The Health Effects of
Pesticides
Bernard
Windham (Ed.)
Childhood cancer incidence is increasing at 0.8%(1), with the increase in incidence since 1973 for acute
lymphocytic leukemia = 62%, brain cancer = 50%, and
bone cancer = 40%. The main cause of
these cancers is paternal and maternal exposure to toxic substances(2,140,etc.). Known common causes of leukemia include pesticides(7,55,140,144),
maternal exposure to x-rays(2), and nitrite treated hot dogs and meats. Known common causes of brain cancer include pesticides(140), nitrite treated hot dogs, and lindane (144). Pesticide exposure has
also been found to have positive associations with prostrate cancer, kidney and
pancreatic cancer, etc. (140)
1. Widespread health effects on animals at the
top of the food chain due to organochlorine
pesticides and chemicals have been documented to have reached epidemic and
catastrophic levels for some animals at the top of the food chain (29,30,31,32,44,53).
There have been epidemics related to damaged immune systems causing
declines in marine mammals such as dolphins, seals, etc. worldwide- especially
in more polluted waters(30,53).
Likewise Lake Apopka (Florida's 4th largest lake) has been found to be contaminated
by organochlorine pesticides from a pesticide spill
and citrus & muck farm runoff, with catastrophic results for fish and
wildlife in the area(31,32). Studies of bass, alligators, and turtles in
Apopka by Univ. of Florida researchers have found widespread reproductive
system mutations and inability to reproduce among these populations, with
sexual abnormalities among males including abnormally high levels of estrogen,
shrunken penises, low testosterone levels, spermless
males, and intersexed gators with testes and
ovaries. A survey of alligator eggs at
the lake found 90% do not survive and the rest were sexual mutants. Dr. Guillete stated
that "if oranochlorine chemicals are detrimental
to embryos of other species, they are going to be detrimental to human
embryos". Thousands of wading birds have died from neurological damage
related to toxics in the food chain at Lake Apopka in 1999, apparently from organochlorine pesticde exposure(32). Tests
have found toxaphene and DDT in the food chain. Similar reproductive failures are also
being found in fish and wading birds in other Central Floida
lakes such as those of the Ocklawaha Chain(31). The levels found to cause widespread
reproductive failures in fish, birds, and animals are less than 1/1000 of the
EPA standard for pesticides in food classified as dangerous. Most EPA standards are based on levels that
cause cancer, not the extremely low levels found to cause hormonal effects
resulting in birth defects and reprodutive failures(31).
Pesticides have also been found to be a major factor in high levels of derormaties in frogs and tadpoles and the general decline
in many areas of the world of amphibian species(80,105).
Similar findings have been seen in dioxin
or organochlorine chemically contaminated fish and
wildlife of the Great Lakes region and in dioxin contaminated Florida rivers(31,32).
According to the U.S. EPA, there have been over 4000 listings of health
bans or restrictions on eating fish due to food chain contamination in millions
of acres of lakes and rivers throughout the U.S., with over 30 states having such bans
due to organochlorine chemical pollution(23 for
dioxin, 30 for PCBs, and 26 for pesticides).
Such estrogenic chemicals cause hormonal effects that induce cells to
produce a surplus of estrogen, which has been shown to be linked to breast
cancer, testicular cancer, lowered sperm counts, and malformation/mutations of
male sex organs(57,125). It's now estimated that up to 85 per cent of the sperm
produced by a healthy male is DNA-damaged,
Abnormal sperm is also being blamed for a global increase in testicular
cancer, birth defects, and other
reproductive conditions.
Increasing estrogenic effects and
reproductive abnormalities are also being seen in people in the U.S. and other
industrialized countries, especially over the last 2 decades(44,125,
...).
