Pesticides are not healthy for children or other living things
Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, and her landmark warning about the indiscriminate use of pesticides (DDT) ignited the environmental movement. Honeybees have been the focus of much of the news, but the true threat is not just to honeybees, but rather on the future of all species that rely on insects as a food source or for pollination. Unfortunately, Carson's dire warning was not enough to change policies and Insectageddon is fully upon us:
"The scale and speed of environmental collapse is beyond imagination...Insects, of course, are critical to the survival of the
rest of the living world. Knowing what we now know, there is nothing surprising about the calamitous decline of insect-eating
birds. Those flying insects – not just bees and hoverflies but species of many different families – are the pollinators without
which a vast tract of the plant kingdom, both wild and cultivated, cannot survive. The wonders of the living planet are vanishing
before our eyes." George Monbiot, 2017
The constant and accelerated use of pesticides is not only killing insect pests, but also the myriad of beneficial flora, fauna, and soil micro-orginisms that provide us with the ecosystem services that keep our planet balanced. The evidence is clear that our children's lives and futures are also at risk, as pesticides are undermining health and intelligence as our schools, backyards, and parks have been turned into toxic playgrounds. What can parents do to ensure the safety of their children and pets and to restore healthy neighborhood ecosystems?
"The scale and speed of environmental collapse is beyond imagination...Insects, of course, are critical to the survival of the
rest of the living world. Knowing what we now know, there is nothing surprising about the calamitous decline of insect-eating
birds. Those flying insects – not just bees and hoverflies but species of many different families – are the pollinators without
which a vast tract of the plant kingdom, both wild and cultivated, cannot survive. The wonders of the living planet are vanishing
before our eyes." George Monbiot, 2017
The constant and accelerated use of pesticides is not only killing insect pests, but also the myriad of beneficial flora, fauna, and soil micro-orginisms that provide us with the ecosystem services that keep our planet balanced. The evidence is clear that our children's lives and futures are also at risk, as pesticides are undermining health and intelligence as our schools, backyards, and parks have been turned into toxic playgrounds. What can parents do to ensure the safety of their children and pets and to restore healthy neighborhood ecosystems?
The Solution to Pesticides :: Toxics Action Center
We need to make our food, our air, our water, and our soil free from toxic chemicals.
Organically grown foods and sustainable methods of pest control are the solution
to ensure the health of our families and the environment.
Better testing. State and federal agencies should require stricter independent testing, including testing of synergistic effects of pesticides. Pesticides known or suspected of causing human health problems should be phased out.
Protect our children. Because our children are the most vulnerable population to pesticides, pesticide use should be prohibited in places where our children live and play, including schools, parks, and playgrounds. Require strict non-toxic pest management programs for such places.
Pesticide Use Reduction. Provide technical assistance to farmers, local governments, businesses, and homeowners on non-toxic alternatives to pesticide use. This includes alternatives to nuisance spraying for mosquitoes and controlling West Nile virus and other pest problems.
Prohibit pollution of our water and poisoning of our communities. Ensure that aerial pesticide use does not pollute our waterways through strict rules governing spraying and buffer zones that prevent the harmful effects of drift. Prohibit the use of pesticides for purely aesthetic reasons. Prevent pesticide applications to water bodies, instead using non-chemical methods of managing aquatic invasive weeds.
Right to know. Provide free and universal notification to residents about pesticide use, including who is using chemicals, where, when, how, what pesticides are being used, and why.
Protect workers. Provide protection to workers and farmers to prevent acute and chronic pesticide poisoning.
Organically grown foods and sustainable methods of pest control are the solution
to ensure the health of our families and the environment.
Better testing. State and federal agencies should require stricter independent testing, including testing of synergistic effects of pesticides. Pesticides known or suspected of causing human health problems should be phased out.
Protect our children. Because our children are the most vulnerable population to pesticides, pesticide use should be prohibited in places where our children live and play, including schools, parks, and playgrounds. Require strict non-toxic pest management programs for such places.
Pesticide Use Reduction. Provide technical assistance to farmers, local governments, businesses, and homeowners on non-toxic alternatives to pesticide use. This includes alternatives to nuisance spraying for mosquitoes and controlling West Nile virus and other pest problems.
Prohibit pollution of our water and poisoning of our communities. Ensure that aerial pesticide use does not pollute our waterways through strict rules governing spraying and buffer zones that prevent the harmful effects of drift. Prohibit the use of pesticides for purely aesthetic reasons. Prevent pesticide applications to water bodies, instead using non-chemical methods of managing aquatic invasive weeds.
Right to know. Provide free and universal notification to residents about pesticide use, including who is using chemicals, where, when, how, what pesticides are being used, and why.
Protect workers. Provide protection to workers and farmers to prevent acute and chronic pesticide poisoning.
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Three Great Resources to learn more about what pesticides are used on conventionally grown foods:
EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Beyond Pesticides Produce Database
Gateway on Pesticide Hazards
EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Beyond Pesticides Produce Database
Gateway on Pesticide Hazards
The Marketing of Poison:
the DDT Story
Ad in TIME magazine, June 1947
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