New studies document the link between pesticides and Parkinson's Disease.

We have new webpages under construction dedicated to exposing the pesticide/war connection.  Check out this one for the pesticide/cancer connection.  It's all about money, folks.

Human Health Effects:

If I could recommend that you read only one source, it would be this one:
Pesticides: Making the Right Choice for the Protection of Health and the Environment, House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, May 2000.

Penni Mitchell did an amazing job of explaining why no one should use 2,4-D.  Thanks to the Winnipeg Free Press for publishing this on June 10, 2007.

Of this review, an article in The Globe & Mail read "Pesticides too dangerous to use in any form." Pesticides Literature Review, Ontario College of Family Physicians, April 2004.

This January 10, 2005 article describes a UK study indicating that pesticides may cause prostate cancer.

UK reports news, in November 2004, that US study links pollution to 200 diseases.

The Petitcodiac Riverkeeper offers a great one pager about the impacts of pesticides and supurb links.

Learn more about pesticides from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

Highlights of Children's Health and EnvironmentConference by Kimlee Wong Morrisseau in the Manitoba Eco-Journal, Volume 14, Number 4. Click here to view the 'Exposed for Life' conference report.

Children face higher risks from pesticide poisoning, better protection and awareness raising needed, UN agencies say, 5 October 2004, Rome

Please see this new study linking rising childhood leukemia and environmental exposures.

A new review about Pesticides and Children by Dr. V. Garry, University of Minnesota School of Medicine.

Managing the Safety & Accessibility of Pesticides, Report of the Commissioner of the Environment & Sustainable Development to the House of Commons, Office of the Auditor General of Canada, 2003.

The Truth About Pesticides, Sierra Club of Canada, www.sierraclub.ca

Official CCHE position paper on the West Nile virus, Canadian Coalition for Health & Environment, p1.

Pesticide Hazards Information:

Manitoba Agriculture & Food, Pesticide Safety

Manitoba Labour, Workplace Safety & Health, Pesticide Hazard & Safety Information

Manitoba Labour, Workplace Safety & Health, Pesticide Poisoning Symptoms
Manitoba Labour, Workplace Safety & Health, Organo-phosphate and Carbamate Pesticide Exposure: A Physician's Guide

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Precautions With Pesticides

Thanks to the Canadian Autoworkers' Union for this report on pesticides.

Check out: "Risks from Lawn Care Pesticides, Including Inadequate Labeling Packaging and Labeling" available from http://www.ehhi.org/

Here's a website with a little information on Monsanto's evil-doings, including herbicides,  aspartame, and bovine growth hormone in milk.

Making Progress:

Prior Informed Consent Treaty adds 14 new chemicals. Thanks to Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (September 27, 2004).

Here is the list of cosmetic pesticide by-laws in Canada, compiled by Mike Christie. Thanks very much, Mike.

Please see this Canadian Best Practices Review for the impact of by-laws on the non-essential use of pesticides.

Human Pesticide Testing:

See this December 1st update from Panna, Stop EPA From Testing Pesticides on Children about the EPA's planned human pesticide study. If you're not convinced yet, read this Urgent Appeal from Carole Rubin. For more information, read this Washington Post article from November 10th, EPA Suspends Study on Kids and Pesticides.

Good News! Full stories available at Beyond Pesticides' Daily News Headlines (Nov 9-15, 2004)

• Under Pressure, EPA Postpones Children and Pesticides Exposure Study
• Ethical and Scientific Flaws Found in Pesticide Testing on Humans

EPA PAYS FAMILIES TO EXPOSE THEIR INFANTS TO PESTICIDES: Joint Study With Chemical Industry to Measure Exposure in the Home; Agency Removes Study Protocol From Its Web Site, For Immediate Release: Monday, November 1, 2004

Environmental Effects:

Thanks, Alon, for this article from Environmental Health Perspectives, Organochlorines Reduce Bone Density in Polar Bears

The Environmental Protection Bureau of the Attorney General of New York State, Elliot Spitzer, (my hero!) has loads of great information about the environmental effects of pesticides and other toxins.