Laboratory studies show
that a variety of organochlorine, organophosphate, carbamate, and metal-based pesticides (such as those based
on arsenic, copper, or mercury) can suppress the immune system of mammals. For
example, exposure to the organochlorines aldrin and dieldrin reduces mouse
resistance to viral infection, while DDT decreases antibody production in
mammal and bird species. The organophosphate parathion delays antibody
production and suppresses T-cell response in cell cultures, while chronic
low-dose exposures of the commonly used organophosphate malathion can depress several different immune
responses. Many solvents, inert ingredients, and contaminants that are part of
pesticide formulations can also suppress immune responses in laboratory tests.
Farmers who used
agricultural insecticides experienced increased symptoms of nervous system disorders, even when
they were no longer using the products, new research by federal government
scientists shows(143).
Data from 18,782 North Carolina and Iowa farmers linked use of
insecticides, including organophosphates, organochlorines,
and pyrethroids to reports of reoccurring headaches,
fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, nausea, hand tremors, numbness and other
neurological symptoms. Researchers found
that nearly 3,000 participants had a high lifetime exposure to insecticides -
that is, they used insecticides more than 500 days in their lifetime. Nearly
800 of these farmers reported more than 10 neurological symptoms compared to
those using insecticides fewer than 50 days.
Epidemiological
evidence, though limited, also indicates that pesticides can be toxic to the
human immune system(134). Among Indian factory workers
chronically exposed to several pesticides, blood lymphocyte levels one element
of immune system health decreased by as much as two thirds from baseline levels
and returned to normal only after pesticide exposure ceased. Epidemiologists in
the former Soviet Union have long observed that T-cell counts and functions are
suppressed after pesticide exposure. For example, residents of agricultural
districts in southern Russia where pesticide use was substantial had lower
T-cell counts than control groups in the general population, and the former
group also had higher rates of infectious diseases.
Likewise, in Moldova also part of the former
Soviet Union teenagers in villages where pesticide application levels were
greatest exhibited rates of infections of the respiratory and digestive tracts several
times higher than teenagers from areas of lower pesticide use. From the 1960s
through the 1980s, per hectare pesticide application rates in farming regions
in central and southern Moldova were almost 20 times the world average. Immune suppression from pesticide exposure
appears to also play a role in the development of some cancers. As a group,
farmers face higher risks than the general population for contracting Hodgkin's
disease, melanoma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia all
of which are cancers of the immune system.
An epidemiological study in Belgium found
that women with at least 0.5 parts per billion levels of organochonine
pesticides, DDT and/or hexachlorobenzene have at least a
5 times higer incidence of breast cancer than those
with lower levels(137). Xenoestrogenic chemicals such as the organochlorine
pesticides have
been found to promote breast cancer by several mechanisms including: promotion
of the bad 16-alpha form of estrogen; binding to the estrogen receptor and
sending proliferation signals to cells; generation of new blood vessels that
aid tumor growth; and damaging DNA (46), and supressing
the immune system allowing viruses such as Epstein-Barr to trigger
cancer(82). Corn oil and polyunsaturated
or hydrogenated fats were also found to have this effect, while
indole-3-carlinol found in plants of the broccoli family and soy products were
found to be protective of cancer because of retarding the bad form of estrogen. Another mechanism of cancer promotion
documented is suppresion of acetylcholine by
pesticides such as organophorphorous compounds(121). The organochlorine
pesticides (lindane,endosulfan,methoxychlor,dieldrin,dicofol)
have been shown to cause estrogenic or androgenic effects on animals and to be
reproductive toxins(68). Organochlorine compounds have also been found to affect the
immune system, causing increased sensitivites to allergins and resulting in more asmatic
and allergic effects including eczema(85). Organochlorine compounds such as DDT/DDE and PCBs have also
been found to have a significant correlation to K-ras
mutations found in pancreatic cancer(90), as well as
Alzheimer’s disease(33). High levels(exceeding government standards for aquatic life) of organochlorine pesticides including diazinon,
carbaryl(Sevin), and malathion have been found by the U.S.G.S. in Florids lakes and streams from urban runoff in developed
areas such as Leon County(72).
