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05-07-2008, 02:09 PM
| #1 (permalink) | ||||||||
| Moderator Moderator  
|  Health Evidence Justifies Pesticide Ban Health evidence justifies pesticide ban By Meg Sears Pesticides are a real health threat to the people of Ottawa, and the anti-pesticide position of the Ontario College of Family Physicians should be applauded rather than being dismissed, as it was in a recent Citizen editorial ("Weeding out bad policy," April 27). The Citizen has missed some important pesticide issues recently. It will be news to readers that lawn and garden pesticides polluted the Rideau River and tributaries last summer, every place city staff looked. An insecticide was twice the level toxic to aquatic species, such as mosquito predators that could protect us from West Nile virus. The insecticide is a type linked to human immune and neurological disorders. Contrary to editorial opinion, the Ontario College of Family Physicians has good reason to link lawn and garden pesticides to a variety of maladies, including neurological and reproductive disorders and cancer. The authors were frankly surprised at the strength of the evidence that landscaping pesticides pose serious health risks. The declining incidence of herbicide-related cancer after common herbicides were banned in Sweden, and studies designed specifically to address impacts on children and families, are compelling. Clearly, broadcasting toxic compounds designed to kill is harming our health. Ottawa physicians have called for pesticide restrictions to prevent maladies they see in their patients. It is unethical to test pesticides on people, so we are conducting an enormous uncontrolled experiment in the real world. Epidemiology tries to sort out the effect of one element, such as pesticides , in isolation from other exposures. Toxic compounds are ubiquitous in our environment -- in our water, air, soil, even carpets -- so only strong effects rise above the "background noise." This is why consistent observations of harm must be heeded. Two solitudes deal with pesticides at Health Canada. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) registers pesticides . It has been criticized by the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, in Parliament and elsewhere for not reassessing pesticides rigorously, according to modern standards. Testing is done by and for pesticide companies, on select samples that are not representative of what is on the store shelves (toxic contaminants are common). Testing is done on animals that are better at detoxifying chemicals than are some people, and does not address important mechanisms of toxicity. Other Health Canada scientists conduct studies that raise serious concerns about Canadians' safety in spite of registrations. Journalists must be persistent to gain access to these experts. It is illegal in Canada to claim in advertising that pesticides are "safe." Pesticide assessment is supposed to ensure that risks do not exceed thresholds. The issue is the possibility, rather than the probability of harm. Evidence of harm is mounting. Another editorial absurdity -- pesticides do not keep sports fields safe. Neither medical literature nor the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario report injuries from weeds on sports fields. "Heading" is the gravest health risk in soccer. A couple of articles link injury to lack of vegetation, but pesticides don't get rid of mud or rocks. A safe playing field has vegetation and no toxic chemicals. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation researched mixed-species "low maintenance" turf that required no pesticides , and less water, fertilizer, mowing, money and time than conventional turf. Gardening expert Ed Lawrence identifies 20 per cent as the magic clover content for a lawn to be self-sustaining and to need no fertilizer. Manotick has a field that is largely clover. In Quebec a soccer field with thyme turns purple in August. "Beyond grass" can be a beautiful landscape indeed. How do we ensure that people follow the doctors' advice? After two years of an Ottawa city education campaign, pesticide use was expected to decrease by 16 per cent. It increased by six per cent. Despite imperfect measurement techniques, a 22-percentage-point discrepancy is too big to ignore. A recent study of pesticide-reduction initiatives in North America and Europe concluded that restrictions are necessary. Just as with seatbelts, legislation engenders behaviour change. More than 60 Canadian municipalities restrict pesticides , including Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that local governments may protect citizens' health with bylaws. Pesticide bylaws are nuisance bylaws, like "poop and scoop." No "pesticide police" snoop in sheds. Use is restricted, possibly with exemptions for infestations. Legal costs shouldn't be a big worry. A competent horticulturist can identify the distinctive deformity induced by "cancer of the plant" after herbicide application. The Ontario Superior Court ordered pesticide companies challenging Toronto's bylaw to pay costs. Protecting health is prudent. What liability will be faced when pesticide-related maladies ensue in workers? Will the City be liable for harm if it didn't act when it had jurisdiction and good reason? Given the choice of pesticide-peddlers, journalists or doctors, I'll stick to the Ontario College of Family Physicians for health advice. It is time that the City of Ottawa did too. A pesticide bylaw with public education is needed to make it happen. Meg Sears is a member of the Coalition for a Healthy Ottawa.
