a 100-year data set. Carbon dioxide makes water more acidic, making it harder for coral reefs to grow, compounding the effects of the dead zone. In the report, researchers “show that the increase in bicarbonate and water fluxes is caused mainly by an increase in discharge from agricultural watersheds and has not been balanced by a rise in precipitation, which is also relevant to nutrient and pesticide fluxes to the Gulf of Mexico . . . Furthermore, land use change and management were arguably more important than changes in climate and plant CO2 fertilization to increases in riverine water and carbon export from this large region.”

“We’re learning more and more about the far-reaching effects of American agriculture on rivers and lakes,” said graduate student and researcher Whitney Broussard of the data. “If we want to clean the water, we have to steward the land with right agriculture.”

Conventional agriculture relies heavily on nutrient-intensive, quick-release fertilizers, which contribute a large proportion of total nutrient pollution of the Gulf watershed. Organic farming can reduce such inputs and instead sequester existing nutrients more successfully. To learn more about organic agriculture, visit Beyond Pesticides’ program page.

Sources: Des Moines Register (x2), Environment News Service, Louisiana State University

Posted in Water by: Beyond Pesticides
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31
Jan

Hazardous Pesticides Found in Children Who Eat Chemically-Treated Foods

(Beyond Pesticides, January 31, 2008) A study to be published in the February 2008 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives finds that children who eat a conventional diet of food produced with chemical-intensive practices carry residues of organophosate pesticides that are reduced or eliminated when they switch to an organic diet. The study is entitled “Dietary Intake and Its Contribution to Longitudinal Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure in Urban/Suburban Children” (Chensheng Lu, Dana B. Barr, Melanie A. Pearson, and Lance A. Waller) and includes authors from Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, and the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.According to the authors, “The objective of this article is to present the data of assessing young urban/suburban children’s longitudinal exposure to OP [organophosphate] pesticides in a group [of] young children participating in the Children Pesticide Exposure Study (CPES). The results from this study identify not only the predominant source of OP pesticide exposure but also the profile of exposures in children that are vital in formulating the strategies, both from the regulatory policy and personal behavior change perspectives, in reducing children’s exposures to OP pesticides.”

The study design included 23 children, male and female, from the Seattle area, ages 3-11 years who only consumed conventional diets and were recruited for a one-year study conducted in 2003-2004. Of the 23, 19 completed the study. Children switched to organic diets for five consecutive days in the summer and fall sampling seasons. The authors measured specific urinary metabolites for malathion, chlorpyrifos and other OP pesticides in urine samples collected twice daily for a period of 7, 12, or 15 consecutive days during each of the four seasons. According to the authors, “By substituting organic fresh fruits and vegetables for corresponding conventional food items, the median urinary metabolite concentrations were reduced to non-detected or close to non-detected levels for malathion and chlorpyrifos at the end of 5-day organic diet intervention period in both summer and fall seasons. We also observed a seasonal effect on the OP urinary metabolite concentrations, and this seasonality is correspondent to the consumption of fresh produce throughout the year.” And, “Considering the lack of residential use of OP pesticides among the families of CPES-WA children, consumption of conventional diets is likely to be the sole contributing factor to the seasonality effect of pesticide exposures.”

The authors point out that few studies evaluate the longitudinal exposure to pesticides that all children experience. According to the authors, “Most of the studies published in the literature have either targeted children living in agricultural environments or have used a cross-sectional design with spot sample collection.”

The authors raise concerns about inadequate attention being given by regulators to chronic low-level exposures to pesticides, such as those found in their study. They point out that, “Using spot biomarkers [one-time measurement of urinary metabolites] of OP pesticide exposure to examine the link between adverse health outcomes and cumulative OP pesticide exposure is obviously an inadequate approach.”

Corresponding author: Chensheng Lu, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, (404)727-2131, (404)727-8744 (fax), [email protected].

Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Chemicals, Children/Schools, Chlorpyrifos, Disease/Health Effects, Malathion by: Beyond Pesticides
1 Comment

30
Jan

Pesticide Residues Exceed Limit on Strawberries

(Beyond Pesticides, January 30, 2008) A survey of 31 Australian strawberry growers conducted by a consumer watchdog revealed that almost all conventionally grown strawberries contained residues of pesticides. Several samples of the strawberries tested contained pesticide residues that exceeded the legal limit, and some even tested positive for pesticides banned for use on strawberries.Tests revealed that that 17 of the 27 samples of conventionally grown strawberries registered residues of at least two types of pesticide or fungicide. Four samples had traces of four different chemicals on the skin that had penetrated the fruit’s flesh as well.

Choice, the chemical watchdog group that commissioned the survey, described the findings as alarming and calls on the Australian Government to remedy years of neglect over pesticide regulation, and to require independent, mandatory testing of all fruits and vegetables.

