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Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS)
A Weekly News Update on Pesticides, Health and Alternatives
See PANUPS archive for complete information.
July 30, 2009
- Pesticide drift sparks push for new Illinois law
- New research linking atrazine to hormone disruption
- Scientific American urges scientific integrity, free inquiry in GM research
- Climate solutions from agroecology & small farms
- Indian state to compensate endosulfan victims
Pesticide drift sparks push for new Illinois law
Widespread concern over pesticide drift among farmers and rural residents — combined with incidents such as the spraying of two children last summer as they were playing outside — have prompted a call for legislation to protect children, communities and businesses. Peoria’s Journal Star reports that Illinois state Representative Moffit “said the state needs better communication channels to enable the public to learn on a 24-7 basis what chemicals might be involved in a potential misapplication.” The push comes as states around the country are grappling with how to protect children and families from the health and economic harms caused by pesticide drift. Some Illinois residents are urging the state to adopt a policy similar to one adopted recently by Maine. The Maine act establishes a public notification registry for specific types of aerial pesticide applications. The registry will ensure neighbors have access to critical information about the chemicals being used on nearby farms, and when pesticides will be applied. Maine Representative Barry, who championed the law, commented, “It’s fairly well known at this point that many pesticides are linked with cancer and improper brain development in young children and a whole host of health and developmental issues. It seems the least we can do in the age of communications technology is to communicate with people before we spray.”
shareMORE What to do with drift? | Digg This
New research linking atrazine to hormone disruption
The pesticide atrazine, found in surface and ground water in many U.S. states, alters the genes of male rats that control hormone production, according to new research published in Toxicological Sciences. Environmental Health News summarized the science: “Rats were fed two higher doses of atrazine, 50 and 200 micrograms per kilogram body weight. Atrazine reduced the expression of several key genes involved in the production of steroid hormones, which affects levels of the androgens important for male development and reproduction. The exposure lowered testosterone levels at the higher dose and prostate size at both doses in the male rats.” The research adds to growing scientific evidence pointing to human and ecological health harms associated with atrazine, including hormonal disruption, neural damage, reproductive disorders, spontaneous abortion and cancers. The majority of atrazine is produced and marketed by Syngenta, a Swiss-based company. Atrazine is banned for use in the European Union, including Syngenta’s home, Switzerland, due to widespread and unpreventable water contamination. The herbicide remains the second most widely used pesticide in the U.S., with communities in the Midwest facing highest levels of exposure in their groundwater. The law firm Korein Tillery is suing Syngenta and other atrazine manufacturers on behalf of an Illinois water provider, charging that that atrazine is harmful to humans
in drinking water.
shareMORE Atrazine in groundwater linked to birth defects in U.S. |
Scientific American urges scientific integrity, free inquiry in GM research
new corn with multiple GM traits, despite serious concerns from farmers and environmentalists. Developed by Dow and Monsanto together, the SmartStax corn contains eight different GM traits that create resistance to several different pesticides marketed by the same companies. The Montreal Gazette reported that the approval was quick and quiet — and that many groups are calling for a full review before its broad release. “Not only did the CFIA neglect to do a risk evaluation for SmartStax corn, but it has also seriously reduced one of the only precautions imposed on farmers,” said Benoit Girouard of Quebec’s Union Paysanne, a farmers’ group.
shareMORE GM research blocked |
Climate solutions from agroecology & small farms
The international network of small farmers — Via Campesina — is urging negotiators to consider agriculture in the upcoming UN climate talks in Copenhagen. Industrial agriculture is estimated to contribute 17 – 35% of global greenhouse emissions, while agroecology (PDF) and small farms offer a range of climate mitigation and adaptation solutions. According to Via Campesina, “Large agribusiness extensions and vast monocultures make intensive use of oil-based chemical fertilizers, pesticides and machinery; convert carbon-rich forest and prairie into green deserts; and are based on a long and unnecessary chain of secondary processing and transport links. On the other hand, small-scale sustainable family farming is a key solution to climate change. Sustainable local food production uses less energy, eliminates dependence on imported animal feedstuffs and retains carbon in the soil while increasing biodiversity. Native seeds are more adaptable to the changes in climate that are already affecting us.” Via Campesina insists, “If small farmers are given access to land, water, education and health and are supported by food sovereignty policies they will keep feeding the world and protecting the planet.” Meanwhile, the United Nations recently approved a first avenue for agriculture to formally participate in reducing greenhouse gases as part of the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change.
shareMORE ‘Agriculture at the Crossroads’ |
Indian state to compensate endosulfan victims
shareMORE PAN Endosulfan Campaign |
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