"We are pleased to see that EPA is finally taking steps to consider volatilization drift. This important source of pesticide exposure has been overlooked for too long in the agency’s assessment of pesticide risk.
Data from the Pesticide Action Network’s Drift Catcher and state agency monitoring in several states clearly show that volatilization drift is affecting communities across the country. Many of the chemicals measured in on-the-ground tests are known to harm human health, and children are especially at risk.
The fact that 68 pesticides failed the screening test underscores the importance of this evaluation. Many of these chemicals — including the insecticide chlorpyrifos and the herbicide atrazine — are in widespread use and have been clearly linked to a range of health harms.
We urge EPA to finalize the volatilization screening tool, move quickly to implement the assessments and take effective and timely action on the results. Children and families in rural areas deserve no less."
Data from the Pesticide Action Network’s Drift Catcher and state agency monitoring in several states clearly show that volatilization drift is affecting communities across the country. Many of the chemicals measured in on-the-ground tests are known to harm human health, and children are especially at risk.
The fact that 68 pesticides failed the screening test underscores the importance of this evaluation. Many of these chemicals — including the insecticide chlorpyrifos and the herbicide atrazine — are in widespread use and have been clearly linked to a range of health harms.
We urge EPA to finalize the volatilization screening tool, move quickly to implement the assessments and take effective and timely action on the results. Children and families in rural areas deserve no less."
After years of pressure, EPA is poised to take action on the "other" kind of pesticide drift: volatilization. This kind of drift happens hours or even days after spraying. Pesticides that settle on soil or plants can become vapor and “re-drift,” spreading far and wide.
EPA has finally developed a new tool that measures whether a pesticide is likely to vaporize and re-drift. The agency needs to hear that we like this idea, and want them to take meaningful action on the results — and soon.
Please sign on to the petition below by this Friday, July 11, to urge EPA to protect children and families in rural areas from all kinds of pesticide drift.
http://action.panna.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=15898
{I can understand this because when my yard was at it's worst from being pesticided I would just stick my head out the back door, and start to get dizzy from the fumes.}
5,609 schools within 200 feet of farm fields may soon be blanketed with massive amounts of a toxic defoliant linked to Parkinson’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and reproductive and immune system problems. That’s the finding of a new Environmental Working Group analysis that shows that hundreds of thousands of children across the country will be at risk of increased exposure to the harmful chemical compound 2,4-D if the U.S. EPA approves a new weed killer mixture called “Enlist Duo” created by Dow AgroSciences. When it comes to dousing crops with noxious chemicals, the EPA focused on buffer zones for plants, not people, according to the agency’s recent risk analysis of Enlist Duo, which is a combination of 2,4-D and glyphosate. WTF?
READ MORE: http://ecowatch.com/2014/07/03/schools-at-risk-toxic-pesticide-exposure/
Did you know that lichen can be a sign of good air quality?
EPA has finally developed a new tool that measures whether a pesticide is likely to vaporize and re-drift. The agency needs to hear that we like this idea, and want them to take meaningful action on the results — and soon.
Please sign on to the petition below by this Friday, July 11, to urge EPA to protect children and families in rural areas from all kinds of pesticide drift.
http://action.panna.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=15898
{I can understand this because when my yard was at it's worst from being pesticided I would just stick my head out the back door, and start to get dizzy from the fumes.}
5,609 schools within 200 feet of farm fields may soon be blanketed with massive amounts of a toxic defoliant linked to Parkinson’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and reproductive and immune system problems. That’s the finding of a new Environmental Working Group analysis that shows that hundreds of thousands of children across the country will be at risk of increased exposure to the harmful chemical compound 2,4-D if the U.S. EPA approves a new weed killer mixture called “Enlist Duo” created by Dow AgroSciences. When it comes to dousing crops with noxious chemicals, the EPA focused on buffer zones for plants, not people, according to the agency’s recent risk analysis of Enlist Duo, which is a combination of 2,4-D and glyphosate. WTF?
READ MORE: http://ecowatch.com/2014/07/03/schools-at-risk-toxic-pesticide-exposure/
Small areas with many types of lichen have especially good quality air.
Photo: Lichen courtesy of Jim McCulloch/Creative Commons.
Photo: Lichen courtesy of Jim McCulloch/Creative Commons.
No comments:
Post a Comment