“Analysis shows strawberries are more likely to have pesticide residues than other fresh fruit, and washing does not necessarily remove them,” said Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn.
“Strawberries contain lots of nutrients but unfortunately they also tend to contain residues of pesticide”¦ [T]here are some concerns about long-term exposure to a mixture of different pesticides.”

Jo Immig, the coordinator of National Toxics Network Inc, said the findings showed that the regulation of pesticides in Australia had fallen woefully behind. “The results ”¦ should alarm customers, and in particular parents of small children, who are at far greater risk of damage from pesticide exposures,” she said.

Australian strawberries are not the only ones to have recorded significant amounts of pesticide residues. In 2007, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Pesticide Data Program released its latest annual summary detailing pesticide residues in the U.S. food supply. In fruits and vegetables, 73 percent of fresh and 61 percent of processed produce had detectable residues. On strawberries, at least 30 different pesticide resides were detected, along with 31 in grapes, 36 in apples, and 43 in lettuce. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) also reported 2006 pesticide use statistics, which showed strawberry growers had increased their reliance on the highly toxic, ozone depleting fumigant methyl bromide (See Daily News https://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=239)

Studies have shown pesticide residues are higher in children that are fed conventional versus organic foods, and that an effective way to reduce a child’s exposure to pesticide residues on food is to change their diet to organic. Children with organic diets contain significantly less metabolites of toxic pesticides in their blood and urine.

TAKE ACTION: Buy organic foods for yourself and your family whenever possible. If organic foods are not easily accessible to you due to cost or distribution, consider buying organic for the foods you eat the most. To make sure your food is organic, look for the USDA Organic label.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Chemicals, International by: Beyond Pesticides
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29
Jan

Scientists Say Pesticides and Other Pollutants May Be Linked to Diabetes

(Beyond Pesticides, January 29, 2008) University of Cambridge scientists say there may be a link between persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including pesticides, and Type 2 Diabetes. The Cambridge scientists are advocating additional research into the little understood links between environmental pollution and adult onset diabetes.

In the most recent edition of the journal Lancet, Oliver Jones, Ph.D., and Julian Griffin, Ph.D., highlight the need to research the possible link between persistent organic pollutants (POPs, a group which includes many pesticides) and insulin resistance, which can lead to adult onset diabetes.

In their commentary, Dr. Jones and Dr. Griffin cite peer reviewed research including that of D. Lee, et al, which demonstrated a very strong relationship between the levels of POPs in blood, particularly organochlorine compounds, and the risk of type 2 diabetes.

“Of course correlation does not automatically imply causation,” says Dr. Jones. “But if there is indeed a link, the health implications could be tremendous. At present there is very limited information. Research into adult onset diabetes currently focuses on genetics and obesity; there has been almost no consideration for the possible influence of environmental factors such as pollution.”

Interestingly, in the Lee study an association between obesity and diabetes was absent in people with low concentrations of POPs in their blood. In other words, individuals were more at risk of diabetes if they were thin with high levels of POPs in their blood than if they were overweight but with low levels of POPs.

Dr. Jones said, “I think research should be carried out to first test the hypothesis that POPs exposure can cause diabetes, perhaps using cell or tissue cultures, so we know for sure if this can occur. Assuming POPs can have this effect, the next step would be to try and develop a method of treatment for those people who might be affected.”

POPs came into prominence as effective pesticides with the introduction of DDT in the 1940s. However, many of these chemicals, including DDT, fell out of favor after they were blamed for the declining number of wild birds and other animals and negative human health effects. As the compounds biodegrade slowly, they continue to find their way into the food chain and ultimately into the blood streams of individuals even though many of these toxins were banned many years ago. Additionally, these compounds can persist in body fat for very long periods of time following exposure.

Posted in Chemicals, Chlordane, DDT, Diabetes, Disease/Health Effects by: Beyond Pesticides
3 Comments

28
Jan

New Speakers, Schedule Announced for Healthy Future Conference

(Beyond Pesticides, January 28, 2008) Reclaiming 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. Register now to pay the pre-registration rate.

Recent speaker additions include Marla Cone, author of Silent Snow and environmental journalist with the Los Angles Times; Paul Saoke, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility Kenya; and Ted Schettler MD, science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network. These speakers will be joining a line-up which already includes Arturo Rodriguez (UFW President), Devra Davis, Ph.D. (author and University of Pittsburgh professor of epidemiology) and Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D. (UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology). Also, actress Kaiulani Lee will perform A Sense of Wonder, her one-woman play based on the life and works of Rachel Carson.

