CANCER, ASTHMA AND OTHER POLLUTION RELATED DISEASES PERSIST IN CALIFORNIA
Murder is Murder --- Even if You Make it "LEGAL"---
[ Pesticide Poisoning and Kids ] * [ Symptoms of Pesticide Poisoning ]
[ MEMORIAL TO VICTIMS ]
Subject: Murder is Murder --- Even if You Make it "LEGAL"---
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 08:56:54 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Lyndon Hawkins <hawkins@empm.cdpr.ca.gov>
Senior Research
Scientist
State of California,
Department of Pesticide Regulation - Integrated Pest
Management
Lyndon, I thought you might like to read an article entitled: CANCER, ASTHMA AND OTHER POLLUTION RELATED DISEASES PERSIST IN CALIFORNIA.
The Environmental Health Policy Alliance, formed last year to brief California Governor, Gray Davis' transition team on environmental health issues, reported that persistent water and air pollution and dependence on pesticides are raising rates of cancer, asthma and other health problems in California, especially among children, poor city dwellers and agricultural workers. Among the warning signs the alliance found that childhood cancer rates statewide are 10% higher than they were 20 years ago. Los Angeles and San Francisco have breast cancer rates among the highest in the world. *They found that birth defects and premature births are on the rise, with diseases of the reproductive organs up substantially. About 600,000 California children have asthma, a 160% increase since 1980. Children die from asthma 67% more often than 13 years ago. The group reported that lead poisoning continues to imperil 130,000 of the state's children, despite hopes that the threat would be eliminated by now. At least 1,500 farm workers were injured from pesticide poisoning in 1996. About 215 million pounds of pesticides were used in 1998, up from 161 million pounds in 1991.
"It's just common sense that if we're increasing use, we're probably increasing exposure," said Joanie Clayburgh, campaign director for Californians for Pesticide Reform, one of the organizations in the alliance. Clayburgh called on the governor to set a schedule for reducing and phasing out pesticide use and promoting safe alternatives. "We're addicted [to pesticides], and to get off the addiction we need to find out how to live without them," she said. Source, Los Angeles Times, story by Kristi Garrett, February 18, 2000.
THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER - 506 Victoria Ave., Montreal, Quebec H3Y 2R5 - Ph. (514) 369- 0230, Fax (514) 369- 3282 - Email cibe@web.net - Vol. 4, No. 12, March 30, 2000
Well Lyndon, Jim Hightower has noted in the paper, volume 3, No. 30 that while 19,000 innocent people are murdered in the U.S. each year (mostly by people they know) - 56,000 Americans are killed at work. I would like to add that no one knows how many more millions of innocent victims all over the world become poisoned and eventually die from all of your "registered" POISONS! The POISON "industry" is clearly getting away with MAYHEM and MURDER! Companies that POISON folks with your nasty "registered" pesticide POISONS do not go to prison because of their fat campaign contributions and their lobbyists work hard in Washington and each State to keep their deadly POISONS "legal". Because you "register" their pesticides, their POISONS are "legal", and all of the contamination, health problems and even needless deaths they routinely cause are improperly treated as civil violations. The corporations can and do get away with mayhem and murder because "they did not mean to do it" or "it was an acceptable risk" or "the POISON may have been poorly tested, BUT IT IS/WAS "LEGAL AND REGISTERED" at the time! Shame on you for "registering" all of their dangerous, untested POISONS!
Corporations and politicians only exist at the pleasure of "We the People". The founders of our states and our nation put strict limits on the corporate structure, establishing our right to set the terms of each corporation's existence. The authority to revoke corporate charters is still on the books of nearly every state, and it is time for us to assert our authority over those corporations that seek to destroy us for a profit. I pray that "WE the People" also vote to remove those elected officials who protect the profits of the corporations rather than the people who elected them and reestablish citizen rule over all aspects of our government, our economy, our environment and our society!
Lyndon, who will you protect, the people or your "registered" POISONS?
The only thing in the middle of the road are yellow stripes and dead armadillos.
Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten
Please!
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