2.
Additive and synergistic effects for organo
chlorine chemicals has also been documented(46,99,109). Mixtures of low levels of organochlorine
chemicals were found to cause significantly greater proliferation of tumor
cells than individual exposures. The synergistic
effects of combining pesticides have been found to often be much more than
being simply additive.
Combinations of endosulfan, dieldrin, toxaphene, and chlordane produced estrogenic effects 500 to
1000 times as much as their individual effects(57). N-nitrosoattrazine
which is readily formed by combination of atrazine
and nitrate in an acid environment such as the stomach, is thousands of times more damaging to
chromosomes than atrazine and nitrates separately or
combined(65). Combinations of chemicals at levels commonly found in wells in
agricultural areas such as aldicarb, atrisine, and nitrates were found to have synergistic
detrimental effects on the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems much more
than individual chemicals(99). This synergistic effect may be responsible
for the fact that the distribution of toxic-waste dump sites parallels closely
the sites of highest breast cancer mortality(47) and birth defects(71,73). Approximately 250,000 U.S. children are
born each year with birth defects diagnosed at or shortly after birth. Birth
defects are the leading cause of infant mortality in the United States.
Congenital anomalies, sudden infant death syndrome, and premature birth
combined account for more than 50% of all infant mortality(79). Nearly 25% of mothers measured from the 1950s
and 1960s who had low birth weight or premature children had five times as much
of a DDT breakdown product in their blood as
normal(124).
3.
Pesticide residues in food is the number 3 cause of cancer in the U.S.(1). A National Acadamy of Sciences Study and a report by Consumers Union
estimate that pesticide residues in food are responsible for thousands of
cancer cases each year and may be responsible for millions of cases in the next
few decades(2,70).
The 2 foods with the greatest cancer risk due to pesticides are tomatos and beef(74), the latter
due to high use of pesticides and herbicides in growing crops for cattle
feed. The U.S. Environmetal
Protection Agency(EPA) indicates that "by the age
of 1, the average child has been exposed to more risk of cancer from pesticides
than the EPA says she should get over an entire lifetime"(36). EPA estimates pesticide use in the U.S. at
over 71 million pounds per year, with 98 % of the adult population using
pesticides at least once per year and 67% over 5 times per year. Residues are common in fruit, vegetables, grain,
and meat- often above the EPA ORD level. The most common pesticides in the diet
based on a sample were malathion,
DDT/DDE chlorpyrifos-methyl, endosulfan,
dieldrin, 2-4-D, etc.
Herbicide use on lawns and gardens is estimated to be over 27 million pounds
per year(63). Malathion spraying for mosquitos
and other insect pests has been found to cause significant adverse health
effects in animals and people, including spontaneous abortions and birth defects(91). Chlorpyrifos pesticides have been found to cause serious
adverse health effects, and restricted its use and canceled some uses(86). Babies had
lower birth weights when the pesticide chlorpyrifos,
a chemical commonly used in schools and public housing in New York City, was
found in their blood(86b).
3.5. There has been a huge increase in the incidence of
degenerative neurological conditions in virtually all Western countries over
the last 2 decades(142). The increase in Alzheimer’s has been over 300% while
the increase in Parkinson’s and other motor neuron disease has been over
50%. The primary cause appears to be
increased exposures to toxic pollutants and pesticides(142,145).
4. A statistically significant relationaship was found between death from cancer and
amount of organochlorine chemicals in the body(PCB,DDT,dieldrin)(3,46,78). Cancerous breast tissue contained increased
levels of organo‑chlorine chemicals, as
compared to normal breast tissue(25,34,46,80). Exposure to chlorinated pesticides
significantly increases the risk of breast cancer by raising the level of
"bad estrogen: 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone" hormone linked to increase in
cancer(34,46,78). Other studies had found similar
results for chlorinated pesticides and some chlorinated plastics. A National Cancer Institute study indicates
that breast cancer rates increased 1.1% for whites and 1.3 % for blacks per
year, between 1976 and 1985. In a
separate study by Bradlow and coworkers at the
Cornell Univ. Medical School, it was found that eating cruciferous vegetables
or soy products lowers the bad estrogen level and thus the risk of breast
cancer(46).