The conference themes are pesticides and health with a particular focus on children and workers, a vision for a just and sustainable food system, and creating political change. A tentative schedule of events is now available on the Forum webpage.

Marla Cone is one of the nation’s premier environmental journalists. She has 22 years of experience covering environmental issues, including 18 years at the Los Angeles Times. In 2005 she published Silent Snow: The Slow Poisoning of the Arctic. What she discovered while researching the book was shocking: Tons of dangerous chemicals and pesticides from the U.S, Europe, and Asia are being carried to the Arctic by winds and waves and amplified in the ocean’s food web with dramatic impacts on Inuit communities. Ms. Cone has twice won a national award for environmental reporting.

Paul Saoke is executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR-Kenya) and vice-president of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment. He participated actively in negotiation of the Stockholm Convention and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, and is currently working on two books on DDT and Malaria in Africa. He is currently the Vicechair of the National Steering Committee for the implementation of Stockholm Convention in Kenya, and chairs the DDT expert committee. He oversaw the development of Kenya’s national action plan on DDT.

Ted Schettler MD is science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network. He has a medical degree from Case Western Reserve University and an MPH from Harvard University. He practiced medicine in New England for over 30 years . Dr. Schettler is co-author of Generations at Risk: Reproductive Health and the Environment and In Harm’s Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development. He has published a number of articles on related topics in peer-reviewed journals and has served on advisory committees of the US EPA and National Academy of Sciences. Speaker bios, basic information and registration details are available online.

Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Announcements, Disease/Health Effects, Environmental Justice, Events, National Politics by: Beyond Pesticides
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25
Jan

CDFA Announces Plans, Tests for Apple Moth Control

(Beyond Pesticides, January 25, 2008) Officials with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) recently released their 2008 plan for eradicating the light brown apple moth from the Central Valley area of the state. In 2007, a state of emergency was declared to facilitate quicker action to control the moths, as CDFA reports that the infestation is spread throughout nine counties. The agency tried to disrupt the moths breeding patterns by spraying a pheremone, Checkmate LBAM-F, in several different rounds, but the problem remains. As a result, CDFA has a variety of strategies planned to wipe out the moths this year.

“The primary way to eradicate this pest remains aerial spraying,” according to CDFA spokesman Steve Lyle. “The expectation is that the program will move forward with that in mind in 2008.” However, on January 22, officials said that spraying will be postponed until late spring or early summer, when a better product has been found. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently conducting trials in New Zealand to determine which formulation is most effective against the moths. One of these forumulations would last longer than 30 days in the environment, allowing less frequent aerial applications in California. According to CDFA’s 2008 “Questions and Answers” sheet, “The products under consideration for aerial treatment contain the same pheremone but use different bio-degradable carriers.”

In the meantime, possible options include pheremone twist-ties (which will be applied in February), ground treatment with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and spinosad, used in “organically approved” forumulations, pheremone and permethrin applications on utility poles (eight feet above the ground), and the release of stingless trichogramma wasps, whose larvae feed on moth larvae. The latter two options have been used in New Zealand, where the light brown apple moth has spread beyond the possibility of eradication. A CDFA statement said, “These wasps will not bother over-wintering monarch butterflies and they would not be released threatened or endangered plants or butterflies or moths.”

The planned continuation of aerial spraying remains a target of local groups’ ire. Helping Our Peninsula’s Environment (HOPE), which, in October, led anti-spray litigation that resulted in a temporarily halt to spraying, expressed its disappointment over the announcement. “It shows their absolute hostility to anything but what they have already decided,” said HOPE’s David Dilworth. “They refuse to look at alternatives.” Nan Wishner, chair of the Albany Integrated Pest Management Task Force, emphasized, “The concern is that [the product] is used with aerial spraying.” In the first rounds of spraying, there were some reports of residents reacting negatively to Checkmate. The Albany City Council unanimously opposed the spray, and Councilmember Farid Javandel said, “Even a few people being hurt is not acceptable.”

Sources: CDFA Light Brown Apple Moth project page, The Berkeley Daily Planet, The Monterey County Herald, The Santa Cruz Sentinel, Central Valley Business Times

Posted in California, LBAM by: Beyond Pesticides
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24
Jan

California Bill Looks to Protect Farmers From GE-Contamination Lawsuits

(Beyond Pesticides, January 24, 2008) The first state bill on genetically engineered (GE) crops passed through its first committee in February, 2007, and the latest revision is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow, January 24. While AB 541 has been pared down considerably from its first and most progressive incarnation, it includes two very important measures to protect farmers whose crops are contaminated by nearby GE fields.

