From ar367@FreeNet.Carleton.CA Sat May 21 21:39:34 1994 Date: Sat, 21 May 1994 16:39:28 GMT From: Ken Toews To: sustag-public@twosocks.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: pesticide background info BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON PESTICIDES. BY FAX PHONE 825-4034 EMAIL CONTACT ar367@freenet.carelton.ca DISTRIBUTED BY P.A.A.L.S. People Against Addicted Lawns For this and more information in a booklet form please contact: P.O.Box 29093 3500 Fallowfield road Nepean Ontario K2J 4A9 WHAT IS AN ADDICTED LAWN? An addicted lawn is a lawn without a healty biologically active soil. Pesticides like 2,4-D and MCPA destroy the life giving property of soils making harmful fertilizers like urea necessary. This leads to further degridation of the soil that inevitablly attracts non desirable insects, then insecticides are needed. It is a viscous and very profitable circle. Your lawn has become addicted to drugs. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: 1: Commonly used lawn care products contain products that are known to cause cancers of the kidney, testicles, stomach, colon, prostate and liver. Also disorders of the skin and liver, reproductive and developmental disorders, low sperm counts, increased birth defects, phycological effects, immune system disorders, gastrointestinal ulcers, and altered lipid metabolism are known to occur in people who use pesticides. 2: Pesticides have been linked to childhood brain tumours and leukaemia. 3: Pesticides mimic natural estrogens, because of this they are associated with breast cancer and testicular cancer. 4: Dogs of home owners who spray pesticides are more likely to get one of the fastest growing types of cancers in humans. 5: Pesticide use is growing, especially in the lawn care industry. Its growth is paralleled by a steady increase in cancer deaths in humans. 6: Humans are in the process of becoming immune to pesticides, like any population where this has occurred a majority of the population must die or fail to reproduce. Human sperm counts are down 50% over the last 50 years. 7: Pesticides pose a serious threat to ground water, birds, bees, fish. 8: Most pesticides have NOT been tested for safety. They are regulated. There is no safe pesticide. 9: The process to determine if a pesticide is safe is called risk assessment. This process is used to calculate how many people it is acceptable to kill with a product. 10: Evidence indicates that the pesticide industry can not be trusted. In the past they have shipped banned products to the third world, used dangerous manufacturing processes that have killed thousands of people and they have falsified product safety data. 11: Lawn care companies regularly misrepresent their products as safe. No government agency has ever labelled any pesticide as safe. 12: Workers with at least one year of exposure are more likely to get cancers of the lung and suffer unexplained premature death. There is a dramatic increase in soft tissue sarcomas among pesticide workers. 13:You can stop pesticide spraying in your community. On Aug 19 1993 a superior court judge ruled that the municipality of Hudson was legal in passing a bylaw outlawing the spraying of pesticides around homes. Although pesticide regulations are a matter of provincial jurisdiction the Judge decided the town council acted in response to a PUBLIC HEALTH MENACE under Quebec's Cities and Towns Act. Ontario has a similarly worded act that allows municipalities to rule on matters that are of concern to the health and well being of residents. COMMON WEED KILLERS ARE LINKED TO HEALTH PROBLEMS There have been over 200 independent studies that link 2,4-D with various diseases. 2,4-D is found in 1,500 over the counter weed killers. The National Cancer Institute has linked pesticide exposures to lymphatic cancers. Their study was based on 948 farmers who had cancer and an equal number who did not. Exposed individuals were 600% more likely to contract cancer than people who did not contact the pesticide. Farmers who used protective equipment, such as respirators, gloves, and a change of clothing after contact were able to reduce the risk by only 20%. Hazleton laboratories found that 10% of rats exposed to 2,4-D developed brain tumours. 