5. While
there have been large increases of most neurological and immune conditions
among adults over the last 2 decades(142), the incidence of neurotoxic
or immune reactive developmental
conditions in infants such as autism, schizophrenia, ADD, dyslexia, learning
disabilities, etc. have been increasing especially rapidly in recent years (141). Pesticides are
responsible for birth defects,genetic mutations,damage to the immune system, reproductive system deformaties, neurological damage, mild cognitive
dysfunction, and other health effects (1,35,45,50,59,70,79,101,104). Early expsoure
to pesticides was found to hinder preschoolers’ hand-eye coordination, recall,
and ability to draw pictures(79). Women exposed to pesticides through
agricultural or floricultural work have been documented to have significantly
higher risk of children born with musculoskeletal defects, developmental
defects, limb defects, growth retardation, and learning/behavioral disorders(59,79). A study of preschool children found the
group exposed to pesticides to have significant behavioral effects including
increased aggression and violence(100). The majority
of those with long term
pesticide exposure such as farmers and gardners have
been found to have mild cognitive dysfunction such as problems in thinking and
speech(101).
Each year over 1 million people are poisoned by pesticides, with 20,000 deaths(37,50). Thousands of cases of adverse reaction to dursban have been reported to EPA(80).
According to the New York State Attorney General, there have been over 139
cases of acute poisoning by Dursban in New York since
1991 and the attorney general has called for a ban in N.Y. It also has been linked to nausea, blurred
vision, digestive, and infant developmental problems(86). A group suffering from Chronic Fatigue
Immune Dysfunction Syndrome was found to have significantly higher levels of oranochlorine pesticides than a matched control group(43). The
CFIDS group averaged 100% higher levels of DDT/DDE and hexachlorobenzene
than the controls; they also were found to have a chemical in their blood
similar in structure to pesticides and which appeared to have been caused by
mutation of natural body bacteria(88).
In another study over 90% of
the CFIDS group had high levels of organochlorines
and DDE for which exposure was significantly correlated with fatigue and high
red blood cell counts(43). Higer levels of hexachlorobenzene were associated with low esinophil levels.
6. A study in Hawaii found high levels of
heptachlor in human breast milk. The
study documented higher levels of birth defects, reduced mental development in
infants, lower birth weight, more jaundice, etc. related to the level of heptachor in breast milk(4). The Island of Oahu has extremely high
rates of birth defects and low birth weights associated with exposure to
pesticides. Dairy milk was highly contaminated with heptaclor
and drinking water was contaminated by EDB,DBCP, and Telone(5).
Chlordane, used for termite control until banned in 1987, is highly
carcinogenic and neurotoxic(52), and has been found to be still causing widespread
serious health problems in homes treated for termites in the U.S. Chlordane is bioaccumulative
and persistent, and is an endocrine system and reproductive system disrupting chemical(53).
Residents of buildings and homes using chlordane for termite protection
were found to have significantly more neurological problems- also experiencing more asthma,
shortness of breath, hair loss, seizures, and other health
problems(40,41). Chlordane is also
highly toxic to acquatic organisms and birds. Due to
their extreme toxicity and longevity, the use of chlordane, aldrin,
dieldrin, endrin, heptacholor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, and toxaphene were
recently ordered phased out worldwide by the United Nations Environment Program(106).
A
study of fish and the food chain in the Arctic found toxaphene
was widespread throughout the Arctic, even though banned in the U.S. and Canada
in 1982. It was found at high levels in
fish in some lakes such as Lake Laberge in the Yukon(39), and appeared to have come from atmospheric
deposition.