The first provision states, “A farmer is not liable for the breach of a seed contract or for patent infringement if a product, in which the seed labeler, or patent holder or licensee, has rights, is possessed by the farmer or found on real property owned or occupied by the farmer and the presence of the product is de minimis or not intended by the farmer.” A frequent criticism of Monsanto and the company’s overwhelming market share of seed is its tendency to sue farmers who did not plant GE seed, but whose fields were contaminated by a neighbor’s GE variety. In a 2005 report by the Center for Food Safety, Executive Director Andrew Kimbrell said, “These lawsuits and settlements are nothing less than corporate extortion of American Farmers.” (See Daily News from January 27, 2005 for more information on such “breach of contract” suits.)

The second provision of AB 541 calls for the establishment of official protocol for patent holders to follow when collecting samples for such a “breach of contract” investigation. That protocol requires the patent holder to “Notify the farmer in writing of the allegation that breach of contract or patent infringement has ocurred and request permission to enter upon the farmer’s land” and to “Obtain the written permission of the farmer.” Furthermore, costs incurred in the collection of evidence are paid by the patent holder, and further protocol for sampling procedures may be established.

This revision is downsized from its 2007 version, which, in addition to protecting farmers from suit, included provisions that gave farmers compensation for losses due to GE contamination, established a GE crop notification process to enable farmers to trace contamination to the manufacturer, and prohibited open-field pharmaceutical GE crop production. However, the current version has won the support of the California Farm Bureau, which has never before endorsed GE legislation in the state. To follow the legislation’s history, click here, or view the summary and sample support letter by Californians for GE-Free Agriculture.

TAKE ACTION: If you live in California, contact your Assembly Member no later than Friday, January 25th, by fax or phone. You can find contact information at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html.

Source: The Ethicurean

Posted in California, Genetic Engineering, Monsanto, Pesticide Regulation by: Beyond Pesticides
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23
Jan

Industry Scientists Persuade State To Implement More Lenient Pesticide Regulation

(Beyond Pesticides, January 23, 2008) Agribusiness giants Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto have successfully persuaded the state of Minnesota to reconsider their water-quality limit for the chemical, acetochlor. Scientists representing the industry presented their own studies to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and explained that the state’s original draft limit for acetochlor was too strict.

Despite three years of research conducted by the state, scientists from Dow and Monsanto presented officials at the MCPA with six published studies- one of them in Chinese- which they claimed were overlooked by the state when determining the standard for acetochlor in waterways. As a result, the MPCA has decided to allow 3.6 parts per billion of acetochlor in rivers, more than twice the concentration of the 1.7 parts per billion previously proposed. As a result, three of five streams classified as ”˜impaired’ by acetochlor, including a popular trout stream in southeastern Minnesota, can no longer be considered polluted.

Some environmental advocacy groups question whether the MPCA gave favorable treatment to the pesticide makers, claiming that other research that suggest that the chemical can cause ecological damage have not been seriously considered.

“It looks like there’s a double standard, that industry can come in and suggest changes without putting it up for new review and comment,” said Janette Brimmer, legal director for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.

Acetochlor, widely used in Minnesota, is a herbicide that kills weeds before they can start growing in cornfields and is marketed as Harness, Surpass and Keystone, among other brands. The chemical, however, washes off from fields and into streams, rivers and lakes. According to former hydrologist for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Paul Wotzka, acetochlor started showing up in waterways soon after it was first marketed in the state in 1994. Concentrations have increased since then as corn cultivation and herbicide use increased on surrounding lands.

In 2002 the Agriculture Department asked the MCPA to develop a standard for acetochlor. Last July, the state determined that acetochlor was contaminating a well-known trout stream, as well as four other streams. The limit of 1.7 parts per billion, proposed by the MCPA would have been the first legal limit in the nation for acetochlor. However, industry officials found this limit to be too strict. They are also calling the new limit of 3.6 parts per billion unnecessary and scientifically unjustified.

In 1994, the US EPA approved the registration application proposed by the Acetochlor Registration Partnership (ARP) for the use of acetochlor on corn. This partnership includes Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences. The EPA imposed several restrictions and conditions on the use of acetochlor to limit potential risks to human health and the environment. This included several early-warning measures to ensure that ground and surface water resources remain protected.

The Agency has classified acetochlor as a probable human carcinogen and it is listed as an endocrine disruptor in the European Union. The Agency believes that the potential for exposure in drinking water is significant, with degradation products also present at significant levels in many ground and surface water sources of drinking water.

The continued registration of acetochlor is dependent on compliance with the registration agreement. For more information on the regulatory status of acetachlor, please visit http://www.epa.gov/oppefed1/aceto/

Source: Minneapolis-St Paul Star Tribune

Posted in Acetochlor, Chemicals, Corporations, Dow Chemical, Monsanto, Water, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. by: Beyond Pesticides
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