CTN Wellness

July 22nd, 2009 Posted by Dawn

I just started reading Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Written in 1962, this amazing book strangely reads like it was written with many of our pesticide and chemical problems in mind, from 2009! While DDT was banned in the 70s in the US (because of attention brought to its problems in Silent Spring), I read an article about it being used recently to fight the mosquito which causes malaria in 40 countries!  Pesticides are problematic, it’s just the truth, then and now.

Our friend Melinda Hemmelgarn, the food sleuth, wrote this column for Organic Valley all about pesticides -

Persistent, Poisonous, Problematic: Pesticides

Shortly after Michelle Obama planted an organic garden on the White House lawn, she received a letter from the Mid-America Crop Life Association.

The letter reminded the First Lady that “crop protection technologies” (Read: pesticides) are “supported by sound scientific research and innovation,” and are important in “feeding our country.”

Whoa! This sounded like pesticide PR to me.  Sure enough, the Association’s officers and board members include individuals from Monsanto, Bayer, Dupont and Syngenta - agro-chemical corporations who profit from pesticide sales.

Cause for concern

Of course, Mrs. Obama knows better. Let’s stand with her to help more parents understand the unintended consequences of pesticide use, and how these chemicals could harm our families’ health.

The Pesticide Action Network of North America defines pesticides as “chemicals designed to kill plants, insects, rodents, fungi, etc.” However, PANNA adds: “due to their very nature, they can be hazardous to human health and the environment. “

Pesticides that destroy unwanted pests can also kill pollinators and other beneficial insects, pollute rivers and streams, and create hazardous environments for wildlife and humans.

Little ones: Big impact

Pregnant women, infants and children are especially vulnerable to pesticides’ effects. Compared to adults, children eat more, drink more, and breathe more air in proportion to their body size. Plus, young, developing bodies are less able to break down and excrete toxins.

Overall, human health risks associated with pesticide exposure include: asthma, autism, birth defects, cancers, diabetes, insulin resistance, mental retardation, neurological disorders, and obesity.

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