Picking our poison: The trouble with pesticides
Rubí Orozco Santos and V. Quevedo, La Semilla
This article was originally published in the Las Cruces Sun News» on August 17, 2019.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “pesticides” include products developed to kill anything considered a pest — insects, worms, plants, fungi, and rodents. It’s worth examining how much risk to the planet and our health we are willing to pose for the elimination of a plant or bug.
The market for these chemicals grew after World War II. Their indiscriminate use was marked by a hopeful naiveté that chemical application targeting dandelions, beetles and other “pests” would do away with arduous yard work without consequences.
Then, as now, Americans believed that “if a product could be sold, it must be safe, (and) embraced the new chemical products for the home and yard,” according to historian Virginia Jenkins. She quotes a 1947 article that stated DDT was considered “effective, yet safe to use.” By the 1950s, “(advertisements) no longer told the consumer which chemicals were in the products; the consumer was simply assured that the weed killer was easy to use and effective.”
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring prompted a reevaluation of the chemical industry in the 1960s. DDT and arsenic were eventually banned from home use. After using the herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, service personnel began suing the U.S. government for exposing them to what was discovered to be a toxic contaminant dioxin (a byproduct from mixing two of its chemicals, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T).
By the 1980s, the National Cancer Institute found that compared with the general population, farmers who used 2,4-D on their fields had an eightfold risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Research by the NCI and other laboratories linked lawn chemicals to cancer, birth defects, and liver and kidney dysfunction. DDT, arsenic and chlordane were banned, but “other chemical agents were substituted, and the number of pesticides … continued to proliferate,” states Jenkins.
The lawn industry joined the conversation in 1971 with a series of articles suggesting “rampant ‘anti-pollution’ bias” was making lawn chemicals hard to come by for home use and characterizing pesticide-related health concerns as “emotionalism.” During this era, the public was given disparate advice on pesticides. Lawn experts recommended following the instructions on the package; a chemical spray company suggested waiting two hours before walking on treated lawns; health officials advised waiting 72 hours; environmentalists suggested waiting seven to ten days.
Monsanto, a main supplier of Agent Orange, introduced Round Up as its flagship herbicide in 1974. Among its active ingredients is glyphosate, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer lists as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” Once again, the public is given mixed messages. The EPA considers glyphosate safe as long as it is used as directed, but according to documents made public during a 2017 lawsuit, Monsanto influenced a senior EPA official to suppress a review of glyphosate that was to be conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2016, has lost three high-profile court cases that claimed the chemical causes cancer, with 11,200 plaintiffs still waiting for their day in court.
Some argue in favor of pesticides to support population growth. However, “organic and small-scale farming is the answer to feeding the world,” according to the 2013 UN Conference on Trade and Development. Reducing pesticide use is also a key to saving our pollinator population, which we depend on for 75% of our global food supply. A 2018 study showed that glyphosate disrupts a bee’s digestive system, making them vulnerable to infection and death.
Worldwide, hundreds of cities restrict or ban glyphosate. Numerous alternatives are available, including soap, microbial sprays and even steam, which is used in Australia. Las Cruces has used goats in the past and is considering planting local pollinator plants on our medians. It is possible to suppress weeds with gravel, mulch, or ground cover. At La Semilla Community Farm, we produce 2,700 pounds of produce per year without synthetic chemicals to ensure children and families can learn about farming without risking exposure to pesticides.
Despite lawsuits, targeted bans and increased awareness about health risks, over 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides were used in the U.S. in 2012. We must tread carefully, mindful not to simply swap out pesticides that are known to be harmful for pesticides that may also be harmful but are simply understudied, as was done in the past.
As people who are committed to ensuring a healthy Chihuahuan desert ecosystem for future generations, we encourage thoughtful study and decision-making that protects community and ecological health.
Sources: “The Lawn: History of an American Obsession,” and “Whitewash: The Story of A Weed Killer.”
This article is part of a series by La Semilla Food Center that seeks to spark curiosity in and increase appreciation for the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem.
