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To minimize the bad effects of the use of pesticides, the EPA must ensure that use of pesticides it registers will not result in harm to the species listed as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or to habitat critical to those species' survival. Before a pesticide can be used in the United States, EPA conducts ecological risk assessments to determine what risks a pesticide poses and whether changes to the use or proposed use of that pesticide are necessary to protect the environment. This however does not prevent pesticide users abusing the rules and regulations.

Pesticides: Cause For Concern?
Author: Jane Thurnell-Read
 
Many people are, in my opinion, rightly concerned about
pesticides. 31,000 tons of pesticides are sprayed on UK land
each year. Farm workers may have direct, intense contact with
pesticides, but the general population are also exposed to
pesticides via residues in and on food, pesticides in the air,
as a result of spraying in fields, pesticides applied to road
sides to control weeds, and even pesticide contamination of
drinking water. As well as the active ingredients there are
also likely to be chemicals used to help the stickiness and
consistency of the pesticide.

PAN UK (formerly the Pesticide Trust) cites studies that have
shown:

· 93% of non-organic oranges analysed contained pesticide
residues
· 78% of apples analysed contained pesticide residues
· 43% of all fruit and vegetables analysed had detectable
levels of pesticides
· 50% of lettuce contained residues from 7 or more chemical
· 71% of cereal bars with residues
· 83% of oily fish showed pesticide residues
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Looking at the health risks of pesticides is difficult because
many of the risks may be long term and these can be difficult
to establish. There is also the problem of pesticide
interaction, and the interaction of pesticides with other
chemicals encountered in the environment. We just do not know
enough to be certain that these chemicals are safe for us, but
harmful to pests.

There are two basic types of pesticides:

· Organochlorides kill pests by attacking their central nervous
systems. Linked to cancer, birth defects and genetic changes in
animals. They are fat-soluble and stored in body fat. They are
far more persistent than organophosphates.

· Organophosphates interfere with nerve conduction in pests.
They are the most common pesticide used today. They are
water-soluble and break down rapidly.

Governments control the use of pesticides through legislation,
and there are various lists of banned and restricted
pesticides. Since 1993 the EU has been implementing a programme
to establish harmonised Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for
pesticide residues in foodstuffs sold in the EU. Once the level
is agreed for a pesticide, EU member states are obliged to
incorporate these MRLs into their national legislation within
12 months. 

How effective is pesticide policing?

Investigations continually show that illegal and dangerous
pesticides are appearing in food. This appears to be from two
sources: illegal use of pesticides in a country, and also the
use of pesticides that are legal (or unpoliced) in the country
where the food is grown. In 1996 a UK investigation by the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food showed that over 4%
of the milk supply contained amounts of lindane above the
maximum recommended levels, and in 2 samples DDT was detected
even though it has been banned for over 10 years. [The Food
Magazine, Issue 34, 1996]

There are likely to be commonly used pesticides that will prove
eventually to be harmful. This has happened repeatedly with
problems only being scientifically pinpointed after many years
of use. There is no reason to feel confident that governments
have identified and banned all harmful pesticides. Surely it is
better to ere on the side of safety and buy properly certified
organic products?


About The Author: Jane Thurnell-Read is a writer and researcher
on health. Visit her web site http://www.healthandgoodness.com
for more tips, information and inspiration on how live a
healthy, happy life - visitors really like this web site.


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