First of two parts
Investigation finds airborne pesticides near schools, parks, and homes surrounded by farm fields. A report found in The Defender Children’s Health Defense News & Views:
“The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found atrazine, dimethenamid, permethrin, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-TP, all are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can lead to poor development in young children, in five Central Illinois locations near corn fields and soybean fields.
“The past few Summers, Laura Wetherell’s three children often played in the family’s backyard next to Barkstall Elementary School in Champaign, Ill.. Her home and the school are both within 100 feet of agricultural fields. Unbeknownst to her, pesticides with potentially-harmful health effects have been floating through the air.
“For one year, the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting periodically sampled for pesticide drift in five locations surrounded by agricultural fields in central Illinois, where large numbers of corn and soybeans are planted.
“Five air sensors put up by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting from June 2018 to July 2019 found the presence of pesticides near schools, parks and homes where vulnerable populations live. These include: Wetherell’s home, East Prairie Middle School in Tuscola, the Bismarck School District central office, a public park in rural Sadorus and a private home outside of Sidney. Filters from the sensors later were sent to be tested at an independent lab accredited by the USDA for pesticides. The Midwest Center conducted follow-up interviews over the past year.
“The Midwest Center tested the filters three times during the course of a year to see what, if any, chemicals were collected. Out of the 152 chemicals tested for, seven pesticides were found: Atrazine, benoxacor, dimethenamid, MCPP, permethrin, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-TP.
“The presence of these chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, endocrine issues, internal inflammation, and numerous other health problems, raises questions about the potential impact on human health, experts say.
‘“Schools should be pesticide-free,’ said Bettina Francis, associate professor of entomology at the University of Illinois. “Kids should not be breathing pesticides on the playground or in the homes.”
“The project prioritized schools that were interested in hosting air samplers because experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, say children can be more susceptible to the effects of pesticides.
“While some states have laws regulating pesticide application near schools, states in the Midwest do not have laws about pesticide spraying near these sensitive areas, such as schools or daycares.
“Children lose millions of IQ points due to pesticides.
“Because the Midwest Center’s sensors could not measure the concentration of pesticide detected, the immediate health impacts are not clear, said Sharron LaFollette, an emeritus professor at University of Illinois at Springfield and former Illinois Toxicologist.
“This is because ‘dose makes the poison,’ meaning the amount of chemical exposure determines the effect on human, plant or insect health, LaFollette said. Humans are at-risk when pesticides are present at high levels, she said.
“Pesticides such as atrazine, dimethenamid, permethrin, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-TP — all of which were detected by the Midwest Center’s sensors — are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can lead to poor development in young children and fetuses.
“‘Children’s health is particularly susceptible to pesticide exposure and endocrine-disrupting chemicals,’ said Abigail Gaylord, a researcher who studies the impact of pesticides on children’s health at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.”
Continued at thevoice.us/u-s-lags-well-behind-other-countries-in-banning-pesticides