7. Fungicides are an especially dangerous category of pesticides. Fruit and vegetables from Florida are
especially dangerous since the humid conditions lead to more mold and fungus,
resulting in higher levels of fungicide use. Many fresh fruits and vegetables
are sprayed as many as 20 times per year with 5 or more active ingredients(6,29). Benomyl, vinclozin, ethylene dioxide,
and the dithiocarbamate fungicides (& ETU) have been shown to be male
reproductive toxins in animal studies(60), as well as causing birth defects. Exposure
to high levels of the fungicide, vinclozolin, during
pregnancy was found to cause a high incidence of cancer and disease in at least
3 generations of rats(147).
7.5. Scientists from the Environmental
Protection Agency say there is "sufficient evidence" to conclude that
the country's most widely used pesticide, atrazine,
is an endocrine disrupting chemical and causes sexual abnormality in
frogs(136). Six studies involving
three species of frogs that show a variety of defects, including frogs with
both multiple testes and multiple ovaries, when exposed to the chemical. Two papers suggest that low levels of
exposure to atrazine, as low as one part per 10
billion in the water, could cause tadpoles to develop into frogs with both male
and female sexual organs. Atrazine has been banned in seven European countries.
Animal studies have found herbicides including atrazine,
cyanazine,cicamba, and 2-4-D
to be reproductive system toxins and to cause birth defects(64). A study of the most common herbicide used on
U.S. lawns, a mix of three phenoxy herbicides (2,4-D, dicamba,
and mecoprop), that added extremely low levels to the
drinking water of mice, found a 20% increase in failed pregnancies at extremely
low doses‑‑seven times lower than the maximum allowable rate for
U.S. drinking water(130).
A
study of DOW chemical employees who worked with 2-4-D found a higher relative
risk ratio of ALS of 3.45 compared to a control group(103).
8. A study of exposures of either parent
to pesticides during pregnancy found that the childhood leukemia rate was 6.5 times
normal where a parent was exposed to garden pesticides and 3.8 times normal
where a parent was exposed to household
pesticides. Home pesticide use appears to be a significant cause of childhood leukemia(7,55,140) and occupational exposure related to
pancreatic cancer(7). An Australian
study found regular maternal exposure to pesticides before pregnancy(either
indoor or outdoor) resulted in cases of cleft palate and cleft lip at rates at
least 300% normal(8). Similar results
were found for a U.S. group of agricultural workers(42)
and Finnish agricultural workers. Dormex, used as a growth accelerator in grapes, causes skin
disease, miscarriages, sterility and cancer in farmworkers,
according to public health workers in Chile and the US. EPA. In the agricultural region ofChile where grapes are grown, residents
are 40 percent more likely to have children born with defects than in
other regions according to a study by Rancaguna
Hospital staff(113).
A
significant increase in the number of learning and attention deficit problems
of children whose parents had exposures to pesticides prior to the birth has
been found in a study based on a large registry of birth defect children(35). Pesticide use in homes has been documented to
be having widespread serious health effects on children. A source of the most dangerous pesticides
commonly used in home and safer alternatives is given in (55).
9. Pesticides have been documented to have
contaminated over 15,000 public and private wells in Florida(9). According to a U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
survey, Florida leads the nation in
pesticide use and fungicide use on vegatables, with
92 % of vegatables having been treated with
pesticides, 86 % with fungicides, along with considerable use of defoliants, desicicants, soil fumigansts, and
growth regulators(28).
For example Florida leads the country in the use of the ozone-layer
depleting pesticide methyl bromide, which is also highly toxic and carcinogenic(51). An average of 200 pounds per acre was
applied in Florida tomato fields in 1991.
Florida also has high pesticide use on golf courses, which are causing
widespread effects to people and wildlife(128).
