Home › PAN Updates<>
in
<>
Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS)
A Weekly News Update on Pesticides, Health and Alternatives
See PANUPS archive for complete information.
March 5, 2010
- Lawmakers urged to use ‘common sense’ on PBTs
- Atrazine turns male frogs into ‘females’ who can mate
- Oregon farmers take on Monsanto
- Investors push Chipotle on ‘Food With Integrity’
- Food, Inc. goes to the Oscars
Lawmakers urged to use ‘common sense’ on PBTs
In a Thursday hearing on Capitol Hill, experts called for protecting people and the environment from persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs). “We are failing to prevent avoidable harm to our children,” testified Ted Sturdevant of the Washington State Department of Ecology. “We are failing to protect the food chain that sustains us, we are failing to save countless millions of taxpayer dollars that are wasted on health care costs and environmental cleanup, and we are failing to exercise common sense.” Sturdevant and others who testified before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trace and Consumer Protection called on legislators to prioritize action on chemicals like PBTs that pose an “urgent and unacceptable threat” to public health. The PBT hearing is part of broader efforts to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the federal law governing industrial chemicals.
Several panelists emphasized the long-term ramifications of letting the PBT “genie out of the bottle,” citing PCBs and the pesticide DDT as examples of chemicals that have been banned for decades but still contaminate the environment and human bodies. Officials from the EPA and State Department called for TSCA reform to move forward in a way that allows the U.S. to fully engage and provide leadership in international policy arenas such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs treaty), and the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent. “The best way for the United States to lead internationally, is to do so based on a strong approach at home,” testified Dr. John Thompson, of the State Department. Prior to the hearing, Pesticide Action Network submitted a petition to the Subcommittee signed by thousands of concerned citizens across the country calling on Congress to prioritize action on PBTs. A joint letter signed by dozens of organizations working to promote environmental health and justice also called for strong action on PBTs, as did letters to Congress from the American Public Health Association (PDF) and the National Council of Churches (PDF). “The core of this debate is actually quite simple,” noted Sturdevant in his testimony. “It all comes down to common sense, and the old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
shareMORE MomsRising Blog: “Will future generations be less contaminated?” | Digg This
Atrazine turns male frogs into ‘females’ who can mate
Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor in humans as well, meaning it can interact with the hormone system and have negative health impacts at extremely low levels of exposure — levels well below what the federal government considers “safe”. In October 2009, EPA officially reopened an examination of atrazine, despite the fact that it had been reviewed and approved for continued use in 2003. The agency will spend the next year reviewing the health and environmental risks of the chemical.
takeACTION Urge EPA to follow the science on atrazine |
Oregon farmers take on Monsanto
just cross pollination with compatible crops like table beets and swiss chard, but that modern testing is now sensitive enough to detect GMO pollen on their crops, rendering them worthless regardless of whether or not they’re actually pollinated by it. In 2007, a similar lawsuit stopped planting of GE alfalfa until the EIS was complete — a decision that Monsanto is appealing all the way to the Supreme Court.
shareMORE Earth Justice’s press release |
Investors push Chipotle on ‘Food With Integrity’
In their report, Trillium points to new research linking pesticides with cancer and Parkinson’s disease and notes that consumers are paying more critical attention to the origins of their food, citing a tripling in organic food sales from $393 million in 2002 to $1.7 billion in 2007. While Chipotle’s web site reports progress in sourcing of organic beans (35% of total bean purchases) and antibiotic-free sour cream, chicken and pork, they are not yet moving forward on pesticide-free fresh produce such as avocados. Chipotle estimates that they purchase 5% of the nation’s total supply of avocados. According to Trillium’s report, “Chipotle’s forays into sustainable purchasing lead us to believe the company can undertake this work more holistically and more transparently. Doing so will certainly be a factor in the company’s successful entrée into the U.K. next year, where consumer awareness and expectations about supply chain issues is higher.”
shareMORE Trillium report: “Betting the Farm“ |
Food, Inc. goes to the Oscars
While we take a moment to enjoy this shared achievement, consider donating $35 – about the cost of a movie night for two – to keep our ranks growing.
giveTODAY Donate to PAN |
Bookmark and share this page:<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>