Pollution Causes Animals to Act All Freaky

See the World Health Organization's Working Paper on Human Rights, Health & Environmental Protection

Resistance:

See this Beyond Pesticides article for new information about mosquitoes developing resistance to pyrethroids (and malathion) and this one to learn about arsenic & lead found in fertilizers.

Thanks to Ian Greaves and Mike Christie for this Houston Chronicle article about mosquitoes developing pesticide resistance. Sadly, the authors recommend rotating poisons but this is far more toxic to humans and the environment, too.

About Malathion:

Malathion Brief Fact Sheet by CROW, Inc.

Health Canada's Malathion Fact Sheet from 2003.  

Here's the Malathion Fact Sheet from the Journal of Pesticide Reform, 2003.

Beyond Pesticide's Malathion Fact Sheet from 2000. 

See the New Jersey Department of Health Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet on Malathion.

The Children's Health & Environment' Coalition's HealtheHouse recommends avoiding Malathion.

The US EPA's website has incredibly alarming information about the human health effects on its Malathion Revised Risk Assessment Fact Sheet, such as this memo, Review of Malathion Incident Reports.  Here is their Table of Contents and an index of malathion info. 

Study Abstracts on Malathion and its harmful effects on humans, the biosphere and the environment generally, from peer-reviewed and other authoritative sources (thanks to No-Spray.org.)

Read Malathion Medical Research which contains abstracts of human health effects studies from the Universities of Florida and South Florida.

The PAN Chemical Information Database calls Malathion a "PAN Bad Actor" chemical

About Malaoxon:

And if you thought malathion was bad, read about malaoxon, the breakdown product  malathion leaves behind (on playground equipment...)  They don't even know how toxic it is. 

from the EPA:  Human Health Risks Associated with Malathion and Malaoxon
excerpt:
Exposure to malathion can occur through food, from its residential uses, or from malathion’s wide area treatment uses (public health mosquitocide, boll weevil, or fruit fly treatment). EPA believes that individuals may also be exposed to malaoxon when malathion converts to malaoxon under certain conditions. If malathion is present in a water system, for example, due to runoff or drift after an application, then malaoxon can form during the chlorination of drinking water. Malaoxon also potentially forms over time when malathion residues deposit on hard, dry surfaces (such as decks, driveways, and playground equipment).

The Agency’s characterization of the carcinogenic potential of malathion remains unchanged as “suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity but not sufficient to assess human carcinogenic potential.” EPA has also characterized the toxicity of malaoxon in comparison to the parent compound, malathion, referred to as the Toxicity Adjustment Factor (TAF). Although EPA has limited data on malaoxon, the Agency currently estimates the malaoxon TAF as 77x, which means that malaoxon is potentially 77 times more toxic than malathion itself. The Agency is currently requiring additional malaoxon toxicity data from the technical registrant and will also solicit malaoxon toxicity data through the public participation process. This new data is important to consider before EPA can complete its characterization of malaoxon.

About Dursban:

 Prenatal exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos is associated with developmental delays in children and attention deficit hyperactivity problems. The proportion of New York City 3-yr olds showing delayed development was five times greater in the higher exposure group. Pediatrics.   PEDIATRICS(doi:10.1542/peds.2006-0338)          

Dursban decreases male fertility.  Read more about dursban and testosterone.

New York sues Dow for calling Dursban safe. Read New York vs Dow Chemical.

See Beyond Pesticides Fact Sheet on Chlorpyrifos

Also by Beyond Pesticides, see this new article The Lowdown on Dursban

Health Canada's Dursban Fact Sheet

And if you haven't learned enough, here is Dow's label for Dursban.  

About Bt:

See this brief Bt fact sheet from Beyond Pesticides.

This Bt factsheet from Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides is very detailed.

About Pyrethroids:

Don't be fooled into thinking the next generation of pesticides will be kinder.  Read about pyrethroids in this issue of Eco-Sense from the Allergy and Environmental Health Association of Canada.

Amazing News from Down Under:

Toxic Aspartame