Pesticides
Pesticides are one of the most common forms of pest control in America. But they can cause serious damage to humans and other non-targeted species. In America, the use of pesticides is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but the system is not perfect. Most Americans are exposed to pesticides through food, often non-organic fruits and vegetables. Foods with thin, porous skins, like strawberries and apples, are likely to have higher pesticide content. Imported fruits and vegetables may have particularly high pesticide content, as they may be produced in nations where pesticide regulation isn’t as strong.
Cry Wolf Quotes
You and I know that chemical companies spend millions and millions of dollars in research. How long are they going to continue to do this if we continue to harass them?
Are we stripping our [pesticide] arsenal of essential weapons? If we strip that arsenal, something is bound to happen. I can’t predict what insect, what disease vector, might attack the food supply or health of this country….The consequences of such a situation may go far beyond a mere food shortage….The position of our State Department could be impaired….Our military potential could be seriously affected.
If you people ban the use of endrin [see below] until we know a lot more about it then we do now, many orchards will simply go out of production.
There have been no reports of illness or death which can be attributed to pesticides when they were properly used and the precautions followed.
Related Laws and Rules
Backgrounders & Briefs
Good Rules: Ten Stories Of Successful Regulation
Demos looks at ten laws and rules that we take for granted.
Resources
Beyond Pesticides focuses on protecting public health and the environment to lead the transition to a world free of toxic pesticides.
Pesticide Action Network fights against the use of hazardous pesticides while promoting environmentally sustainable and socially just alternatives.