2,4-D is contaminated with dioxins during manufacture. Dioxins are the most potent poison known to man. The Veterans Legal Services Project of Washington D.C. reviewed 285 different published studies of human exposure to phenoxy herbicides and dioxins. They found that they caused specific cancers, skin and liver disorders, reproductive and developmental disorders, low sperm counts, spontaneous abortions in the wives of the affected individuals, increased birth defects, including skin, nerve, heart, kidney, and cleft lips and palate. The study went on to say there was "sound scientific evidence" of an association between the 2-4,D and a whole host of other diseases including cancer of the kidney, testicles, stomach, colon, prostate, liver, psychological effects, immune system disorders, gastrointestinal ulcers, and altered lipid metabolism. Another common chemical used for lawn care is M.C.P.A. (4- CHLOR-2METHYLPHENOXY ACIDIC ACID). This is an organic acid that is closely related to 2,4-D. The chemical industry will create a compound similar to a pesticide that is found to be dangerous. It takes years for the new chemical to be proven as dangerous as the old chemical. The two most common weed killers used around the home are 2,4- D and diazanon. Diazanon is known to be a hazard to songbirds. SOURCES: A. Blair, " Herbicides and non-Hodgkins lymphoma New evidence from a study of Saskatchewan farmers" Journal of the National Cancer Institute Volume 82 1990 Pages 544-545 Olav Axelson and others, " Herbicide Exposure and Tumour Mortality" Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment, and Health Volume 6 March 1980 pages 73-79 Mikael Eriksson and others," Exposure to Dioxins as a risk factor for Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Population based case control study" Journal of the National Cancer Institute Volume 82 March 22 1991 pages 486-490 National Veterans Legal Services Project "Human Health Effects Associated with exposure to Herbicides and or their associated Contaminants - Chlorinated Dioxins" (Washington D.C. National Veterans Legal Services Project, 2001 S Street N.W. Washington D.C. PESTICIDES HARM CHILDREN LEUKAEMIA A parents use of pesticides around the home can increase a childs' risk of developing leukaemia. A 1993 study looked at 123 pairs of families, one family with a child less than 10 year old with leukaemia matched with a healthy child of identical age, race, socioeconomic status and sex. Parental exposure to pesticides inside the home, or in the garden increased the children's risk of leukaemia. Previous studies have linked pesticides to leukaemia in farmers. This is the first study showing a link between household pesticides and leukaemia in children. BRAIN CANCERS The incidence of childhood brain cancers has increased 47% between 1973 and 1988. The cause of brain cancer is unknown. It is usually fatal. The average time between diagnosis and death is nine months. A 1993 study of brain cancer in Missouri children shows an associations between brain cancer and pesticides. The products included flea strips, collars, spray bombs, and the spraying of yards for weeds. This study examined 45 Missouri children with brain cancer plus 2 control groups. Control group 1 was 85 healthy friends of the cancer stricken children and Control group 2 was 108 children with other types of cancers. What distinguished the families with brain cancer was their pesticide use. They used pesticides in their homes more often than did families whose children did not develop brain tumours. The study found 15 statistically significant associations between pesticide use and childhood brain cancer. METABOLIC DISORDERS Pesticides can be eaten on food or absorbed through the skin. Some interfere with the body's ability to use vitamin B-6. Vitamin B-6 deficiency interferes with essential fatty acid metabolism. It also has neurological effects ranging from epileptic seizures to a feeling of pins and needles in the extremities. MENTAL DISORDERS The American Journal of Psychiatry has reported three clinical studies of patients who suffer from panic attacks as a result of exposure to pesticides. Panic attacks are a medically defined condition involving: confusion, disorientation, cold sweats, palpitations of the heart, difficulty breathing, tremors, fatigue, muscular cramps, and chest tightness. The panic attacks became debilitating. These attacks were brought on by the organic solvents in pesticides and were not dose related. These are examples of ecological illness, like an allergic reaction, to the presence of exotic synthetic chemicals in the environment. If exposure to synthetic chemicals increases, more such medical problems must be