EPA Pesticide Review Criticized

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August 4th, 2006

"EPA Pesticide Review Criticized"

The Environmental Protection Agency has completed its mandatory 10-year review of all pesticides used in the United States and is recommending limits on pesticide use based on their adverse health effects.

Certain pesticide ingredients have long been suspected of posing numerous health hazards, including the risk of cancer, nervous system disorders, liver and kidney damage, and birth defects .

Limiting Pesticide Use

In 1996, Congress ordered the EPA to conduct the pesticide study, which focused on more than 230 controversial pesticides, including organophosphates and carbamates.

Based on its review, the agency plans to limit or modify the use of thousands of pesticides.

One pesticide that will be completely banned as soon as its license expires is Lidane, which is currently outlawed in at least 52 countries. Registered for use in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, Lidane is used for agricultural purposes and to control head lice.

Lidane causes seizures and nervous system damage as well as weakening of the immune system. It is also suspected of causing cancer and brain tumors in children.

Incomplete Study?

Critics are saying that the agency hasn''t gone far enough in its efforts to protect children from the dangerous effects of pesticides, particularly because the agency only focused on the effects of agricultural pesticides and ignored them in residential settings.

Margaret Reeves, a scientist with the Pesticide Action Network, said that the agency has yet to conduct adequate studies to measure the effects of pesticides on brain development in fetuses, infants, and young children.

A similar complaint was made by an EPA union representing thousands of staff scientists, who said that the agency succumbed to pressure from chemical companies to keep their products in use.

“It looks like they have taken a step forward. But their work may be incomplete,” said EPA senior scientist and union leader William Hirzy.

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