Last of two parts
The previous part is at thevoice.us/disruption-pesticides-near-schools-parks-homes
Investigation finds airborne pesticides near schools, parks, and homes, surrounded by farm fields, according to a report in The Defender Children’s Health Defense News & Views.
“Researchers estimated that more than 160 Million IQ points were lost and more than 700,000 cases of intellectual disability developed due to exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in recent decades, according to researcher Abigail Gaylord’s study published recently. The study used information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected in a national survey.
“The study valued each lost IQ point at $22,268 and each intellectual disability at $1,272,470 in economic value, according to the study.
“We write papers about how bad these chemicals are for children, but people complain that it costs too much to enact policies,” Gaylord said. “We wanted to show it actually can save money from an economic burden standpoint. We can save money because children aren’t losing brainpower and then can contribute to society.”
“Illinois has no laws that prevent spraying pesticide near schools or parks where children often play.
“The Illinois Department of Agriculture enforces federal pesticide laws in the State. It did not respond to a question about the possibility of testing for pesticide drift in the future.
“The regulatory responsibilities of the Illinois Department of Agriculture under the Illinois Pesticide Act include the certification and licensing of individuals who apply pesticides,” it said in a statement. “Citizens may submit reports of alleged pesticide misuse to the Department. These reports are investigated by Department personnel and if violations of the statute are found appropriate, enforcement actions are taken.”
U.S. allows more dangerous pesticides
“Lou Nelms, a retired biologist who lives in central Illinois and helps monitor trees for herbicide damage, said the sensors’ results are what he expected because ‘agriculture is almost totally dependent on chemical weed control.’
“The range and extent of these things are quite far-reaching,” he said. “Hopefully most of what we do encounter and are getting into our systems is low enough toxicity to not have short- or long-term health effects.”
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that pesticides undergo testing for potential impact on human health and the environment before being registered for sale. The tests can cost between $0 for “evaluation of potential weediness” to $4.3 Million for “Combined Chronic Toxicity/Carcinogenicity Testing of Respirable Fibrous Particles (inhalation route).”
“However, it often takes decades for pesticides linked to human health issues to be taken off the market. Bayer, the maker of glyphosate, is in the midst of negotiating a reported $10 Billion settlement of claims that the pesticide causes non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The pesticide is still for sale.
“The U.S. lags behind other countries in banning pesticides, spraying more than 300 million pounds of pesticides banned in the European Union each year. It includes 3 million pounds of pesticides that are ‘extremely’ hazardous to humans.
“Atrazine, which was found frequently and is the second-most sprayed pesticide in the U.S. is banned in more than 35 countries, including the European Union, because of its links to human health, which include reproductive issues, and increased chance of birth defects, a loss of fertility in men, and a potential to cause cancer. A 2018 Environmental Working Group analysis of drinking water found atrazine, whose main manufacturer is Syngenta, in the tap water of more than 30 Million people.
“Bettina Francis, the University of Illinois entomologist, said her main concern for the public is the long-term impact of the pesticides, which is unknown. There are no established health standards for pesticides in the air, and the Midwest Center’s testing only sensed whether the pesticide was detected and did not quantify detection levels.
“I don’t think I’d worry about the health effects with these, certainly not without a quantitative measure of what was in the air,” she said. “If my kid were in the school, I don’t think I would take him out.”
“Laura Wetherell, who has since moved to Texas with her family, including her three children, said she was concerned to know that chemicals are drifting through the air where her kids played at Barkstall Elementary School. The potential long-term effects unnerved her.
“You think, ‘Oh, we don’t live in a big city, the air is cleaner.’ But there are impacts fields can have,” she said. “In general, there always is a concern about our children’s health and future health, and we want to protect that and guard that as much as we can.”