anticipated. CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY 15% of North Americans experience some form of increased allergic sensitivity to chemicals or the environment. This phenomena is increasing in occurrence and severity. Chemically sensitive individuals are victims of the modern Industrial environment. The best treatment is avoiding the use of unnatural chemical agents in and around your home. Fortunately allergic reactions to dandelion pollen are extremely rare. The size of the dandelion pollen makes it unlikely to be a source of allergic reaction. IMMUNE SYSTEM DISORDERS There is a large and convincing body of evidence showing that pesticides harm the immune system. Pesticide exposure is linked to a variety of immune system disorders including suppressed T cell activity, T cells are a particular kind of cell that circulates in the blood and fights off bacteria,viruses, and cancer cells. The incidence of immune system disorders is increasing in the general public. It is noteworthy that the same rare cancers affect three divergent groups; Farmers who have been exposed to pesticides, patients with AIDS, and people who have had organ transplants who are then given drugs to suppress their immune system. Sources: Devra Lee Davis and Joel Schwartz, "Trends in Cancer Mortality: U.S. White Males and Females, 1968-1973." The Lancet Vol 1 march 19 1988 pages 633-636. Devra Lee Davis and Others "Is Brain Cancer Mortality Increasing in Industrial countries?" American Journal of Industrial Medicine Volume 19 1991 pages 421-431 Tim Beardsley "Childhood Leukaemia" July 1987 Journal of the National Cancer Institute Pages 39-46. J.M. Peters; Brain tumours in children.... Science Vol 213 (1981) Pg. 235 237 James R. Davis and others " Family Pesticide use in the home, Garden, Orchard and Yard" Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. Volume 22 1992 pages 260 to 266 Leo Galland M.D. Diane Dincin Buchman P.H.D. "Super immunity for Kids the scientific guide to nutrition for children" page 13 D. Toth "Actual New Cancer-Causing Hydrazines, Hydrazides, and Hydrazones" Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology 97 (1980):97-108 D Toth and J Erickson, "Reversal of the Toxicity of Hydrazine Analogues by Pyridoxine Hydrochloride," Toxicology 7 ( 1977):31-36 Stephen R Dager and others, "Panic disorders Precipitated...." American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol 144 August 1987 Pages 1056-1058 Reprints available from Dr Dager ZA-99 Harborview Medical Center 325 9th Avenue, Seattle WA 98104 National Center for Environmental Health "Chemical Sensitivity" 1100 Rural Avenue, Voorhees, N.J. 08043; 1-609-429-5358 Ashford and Miller, "Chemical exposure: Low Levels and High Stakes" NY Van Nostrand Reinhold 1990 P.T. Thomas and others, "Immunological Effects of Pesticides" in Scott R Baker and Chris Wilkinson, editors "The Effects of Pesticides on Human Health" Prinecton N.J. Princeton Scientific Publishing, 1990 PESTICIDE USE RELATED TO BREAST CANCER Scientists first found DDT in human breast milk in 1951. DDT like many pesticides are more fat soluble than water soluble. Because of this they enter the body and build up in the fatty tissues. In 1975 the Environmental protection Agency tested human milk for pesticides. 100% of the samples contained DDT, 99% contained PCBs and 83% contained dieldrins. All three of these substances are carcinogens in humans. A 1982 study of human milk found that 75% contained the following man made chemicals; methylene chloride, 1,1,1- trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, benzaldehyde, and acetone. Is it surprising then that one in nine women now gets breast cancer? Breast cancer appears to be caused by environmental causes more than genetics. Women in Japan have one quarter the incidence of breast cancer until they move to North America, then the levels rise to North American levels. Cancer experts claim that 30% of breast cancers can be attributed to social conditions. Birth order (younger is better), exercise (more is better), animal fats (less is better), green vegetable (more is better). But what of the other 70% of Breast Cancers? Recent conditions in Israel have shown that pesticides may be an important cause of breast cancer. Measurement of three pesticides in human milk in Israel in the 1970's revealed levels of contamination of Lindane, alpha-B.H.C. and DDE in concentrations 1000 times higher than in Canada. (DDE is formed when DDT breaks down and is more dangerous than DDT.) In 1978 