10. U.S. pesticide use in the last 40
years has increased 10 fold, while crop damage from insects has increased from
7% to 13%. The number of insects resistant to insecticides is growing due to
heavier pesticide use and has grown from 10 species to 447. Resistant species of fungi, weeds, and rodents are also on
the rise. Currently pesticide use is approximately 2.6 billion pounds per year
in the U.S.(10).
The U.S. EPA estimates that approx. 10.4 % of community water system
wells and 4.2 % of rural wells are contimated by one
or more pesticides, with a larger percent contaminated by nitrates and 1 % of
all U.S. wells contaminted
above a health based
limit(26). The Florida Dept. of
Environmental Regulation has documented over 15,000 drinking water wells in
Florida contaminated by pesticides(27). Thousands of wells have simiarly been contaminated by pesticides in other states(51,56). The
U.S. Geological Survey has found that atmospheric distribution and deposition
contribute significantly to pesticide levels in regions far from application sites(54).
EPA has identifies at least 55 pesticides that leave residues on food as
carcinogenic and hundreds more have not been adequately tested for ability to
cause cancer, birth defects, or genetic mutations. Roughly 400 pesticides are registered for
use on food but many more are also used(11).
11. Of 26 common varieties of fruits and
vegetables tested by the FDA in the 1980s, 48% of the samples contained
detectable pesticide residues. Over 50% of all peaches tested were found to
have pesticide residues for example(11). An independent sampling of fruits and
vegetables from a San Francisco supermarket
found 44% contained
measurable pesticide residues and 42% showed residues of more than one
pesticide(12). The percent of samples
of imported fruit and vegetables with pesticide residues was 64%, but it was
over 80% for some fruits and vegetables.
The products with the largest resideue
problems were strawberries, mangos, peppers, and bananas(48),
and the most commonly found pesticide was methamidophos,
a toxic pesticide that has very high health risks. Approximately 6% of imported produce sampled
each year violates Federal standards for pesticide residues in food. The
domestic produce violation rate is approximately 3%. However these tests are
only for a few of the over one thousand pesticides in use, and even most
produce found to violate the standard are sold at market. Americans are eating fruits and vegetables
on a regular basis with dangerous levels of pesticides(13,48).
12. The health of the country's farm
workers is seriously damaged by pesticides(14,15,16,17,18,22,33,50). Many pesticides are reproductive and
developmental toxins and numerous studies have documented significantly higher
rates of spontaneous abortion among pregnant women working in agricultural occupations(58,89,108).
In a large study by UNC researchers, those women living close to areas
where agricultural pesticides are applied had much higher the risk of
fetal death due to birth defects(108), The California study showed an increased risk
of death among developing babies, ranging from 40 percent to 120 percent among those whose mothers lived near crops
where certain pesticides were sprayed.
"Our study showed a consistent pattern with respect to timing of
exposure," said Dr. Erin M. Bell, "The largest risks for fetal death due
to birth defects were from pesticide
exposure during the third week to the eighth week of pregnancy." That span ‑‑ much of the first
trimester ‑‑ appears to be a special window of vulnerability for
birth defects, Bell said, just as
earlier research has suggested.
"The risks appeared to be strongest among pregnant women who lived
in the same square mile where pesticides
were used,"
Farmers or farm workers exposed to herbicides more than 20 days per year
had a risk of non‑Hodgkin's lymphoma 6 times higher than non‑farm workers(15). 2-4-D
exposure is one such that has been found to have a positive association(140). The incidence of this type of cancer has
increased 73% in the U.S. in the last 2 decades, and European studies have found
significant correlations with pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides such as MCPA(Target) and glyphosate(Round
Up)(82). Farmers or farmworkers
who mix or apply certain herbicides to crops have an 8‑fold increase in
lymphatic cancer risk. One such herbicide is 2‑4‑D, which is used
both on crops and in lawn use(16). According to a 1983 medical study, the
chance of an Iowa farmer dying of bone cancer is 48% higher than the general population(22).
Agricultural workers in California were found to have deformed limbs at
a rate 13 times the general population(17).