__________________ Life, j-angel My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS Cloning a Flowering Plant My Little Grow Blueberry | ||||||||
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05-07-2008, 02:16 PM
| #2 (permalink) | ||||||||
| Moderator Moderator
|    Okay folks. This is something that people should know about. If you find something interesting on this subject matter (pesticides and bans against it) PLEASE do us all a favor and post it! Add to this thread or start a new one, it does not matter. Just DO IT!! In this war against pollution and destroying the environment we are ALL on the same side. Information and knowledge are our weapons against DESTRUCTION. If you love our world and what is in it then keep it GREEN, and do it with PASSION!!!!!WOOT WOOOT WOOT!! 
__________________ Life, j-angel My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS Cloning a Flowering Plant My Little Grow Blueberry | ||||||||
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05-07-2008, 02:38 PM
| #3 (permalink) | ||||||||
| Moderator Moderator
| Here is another point. It will, come next spring, be illegal for residents of Kitchener's Rockway neighbourhood to use pesticides in their yards. But why will Rockway Golf Course in the same neighbourhood be allowed to spray pesticides on their greens and fairways? And why will golf courses beside residential neighbourhoods from one end of the region to the other -- in Elmira, Conestogo, Waterloo's Grey Silo Golf Course, Westmount, Kitchener's Doon, Cambridge's Galt Country Club -- all be exempt from the chemical ban McGuinty argues is so essential? Are these chemicals dangerous or not? The answer is obvious. This ban is about politics, not science. And it is driven by political desire and public fear, not reason. <B>( . . . ) <B> The fact is, to accept the need for McGuinty's ban, you need to conclude that Health Canada has been hopelessly wrong and inept -- not just on one occasion but consistently and for decades. Some would argue it has. However, it's worth knowing that Health Canada has, in the past and based on newer research, removed some pesticides from the list available to the general population. </B> Every time Canadians buy a prescription drug, they place their faith in Health Canada, which regulates our pharmaceuticals. When they accept laws to limit exposure to cigarette smoke, Canadians do so because Health Canada found tobacco to be carcinogenic. And just last week, the federal government began a process that will probably lead to a ban on the chemical bisphenol A, which is used in some plastic bottles and as food liners. Why? Because Health Canada sounded the alarm. So explain the selective trust. For those who dismiss the wisdom and science of Health Canada, and there will be some, it is worth listening to Keith Solomon, director of the Centre for Toxicology at the University of Guelph. "There is no evidence to suggest a health risk from these chemicals,'' Solomon said bluntly of the substances McGuinty is banning. "This will not make any difference to the health of Ontarians.'' As for the ban itself, he is scathing: "It doesn't make sense because it is nonsensical...." But the opposition parties will cave to the bellowing of the special interest groups because they are just as pathetic as this government. Civil liberties continue to be eroded by weak-kneed politicians. It's the story of our times. (IN MANY COUNTRIES) But the opposition parties will cave to the bellowing of the special interest groups because they are just as pathetic as this government. Civil liberties continue to be eroded by weak-kneed politicians. It's the story of our times. GOV'T OF ONTARIO SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT - PROV WIDE COSMETIC PESTICIDE BAN BAN WOULD PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH & THE ENVIRONMENT TORONTO, Jan. 18 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is beginning the first stage of consultations with Ontarians on how to shape legislation banning the cosmetic use of pesticides. A Notice of Proposal has been posted to the Environmental Registry inviting the public to provide initial comments. The registry is at www.ebr.gov.on.ca - registry number 010-2248. At the same time, the ministry will seek input from health and environmental groups, agriculture, golf courses, municipalities, the pesticides industry, retailers and others. "There is growing concern about the potential harmful effects of these products on human health and the environment, and growing concern among medical professionals and ordinary Ontarians demanding action," Environment Minister John Gerretsen said. "We said we would ban the use of these products for cosmetic purposes and we're keeping that promise." The public will be invited to comment on the proposed legislation within the next couple of months. "Just as we replaced a patchwork of local bylaws when we banned smoking province-wide, a cosmetic pesticide ban would create a single, comprehensive law for all Ontario communities that would better protect our health and the health of our kids," Gerretsen said. The proposed legislation would make Ontario a leader among Canadian jurisdictions who have taken action to ban or restrict cosmetic pesticides. A cosmetic pesticide ban is one component of the government's commitment to take action to protect the environment and the health of Ontarians from toxic chemicals in air, water, land and consumer products </B>