public protests brought about a ban of these pesticides. There was a rapid reduction in all these contaminants. By 1980 breast milk contamination had dropped by 90% or more among Israeli women. During this unusual rise and fall of pesticide residue in human milk there was a corresponding rise and fall of breast cancer in young Israeli women. The scientists who studied pesticides and breast cancer in Israel made the important observation that pesticides mimic or interfere with estrogen metabolism. Corroborating this view is a study of American women that shows that women with elevated levels of pesticides have a higher levels of breast cancer than a control group without elevated level of these toxins. Research is showing that many synthetic pesticides, mimic or interfere with estrogen and other sex hormones in wildlife and humans. Sources: Jerome B. Westin and Elihu Richter, " The Israeli Breast Cancer anomaly" as cited in Cancer statistics review 1973-1988 National Institute of Health publications No 91-2789 Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Frank Falck Jr., and others "Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyl Residues in Human Breast Lipids and their Relation to Breast Cancer." Archives of Environmental Health Volume 47 No 2 March 1992 pages 143-146 Edo D Pellizzari and others, "Purgable Organic compounds in Mothers milk", Bulletin of Environmental contamination and Toxicology Vol 28 1982 pages 322-328 E.P. Laug, "Occurrence of DDT in Human Milk" Archives of Industrial Hygiene, Volume 3 1951 pages 245-246 PETS ARE AT RISK FROM PESTICIDES According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute dog owners who spray or dust their lawns with weed killers containing 2,4-D are getting cancer at twice the rate of other dogs. Dogs walk across or roll in herbicide treated lawns and then ingest toxic chemicals when they lick their coats and paws. Naturally, children who play on treated lawns will also come in contact with the chemicals. Dogs and children will also track chemicals indoors where prolonged exposure will occur. People spread 2,4-D around homes and gardens to kill broad leaf weeds, crabgrass, and dandelions. Farmers use it on tomatoes to cause all fruit to ripen at the same time for machine harvesting, and utility companies use it to clear brush around roads and under hydro lines. It is used heavily on lawns, corn, and rice to kill weeds. From 1962 to 1971 it was spread as Agent Orange by U.S. Airmen. Thousands have filed lawsuits against the U.S. government and companies that supplied Agent Orange because of cancers and birth defects in their children. Vets who handled Agent Orange are 70% more likely to father children with birth defects than vets who did not handle Agent Orange. Farmers who use this dangerous substance are getting the same type of cancer ( Non Hodgkin's Lymphomas ) as dogs who roll around on herbicide treated lawns. The occurrence of such cancers has been slowly rising for several decades tracking the emergence of the modern lifestyle in which the dandelion free lawn has come to symbolize the good life. Sources: Howard M. Haynes and others " Case control Study of Canine Malignant Lymphoma: Positive Association with Dog Owners use of 2,4-D"Journal of the National Cancer Institute Volume 83 September 4 1991 Pages 1226-1231 Sheila K. and others " Agriculture Herbicide use and Risk of Lymphoma and Soft Tissue Sarcoma," Journal of the American Medical Association. Vol 256 Sept 5 1986 Pages 1141 - 1147 Ann Aschengrau and others " Paternal Military service in Vietnam and the risk of Late Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes" American Journal of Public Health Vol 80 October 1990 Pages 1218-1224 A. Blair "Herbicides and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: New evidence from a study of Saskatchewan farmers" Journal of the National Cancer Institute Volume 82 1990 pages 544-545 Lennart Hardell and Mikael Eriksson "The association between soft tissue Sarcomas and Exposure to Phenoxyacetic acids" Cancer Volume 62 August 1 1988 pages 652-656 Kenneth Cantor and others "Distribution of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas in the Untied States Between 1950 and 1975," Cancer Research Volume 40 August 1980 pages 2645-2652. PESTICIDE USE IS GROWING Between 1950 and 1980 there has been a twelve fold increase in the use of pesticides. On corn the increase in the use of insecticides has been a thousand fold. Today the fastest growing area of pesticide