Pesticides
6.7 Reducing exposure6.6.4 Other
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testing only for active ingredients. Results of these tests, which are conducted by the manufacturers and submitted to the EPA, are used to estimate potential risks to human health and the environment. There is also an international effort to harmonize regulatory standards between the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Pesticides are widely used to ensure an adequate food supply as well as to protect our health and safety. Given the known and potential risks of pesticides, more research needs to be done to find and test alternatives to pesticides, as well as to develop pesticides that are better targeted at a particular species, be it plant, animal or fungus, and cause the least amount of environmental damage. Businesses, schools, institutions, and the home gardener that use pesticides can institute integrated pest management (IPM) policies to reduce pesticide use. An ongoing problem is the lack of data on the use of pesticides in agriculture, business, or the home. States and nations should adopt pesticide use registries to assist in the study of pesticide use patterns, pesticide-related health effects, and environmental quality studies.
n A Small Dose of Pesticides presentation material. Online. Available HTTP:
<http://www.crcpress.com /e_products/> and follow the links to downloads and then the catalog number TF1691.
Web site contains presentation material related to the health effects of pesticides.
n European Union – Chemical and Pesticide Information. Online. Available HTTP:
<http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/chemicals/index.htm> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
Site contains policy and other information on the use of pesticides in agriculture.
n World Health Organization – WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES).
Online. Available HTTP: <http://www.who.int/ctd/whopes/> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
WHOPES is an “international programme which promotes and coordinates the testing and evaluation of new pesticides proposed for public health use”.
n International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS). Online. Available HTTP: <http://www.who.int/pcs/index.htm> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
“IPSC main roles are to establish the scientific basis for safe use of chemicals, and to strengthen national capabilities and capacities for chemical safety.”
n Health Canada – Pesticide Information. Online. Available HTTP: <http://
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/search/a-z/p.html#13> (accessed: 9 April 2003).
6.10.3 North American agencies 6.10.2 European, Asian, and international agencies 6.10.1 Slide presentation 6.10 More information and references 6.9 Recommendation and conclusions
84 PESTICIDES
Health Canada provided a range of information on pesticides in English and French.
n US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Office of Pesticides Programs (OPP). Online. Available HTTP: <http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/> (accessed:
4 April 2003).
OPP’s mission is “to protect public health and the environment from the risks posed by pesticides and to promote safer means of pest control”.
n US Geological Survey – National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Online. Available HTTP: <http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/> (accessed:
4 April 2003).
NAWQA provides an assessment of water use in the US and of pesticides in the streams, rivers, and ground water of the United States.
n California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Online. Available HTTP:
<http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
The mission of this Department is “to protect human health and the environ- ment by regulating pesticide sales and use, and by fostering reduced-risk pest management”.
n Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA). Online. Available HTTP: <http://www.panna.org> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
“PANNA works to replace pesticide use with ecologically sound and socially just alternatives.”
n Pesticide Action Network International (PANI). Online. Available HTTP:
<http://www.pan-international.org/> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
“PANI is a network of over 600 participating nongovernmental organizations, institutions and individuals in over 60 countries working to replace the use of hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound alternatives (English, French, Spanish).”
n Pesticide Database site – by Pesticide Action Network North America (PAN).
Online. Available HTTP: <http://www.pesticideinfo.org/> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
“The PAN Pesticide Database brings together a diverse array of information on pesticides from many different sources, providing human toxicity (chronic and acute), ecotoxicity and regulatory information for about 5400 pesticide active ingredients and their transformation products, as well as adjuvants and solvents used in pesticide products.”
n National Pesticide Telecommunications Network (NPTN). Online. Available HTTP: <http://ace.orst.edu/info/nptn/> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
NPTN is based at Oregon State University and is cooperatively sponsored by the University and EPA. NPTN serves as a source of objective, science-based pesticide information on a wide range of pesticide-related topics, such as recognition and management of pesticide poisonings, safety information, health and environmental effects, referrals for investigation of pesticide incid- ents and emergency treatment for both humans and animals, and cleanup and disposal procedures.
6.10.4 Non-government organizations
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n Beyond Pesticides. Online. Available HTTP: <http://www.beyondpesticides.
org/> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
“Beyond Pesticides is a national network committed to pesticide safety and the adoption of alternative pest management strategies which reduce or eliminate a dependency on toxic chemicals.”
n EXTOXNET InfoBase. Online. Available HTTP: <http://ace.orst.edu/info/
extoxnet/> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
EXTOXNET provides a variety of information about pesticides, including: the Pesticide Information Profiles (PIPs) for specific information on pesticides and the Toxicology Information Briefs (TIBs) that contain a discussion of certain concepts in toxicology and environmental chemistry.
n Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC). Online. Available HTTP:
<www.watoxics.org> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
WTC provides information on model pesticide policies, alternatives to home pesticides, and much more.
n Monsanto company. Online. Available HTTP: <http://www.monsantoag.com/
monsanto/layout/default.asp> (accessed: 4 April 2003).
Site contains information on Monsanto company pesticides and agricultural products.
n MMWR (1999). Farm worker illness following exposure to carbofuran and other pesticides – Fresno County, California, 1998. MMWR, 48(6), 113 –116.
Online. Available HTTP: <http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/
00056485.htm> (accessed: 5 July 2003).
n Dean, S. R. and Meola, R. W. (2002). Effect of diet composition on weight gain, sperm transfer, and insemination in the cat flea (Siphonaptera:
Pulicidae). J Med Entomol, 39(2), 370 – 375.
n Dryden, M. W. and Gaafar, S. M. (1991). Blood consumption by the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). J Med Entomol, 28(3), 394–
400.
6.10.5 References
7.1 Dossier