Killing pests
Overview and health risks

The Problem of Pesticide Use

Pesticides are everywhere. They are in our food, homes, gardens, parks, playgrounds, schools, pools and pets.

When properly used, pesticides can benefit us. They protect against crop loss from insect damage, kill insects and rodents that transmit diseases, and destroy fungi that produce harmful toxins. However, in the last 30 years pesticide use has increased by 50 percent. The residue from pesticides that are used in farming is found on our food. Pesticides used in our homes, schools, offices and communities are suspended in the air and are inhaled when we breathe. Our groundwater, surface water and even fog are contaminated with pesticides.

Unfortunately, as with so many other modern tools, pesticides have a dark side, and we have learned that too much exposure to them can cause serious, unintended side effects. For example:

• Epidemiological studies indicate an association between exposure to pesticides and cancer in children

• Most major classes of pesticides adversely affect the nervous system of animals, impairing mental and motor development

• Adult exposure to pesticides, particularly in agricultural areas, has been associated with certain cancers and birth defects in their children

• Exposure to pesticides may compromise the immune system of infants and children and increase their risk of infection and disease

Government regulations are not adequate to protect the public, particularly children, from the harmful effects of pesticide exposure. In 1993 the National Academy of Sciences issued a report documenting that children are uniquely vulnerable to pesticides, and that U.S. government standards for allowable pesticide residues in food do not adequately protect children.

You can also find out about some of the serious risks of pesticide exposure by reading a study titled "Critical Windows of Exposure to Household Pesticides and Risk of Childhood Leukemia," which appeared in the September 2002 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives. To view that report, click here.

The Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) is one effort to start remedying this problem. When its provisions have been fully carried out (they already seem to be behind schedule), the FQPA will, it is hoped, help reduce pesticides in our food at the very least. For more information on FQPA, click here.

Another piece of legislation that could offer protections to our families is the Children's Environmental Protection Act of 1999 (CEPA), which was introduced into the Senate by Sen. Barbara Boxer. If passed into law, this bill would help protect children and other vulnerable individuals from exposure to environmental pollutants, protect children from exposure to pesticides in schools and day care centers, and provide parents with information concerning toxic chemicals that pose risks to children.

To learn more about CEPA’s status in Congress and its provisions, you can review the bill by visiting the government Web site “Thomas: Legislative Information on the Internet” and entering S1112 in the “Bill Number” field on the Thomas search page. You can reach that Web page by clicking here.

We as parents and concerned citizens can also do our part by using integrated pest management (IPM) practices that will help us reduce our reliance on pesticides. We can also encourage IPM implementation at our schools and other institutions where our children and families congregrate. Use the links at left to learn more about pesticide protection measures and using IPM.