use is lawn care. North Americans spend almost 800 million dollars spreading 75,000,000 pounds of pesticide on their lawns every year. The industry is growing at 9% a year, doubling in size every 8 years. The growth of pesticide use has not reduced crop losses. Between 1950 and 1980 with a twelve fold increase in pesticide use crop losses to insects have increased from 7% to 13%. Clearly insecticides are not effective. Scientific evidence only indicates that wide spread use of any insecticide leads to an eventual increase in the population of the target population. This is probably due to the fact that pesticides kill the predators and after an initial population decrease, the target population become immune. Despite proof that in the long term pesticides do not work more than one billion pounds of pesticides, 660 million pounds of herbicides, 132 million pounds of fungicides, 268 million pounds of insecticides, and 70 million pounds of related chemicals are used each year in North America alone. There are roughly four pounds of pesticides spread for each man women and child in North America each year. The effect these chemicals have on our population is becoming apparent. We must keep in mind that before 1950 there was no significant use of pesticides. Since that time the increased incidence of cancer has occurred as outlined in the following chart. CANCER TYPE PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN INCIDENCE 1950-1987 Colon +24.9% Larynx +57.3% Testicles +97.3% Bladder +52.5% Childhood (all types) +28.4% Leukaemia +2.6% Lung +257% Skin +283% Breast +258% Prostate +97% Kidney +101% lymphoma +153% Average +42% Sources: U.S. National Cancer Institute ; Tyler Miller Environmental Science Third Edition Belmont Ca. Wadsworth 1991 Pages 313-317 "Lawn care pesticides. Risks remain uncertain while prohibited safety claims continue". U.S. Accounting office Free Upon request phone orders accepted 1-202-512-6000 Ask for document # RCED-90-134 Devra Lee Davis and others "Agricultural Exposures and Cancer trends in Developed countries," Environmental Health Perspecives Vol 100 1992 pages 39-44 PESTICIDES AND IMMUNITY Between 1950 and 1980 nearly 500 important insect pests have developed genetic resistance to common pesticides. It is estimated that by the year 2000 virtually all major insect pests will show some form of genetic resistance. In addition to insects, genetic resistance has developed in 80 species of weeds treated with weed killers, 70 species of fungus treated with fungicide, and 10 species of rats treated with rat poisons. Genetic resistance cannot be stopped, it is the nature of all species. Unfortunately this is a double edged sword. A fundamental requirement of genetic change is the death or failure to reproduce in a majority of the population. A recent study in the British Medical Journal concluded that men in western countries today have sperm counts less than half as high as their grandfathers had at the same age. In addition the increase in cancer of the testicles has increased 4 fold in the last 40 years; and various birth defects to the male reproductive system have increased 4 fold during the same time period. As we pointed out earlier a fundamental requirement of genetic change is the death or failure to reproduce in a majority of the population. This process is clearly under way. The only question is what is causing this change? CHEMICALS THAT MIMIC NATURAL ESTROGENS Evidence is mounting that these changes are caused by exposure of males very early in life to chemicals that act like estrogens. Synthetic chemicals that mimic estrogens include contraceptives, D.E.S. which was fed to beef cattle from the 50's to the 70's, and pesticides. We now live in an environment that can be viewed as a virtual sea of estrogens. Chlorinated hydrocarbons, ie pesticides, mimic hormones and interfere with the endocrine system of wildlife and humans. Studies link them to breast cancer in women and testicular cancer in their sons. Thus breast cancer, testicular cancer, and defects in the male reproductive system including diminished sperm count all seem linked. Diminished sperm count is a serious matter. Many animals produce up to 1,400 times as much sperm as is needed for fertility. In contrast the average human produces only 2 to 4 times as much sperm as is needed to fertilize a human egg. Sources: E Carlsen and others, "Evidence for decreasing quality of semen during past 50 years." British Medical Journal Vol 305 1992 pages 