How pesticides are undermining the health of rural children

Pesticide Action Network
Organic Consumers Association
Thu, 12 May 2016 17:11 UTC

© panna

A little over 100 years ago, Congress enacted the first U.S. pesticide law. The Insecticide Act of 1910 put labeling guide - lines in place to protect farmers from unscrupulous vendors attempting to sell pesticide products that didn't perform as
advertised.

To this day, we control pesticides through a system of registration and labeling, with a primary goal of getting products to market. The result? Each year, more than 680 million pounds of pesticides are applied to agricultural fields across the country. This 2007 figure — the most recent government estimates available — climbs to more than a billion when common non-agricultural pesticide uses are included.

We believe this is too much. Ever-stronger science shows that even at low levels of exposure, many of these chemicals are harmful to human health— and children's developing minds and bodies are particularly vulnerable. It is also increasingly
clear that alternative, less chemical-intensive approaches to farming are not only viable, but would strengthen the resilience of agricultural production.

Put simply, there is no need for our food and farming system to put our children's health at risk from chemical exposure.

Kids on the Frontline builds on the findings of A Generation in Jeopardy, our 2012 report summarizing the state of the science linking pesticide exposure and children's health harms. In addition to highlighting the latest scientific findings, this new report focuses in on the particular health risks pesticides pose to children in rural agricultural communities.

Rural children experience the same chemical exposures faced by children in communities across the country from pesticide residues on food and applications in schools, parks and homes. They face additional exposures when agricultural chemicals contaminate water supplies or drift from nearby fields. These rural exposures and their impacts on children's health are the primary focus of this report. We examine the particular vulnerabilities of children in rural communities, highlight the results of studies in rural and agricultural areas, and present specific data on four agricultural states — California, Hawai'i, Iowa and Minnesota — that tell distinct stories of pesticide exposure in rural communities.

Download the report here

Comment: The myth of safe pesticides & the negative effects on children

The Negative Effects of Pesticides on Children Are Significant

The body of published, peer-reviewed science showing the wide range of problems caused by pesticides to the fetus and newborn is substantial and compelling. The current testing methodologies use adolescent through to adult animals. This means that they will not detect the adverse health issues that are specific to the unborn and small children.

Despite the fact that many professional experts in this area such as the USPCP, the WHO, and UNEP have been calling for specific toxicological studies that are relevant to the fetus and growing children to determine if the current MRLs and ADIs of pesticides are safe for them, regulatory authorities largely continue to ignore this dangerous oversight. Until these specific tests are done, regulatory authorities are using data-free assumptions that the current pesticides used in food, households, playgrounds, schools, and in the general environment are safe for our unborn and growing children. Regulation should not be based on assumptions but should use independently published, peer-reviewed scientific evidence to prove whether these toxins are safe. Given that our children are our future and most of them are exposed to multiple chemicals, time will prove the regulatory committees' unwillingness to act against pesticides more serious than their decades of inaction over asbestos.