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Persistent Poisons

Using pesticides

Persistent pesticides banned decades ago still contaminate our food, environment and bodies. Infants around the world are born with pesticides in their blood. And the trade and environmental transport of tons of agricultural chemicals every year leaves the globe saturated with dangerous chemicals. Tackling persistent poisons is an urgent challenge, and the world is responding — from consumer choices that make a difference to community organizing to global treaties, solutions are gaining momentum around the world.

Related Publications

Thirty-seven years after Rachel Carson's eloquent warning to the world about the devastating effect pesticides have on birds and beneficial insects, pesticides continue to be a pervasive and insidious threat to California's ecosystems. A massive chemical assault on our environment is launched each year by California's residents, farmers, and official agencies, as we apply hundreds of millions of pounds of pesticide active ingredients in our homes and gardens, on crops and...

Malaria is a major global health problem and has a devastating impact on communities around the world, particularly in Africa. Current strategies promoted by donors such as USAID for controlling malaria rely on prevention of infections and on treatment—but with reliance on a cocktail of chemicals—some of which become ineffective over time. More sustainable tools that have proven to work in malaria endemic regions must be analyzed, strengthened and implemented. They can reduce the...

Many U.S. residents carry toxic pesticides in their bodies at levels above what the government says are “acceptable.” Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in Our Bodies and Corporate Accountability is an analysis of pesticide-related data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a study of chemicals measured in the bodies of thousands of people nationwide. PAN explores tools for determining the accountability of pesticide corporations for residues of specific...

These profiles tell the stories of people living near agricultural fields who are concerned about their health and the health of their families, especially during spraying season. Because of this concern, they tested both their own bodies and the air surrounding their homes and schools for chlorpyrifos, a pesticide known to cause health problems that is used on the orange groves nearby.