609-613 A.Giwercman and others "The human testis-an organ at risk?" International Journal of Andrology? Vol 15 1992 pages 373-375. R Sharpe and others "Are Estrogens involved in falling sperm counts and disorders of the male reproductive tract" The Lancet Vol 341 May 1993 pages 1392-1395. R.Sharpe "Are oestrogens involved in falling sperm counts..." The Lancet Volume 341 May 29 1993. "Estrogen chemicals lower sperm count" Chemical and Engineering News June 7 1993 pages 28. Plus 12 other research paper on the same topic indicating the same conclusion. PESTICIDES POSE A THREAT TO OUR WATER Since 1980 researchers have found agricultural chemicals in ground water supplies that serve hundreds of millions of people. Recent studies in Eastern Ontario have shown that over 75% of wells are polluted with a herbicide used on corn. Residents in Iowa; 27% of which drink water contaminated with pesticides have a higher than normal risk of developing leukaemia, lymphoma and other cancers. Water quality in our rivers is increasing on a number of fronts, for instance bacterial and lead levels are decreasing because of a ban on leaded gasoline and improved sewage treatment. Unfortunately increased usage of fertilizer on suburban lawns is causing other problems. One study looked at 24 measures of water quality taken at 380 water sampling stations across the country from 1974-1981. Of the 34 chemicals widely used by the lawn care industry 35% were detected in ground water. Of these: 62% are toxic to fish. 35% are toxic to bees. 29% cause cancer. 35% Cause birth defects. 21% interfere with reproduction. 39% cause liver damage. 59% are toxic to the nervous System. 42% cause kidney damage 85% lead to sensitivity in individuals. 32% are toxic to birds. THE LAWN CARE INDUSTRY IS UNREGULATED The business is largely unregulated. Investigations have found that the lawn care industry regularly makes false claims such as: *Our products are non toxic *The only way to get sick from 2,4-D would be to lay in it for a few days *The safety issue is blown out of proportion. Such a small amount of chemicals is not dangerous. *It is safe to use, will not harm bees, birds, or other beneficial insects. *lawn care products are safe for the environment. Of the 34 major lawn care chemicals now in use, not one has been fully tested. Lawn care companies in Ontario are required by law to tell employees what they are spraying. You can ask to see these documents. In all commercial lawn poisons there is an active ingredient and an inert ingredient. The inert ingredients can be a variety of carcinogenic substances. Often these substances are more dangerous than the active ingredient used to kill weeds. Companies that treat hazardous waste are allowed to "recycle" hazardous waste into lawn care products. It is unclear which is more dangerous the active pesticide ingredient or the "recycled" hazardous waste. Source: New York office of the Attorney General. Ask for "The secret Hazards of Pesticides Inert Ingredients" by Susan Jaffe, Free copies of report from the Office of Public Information NY State Department of Law, 120 Broadway N.Y. N.Y. 10271."Lawn care pesticides. Risks remain uncertain while prohibited safety claims continue". U.S. Accounting office Free Upon request phone orders accepted 1-202-512-6000 Ask for document # RCED-90-134 IS THERE ANY GOOD NEWS? On Aug 19 1993 a superior court judge opened the door for municipalities to outlaw pesticide spraying, ruling that the municipality of Hudson was legal in passing a bylaw to that effect. Lawn care companies argued that pesticide regulations were a matter of provincial jurisdiction and in the absence of a provincial code restricting pesticide use Hudson could not introduce it's own law. In an 11 page decision delivered in Valleyfield Quebec the Judge decided the town council acted in response to a PUBLIC HEALTH MENACE under Quebec's Cities and Towns Act. The mayor of the town was concerned about the towns water supply and he noted the pesticide applicators rarely "went by the book" in applying pesticides. Ontario has a similarly worded act that allows municipalities to rule on matters that are of concern to the health and well being of residents. Force their hand. Source: The Montreal Gazette Friday August 20 1993 Page 1 -- 0 >:< Factoid: the average car Kills 32 moths, 67 flies, _ /=_ 9 Bees, and 2 Monarch Butterflies/ hr. But who really ......(_)>(_)........cares, Now watch that sucker swallow a moth. Hah he's probably a vegatarian.