Pesticide Exposure Harmful to People
FETAL DEATH DUE TO BIRTH DEFECTS
CHROMOSOMAL ABNORMALITIES
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Subject: Pesticide Exposure Harmful to People
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 17:26:48 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State
of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought you might like to read two articles from the March, 2001 Issue of the Birth Defect News:
LIVING NEAR AREAS OF PESTICIDE USE MAY INCREASE FETAL DEATH DUE TO BIRTH DEFECTS
CHAPEL HILL, NC - A new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that living close to areas of agricultural pesticide use may increase the risk of fetal death due to birth defects. The findings show that there was an increased risk of death among developing babies of mothers who lived near areas where certain pesticides were used. The strongest risk appeared to be for women who lived in the same square mile where pesticides were sprayed. The most vunerable period of time for birth defects was from the third to the eighth week of pregnancy.
The study involved nearly 700 women in 10 California counties and suggests but does not conclusively prove there is a hazard. "Our exposure classification method did not guarantee that a mother was in fact exposed because of wind and weather conditions, hour of application and the location of the mother at the time of application were all factors that would determine actual exposure." said Dr. Erin M. Bell, an epidemiologist with the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a professor of epidemiology at UNC said, "This is the first study to our knowledge of pesticides and pregnancy in which exposures were in close proximity to the subjects and the verification of pesticide use was objective, not relying on people's memories of what they might have been exposed to."
For more about this study, go to http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/unc-sln021301.html
WORKERS EXPOSED TO PESTICIDES HAVE HIGHER NUMBER OF CHROMOSOMAL ABNORMALITIES
WESTPORT, CT - According to a report in Teratogenesis, Carcinogenesis, and Mutagenesis, chromosomal aberrations (irregularities in the number or structure of chromosomes) occur more frequently among people who are exposed to pesticides. Investigators used a standardized questionnaire to obtain "a detailed history of pesticide use, as well as personal data, smoking habits, history of recent illnesses and medical treatment." for 23 Brazilian workers who had been occupationally exposed to a mixture of pesticides and 23 matched controls. One hundred cells were examined from each person. The researchers report that there was a large increase in the number of cells with chromosomal aberrations among the exposed group (13%)versus the control group (4%).
Teratogenesis Carcinog Mutagen 2000; 20:265-272
Well Mr. Helliker, It is becoming more and more evident that your "registered" POISONS are harming a lot more than "pests". When will it be "legal" (in your opinion) to use safe and far more effective alternatives to actually control pest problems without harming and/or killing people, pets and/or the environment?
Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten