|
Letters to the Editor
Sacramento Bee
2100 Q St.
Sacramento, California 95816
September 23, 1998
To the Editor:
Arguments by Carl Winter that the EPA is on the verge of placing farmers in jeopardy and putting the U.S. food supply at risk by banning entire classes of pesticides is seriously misinformed. [In Reconsidering Pesticides, EPA May Overestimate Risks, Sept 3] A closer inspection of the issue shows his frightening message has little to do with reality.
The new law in Mr. Winter's cross-hairs - the Food Quality Protection Act - requires the agency to err on the side of caution to protect infants and children from pesticides. This landmark food safety law grew out of work by the National Academy of Sciences and was approved unanimously by Congress. It is supported by sound science, and many consumers - especially parents - welcome it. The law puts the burden of proving a pesticide safe squarely on the chemical industry, not children.
The Act requires EPA to abandon policies that systematically underestimate children's exposure to and risk from pesticides on food, in drinking water and homes, schools and parks. Without reliable data showing children's pesticide exposure is safe, the law requires an additional ten fold margin of safety to protect kids. Yet, under fire from alarmists like Mr. Winter, the EPA has failed to put the law to work.
EPA need not ban entire classes of pesticides to begin reducing risks to children. Instead, the agency should make the most toxic pesticides which leave residues on the foods kids eat most a clear priority for action. A recent report by Consumers Union, "Worst First: High-Risk Insecticides, Children's Foods and Safer Alternatives", shows many safer pest control alternatives exist to enable farmers to manage pests on popular children's foods without high-risk insecticides (http://www.ecologic-ipm.com). Phasing out a small fraction of high-risk insecticide uses would substantially reduce children's risk while maintaining a productive, sustainable agriculture.
The choice between scarce and wormy apples or high-risk bug killers on children's foods is clearly a false one.
Sincerely,
Jeannine Kenney
Policy Analyst, Washington, DC Office, Consumers Union
