Some Pesticide Facts
Many U.S. residents carry toxic pesticides in their bodies above government assessed “acceptable” levels. Chemical Trespass: Pesticides in Our Bodies and Corporate Accountability, makes public for the first time an analysis of pesticide-related data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a study of levels of chemicals in 9,282 people nationwide (2,644 of whom were tested for pesticides).
Many of the pesticides found in the test subjects have been linked to serious short- and long-term health effects including infertility, birth defects and childhood and adult cancers.Chemical Trespass finds that children, women and Mexican Americans shoulder the heaviest “pesticide body burden.” For example, children—the population most vulnerable to pesticides—are exposed to the highest levels of nerve-damaging organophosphorous (OP) pesticides. The CDC data show that the average 6 to11 year-old sampled is exposed to the OP pesticide chlorpyrifos (commonly known by the product name Dursban) at four times the level U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers “acceptable” for a long-term exposure.The report introduces the Pesticide Trespass Index (PTI), a new tool for quantifying responsibility of individual pesticide manufacturers for their “pesticide trespass.” Using the PTI, the report estimates that Dow Chemical is responsible for at least 80% of the chlorpyrifos breakdown products found in the bodies of those in the U.S.Chemical Trespass calls for immediate action by government officials and the pesticide industry to reduce reliance on toxic pesticide and better protect the public from pesticide exposures.
Some disturbing facts:
̃ 25% of all insecticides used globally each year are used on non-organic cotton.
̃ Number of pesticides presently on the market that were registered before being tested to determine if they caused cancer, birth defects or wildlife toxicity: 400.
̃ Amount of time it takes to ban a pesticide in the U.S. using present procedures: 10 years.
̃ Number of active ingredients in pesticides found to cause cancer in animals or humans: 107. 10 years.
̃ Of those active ingredients, the number still in use today: 83.
̃ Number of pesticides that are reproductive toxins according to the California E.P.A.: 15.
̃ Number of pesticides found to cause reproductive problems in animals: 14.
̃ Most serious cause of groundwater and drinking water pollution: agricultural chemicals.
̃ Number of different pesticides documented by the E.P.A. to be present in groundwater in 1988: 74.
̃ Most acutely toxic pesticide registered by the E.P.A.: aldicarb (used frequently on cotton). In California between 1970 and 1994 amount of total aldicarb used on cotton: 85 to 95%. Number of states in which aldicarb has been detected in the groundwater: 16.
̃ Percentage of all U.S. counties containing groundwater susceptible to contamination from agricultural pesticides and fertilizers: 46%.
̃ Number of people in the U.S. routinely drinking water contaminated with carcinogenic herbicides: 14 million.
̃ Percentage of municipal water treatment facilities lacking equipment to remove these chemicals from the drinking water: 90%.
̃ Estimated total costs for U.S. groundwater monitoring: US$900 million to 2.2 billion.
̃ Estimated costs for U.S. groundwater carbon filtration cleanup: up to $25 million per site.
̃ Percentage of all food samples tested by the FDA in 1980 which contained pesticide residues: 38%.
̃ Of the 496 pesticides identified as likely to leave residues in food, the percentage which FDA tests can routinely detect: 40%.
̃ Increase in cancer rates between 1950 and 1986: 37%. Number of Americans who will learn they have cancer this year: 1 million. Number who will die from it: 500,000. Cost to U.S. of cancer in terms of lost production, income, medical expenses and research resources: US$ 39 billion each year.
̃ Highest rate of chemical-related illness of any occupational group in the U.S.A.: farm workers. Pesticide-related illnesses among farm workers in U.S.A. each year: Approximately 300,000. Number of people in the U.S. who die each year from cancer related to pesticides: 10,400. Number of people in the U.S. killed each year by assault rifles: 250
2004 PANNA.ORG
***INFORMATION SHARED COURTESY OF SAGE CREEK NATURALS***
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