Top 10 Pesticide Perils -EPA's Dirty Little Secrets - http://www.drbuggs.com/epasecrets.htm (2000)

Top 10 Pesticide Perils

10)     If you can smell pesticides, you have been exposed to measurable concentrations. Most pesticide exposures occur without peoples' knowledge or consent.

9)     It is virtually impossible to determine what you are being exposed to or predict potential adverse effects (on you, your loved ones, or your environment) because of poor (or no) public notifications following pesticide applications and failures to disclose secret ingredients on pesticide labels. Chemical companies and EPA like to call these unlisted ingredients "inert", so an unsuspecting public stays that way.

8)     EPA continues to allow more than 2000 secret "inert" ingredients in pesticides (most are never tested by EPA or evaluated for toxicity) -- even after a U.S. District Court ordered EPA must disclose what's in pesticides. Virtually all foods, medicines, personal hygiene, cleaning and household products list ALL ingredients on product labels. Why is EPA wasting valuable resources to protect and defend pesticide manufacturers' narrow interests? Ask them!!

7)     Pesticides do not stay where they are applied. They drift, runoff, volatilize for extended time periods, get tracked and are spread around by sweeping or mopping.

6)     Pesticides are harmful to many non-target organisms, including humans and other beneficial species. Pests quickly build up resistance. People do not. Pest resistance leads to more (and more deadly) pesticide exposures.

5)     Chemicals should never be your first defense against pests. Synthetic pesticides are not necessary over 90% of the time. Ineffectiveness leads to repeat exposures.

4)     EPA took many safer, more effective, natural pest control products off store shelves -- and keeps them off. Labels of common multi-purpose products (which already list ALL ingredients on product labels) are not allowed to include instructions how to use them as cost-effective alternatives to pesticides -- even if they contain nothing but natural ingredients with long histories of safe, widespread use and ready availability (like natural soaps, borax, boric acid, citrus oils, plants or plant extracts). Even beer and tobacco cannot be sold for pest control purposes, wear labels or attached pamphlets telling how to use them to kill certain pests -- without first registering them as pesticides.

3)     There is no reason to assume pesticides are safe. State and Federal governments do not actually test pesticides (or verify manufacturers' claims) to assure product safety before approving widespread public exposures. EPA allows several products (like Monsanto Roundup and Dow Dursban) to remain in widespread use long after manufacturer's were found submitting fraudulent animal tests or breaking laws requiring mandatory notifications of human health tragedies. Pesticides (like DDT, PCB's, Chlordane, Agent Orange...) are banned only AFTER prolonged and massive devastation to human health, non-target species, and the environment.

Just because a pesticide's been banned does not mean you're safe! EPA allows continued manufacturing of banned pesticides (repeated worker exposures and on-going emissions), warehousing (without any special safeguards), transportation (without notifying motorists, law enforcement officials or emergency response teams) and sales to other countries (exposing the rest of the human race to unacceptable risks) -- before allowing banned pesticide residues back into the U.S. on imported fruits, meats and vegetables.

2)     Pesticides contaminate buildings and their occupants. EPA conducted the Non-Occupational Pesticide Exposure Study (NOPES) which focused primarily on indoor air. Of the 26 pesticides NOPES examined, 19 are neurotoxins, 18 may cause cancer, 15 are mutagens, 15 could cause birth defects and 19 can cause reproductive problems -- but allows on-going human exposures anyway! After four years of "leadership," EPA Director, Carol Browner continues to call herself "an environmentalist" and "a concerned mother."

1)     Pesticides do not simply "go away" after they're sprayed. Some degrade into other chemical compounds of equal, greater or undetermined toxicity. Some volatilize, are ingested or enter the atmosphere. Some (chlorinated) pesticides destroy the ozone layer. Others, like the banned-too-late pesticide chlordane, have half-lives of at least 20 years (which means you can expect pesticide traces to linger 40 years or more).