__________________ Life, j-angel My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS Cloning a Flowering Plant My Little Grow Blueberry | ||||||||
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| The Following User Says Thank You to jangel For This Useful Post: | talisman (05-09-2008) |
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05-09-2008, 11:54 AM
| #5 (permalink) | ||||||||
| Moderator Moderator
| Ontario Pesticide Ban ctvtoronto.ca Ontario will soon be following in Toronto's dandelion-filled footsteps, thanks to an impending province-wide pesticide ban. Environment Minister John Gerretsen said Monday he plans to enact a ban introduce legislation on Tuesday that would make cosmetic pesticide use illegal throughout the province. It would exclude farmers and possibly golf courses. The City of Toronto banned pesticides for cosmetic use in 2005. However, millions of Ontarians live in cities that still allow pesticide use despite links to cancer, brain disease and reproductive problems. Quebec enacted a similar ban in 2004, phasing it in over three years to give residents time to research new ways to combat pesky weeds. Gerretsen said the ban is an election promise he's happy to deliver on. "We always said it was a priority when we came out with our platform last year," he told CTV News on Monday. The opposition at Queen's Park is hoping the new legislation doesn't have any loopholes, suggesting the bill may end up looking good on paper without containing any real teeth. Conservative MPP Bob Runciman denounced "initiatives that don't have an awful lot of substance but certainly look good and tend to make headlines," suggesting on Monday that "this may be another one." According to the David Suzuki Foundation, only 4 million of Ontario's 12 million residents are currently protected by municipal pesticide bans. The organization supports the ban, calling it a huge step toward protecting Ontarians from dangerous chemicals
__________________ Life, j-angel My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS Cloning a Flowering Plant My Little Grow Blueberry | ||||||||
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05-09-2008, 12:00 PM
| #6 (permalink) | ||||||||
| Moderator Moderator
| Addressing Pesticide Poisoning in the Developing World. In parts of the developing world, pesticide poisoning causes more deaths than infectious diseases. Pesticide use is poorly regulated and often dangerous; their easy availability also makes them a popular method of self-harm. In 1985, the FAO produced a voluntary Code of Conduct for the pesticide industry in an attempt to limit the harmful effects of pesticides. Unfortunately, a lack of adequate government resources in the developing world makes it ineffective and thousands of deaths continue today. The WHO has recommended that access to highly toxic pesticides be restricted -where this has been done, total suicide rates have fallen. Since an Essential Drugs List was established in 1977, the use of a few ‘essential’ drugs has rationalised drug use in many regions. An analogous Minimum Pesticides List would identify a restricted number of less dangerous pesticides to do specific tasks within the context of an integrated pest management system. The use of safer pesticides should result in fewer deaths just as the switch from barbiturates to benzodiazepines has reduced the number of deaths from pharmaceutical self-poisoning.
__________________ Life, j-angel My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS Cloning a Flowering Plant My Little Grow Blueberry | ||||||||
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05-09-2008, 12:40 PM
| #7 (permalink) | ||||||||
| Enthusiast BudMaster
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| My personal passion as well. Great information J-angel. Also watch out for the January strawberry and grapes from south America. They do not have the same ag standards as your home countries. Perhaps another thread... In door urban gardens are the here now and will only expand in the future. High fuel cost will spur this technology forward. We can say we were growing indoor well before it became widely accepted. Then I'll have to find something else to rebell against. There's plenty out there...
__________________ When I die I want to go like my grandfather, peacefully in his sleep. Not yelling and screaming like the other passagers in his car. Last edited by talisman; 05-10-2008 at 12:39 AM. | ||||||||
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| The Following User Says Thank You to talisman For This Useful Post: | jangel (05-09-2008) |
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05-09-2008, 12:50 PM
| #8 (permalink) | |||||||||
| Moderator Moderator
|  Quote:
Again, thank you my friend. Keep this ball rolling!  Keep it GREEN and do it with PASSION! WOOT ! WOOT! WOOT!!!
__________________ Life, j-angel My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS Cloning a Flowering Plant My Little Grow Blueberry | |||||||||
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