Organochlorine pesticide residue
heptachlor epoxide to be significantly associated
with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Higher
level of dieldrin was also associated with elevated
NHL risk (OR = 2.70), as were higher levels of oxychlordane,
p,p ´-DDE, and
ßß-benzene hexachloride (ORs = 1.79, 1.99, and 2.47, respectively) (139).
A
new case-controlled study confirms that workers exposed to insecticides and
herbicides have a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease(129), and a Univ. of Washington study had similar
findings(138). Researchers established a
significant independent correlation between insecticide and herbicide exposure
and subsequent development of Parkinson's--even after adjusting for risk
associated with farming. They postulated that oxidative stress triggered by
pesticides may promote the deterioration of the substantia
nigra ñña cell mass in the
brain critical for producing dopamine. Previous studies have shown degeneration
of this brain region in Parkinson's mediated by heightened activity of free
radicals. Researchers have found that
two pesticides may act in concert to trigger Parkinson's disease. When
scientists at the Un. of
Rochester Medical Center injected mice twice weekly with the herbicide paraquat and the fungicide maneb,
they created a deadly brew. Over a six week period, the mice displayed impaired
motor activity and brain damage typical of Parkinson's disease, a progressive
and incurable neurological illness that affects 1 million Americans(109). Parkinson's disease is increasing among
younger people in industrialized countries, and groups exposed to pesticides
such as farmers, farm workers, and people drinking well water in farming areas
were found to have higher incidence of Parkinson's disease(33,107). A recent large study of people with
Parkinson’s found a significant association between home pesticide use and development of
Parkinson’s disease(95), and another found a connection between Parkinson’s and
pesticides like rotenone(107). Organochlorine insecticides have been found to produce a
direct toxic action on the dopaminergic tracts of the
substantia nigra and can
contribute to the development of PD(93). In a study of a population with Parkinson’s,
those with PD had significantly hihger levels of organochlorine chemicals in the substantia
nigra of the brain than controls(93). An epidemiological study of farmers by the Instiute of Occupational Medicine(U.K.)
found that chronic exposure to organophosphate pesticides use in sheep dips was
associated with neurological damage including exhaustion, long-term fatigue,
memory loss, slow information processing, and confusion(51). Animal studies have shown organophosphate and
carbamate pesticides to be dose-related reproductive
toxins and to be acutely toxic to humans(67,89). Two years after being exposed to O-P
pesticides, workers still had decreased neuropsychological performance(112).
Organophosphate insecticides have been found
to inhibit the activity levels of acetylcholinesterase, succinate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase and cytochrome‑c‑oxidase
and cause accumulation of
acetylcholine in the hepatopancreas and muscle tissues(123). Paraoxon, a componate of
organophosphates, has lethal effects due to blocking the neurotransmitter acethylcholine. The
blood enzyme paraoxoase breaks down this toxic
chemical and different people have genetic differences that result in producing
different amounts of PON1, thus having different susceptabilities
to OPs(133).
A study in Poland found high mortallity
levels from organophosphorous pesticide posionings(120).
Studies of the high ALS rate in Gulf War victims have suggested a
possible organophosphate poisoning connection through exposure to the nerve
agent Sarin.
Children of male field workers who mixed
and applied organochlorine and organophosphourous
pesticides were found to have much higher levels of spontanous abortions, still births, neonatal deaths,
congenital birth defects, etc.(61). Organophosphourous pesticides have been found to be genotoxic, but the cytogenetic
toxicity is somewhat reduced by taking vitamin C (122). DBCP(69) and EDB(63)
have been documented to cause reduced sperm counts and infertility. Agricultural workers have been found to have
significantly higher chromosome and sperm abnormalities(62). Another study found fertility rates were
significantly decreased in couples with paternal pesticide exposure(97). For couples seeking in vitro fetilization therapy, sperm from men with high on-the-job
pesticide exposure had an average of 78% decrease in IVF success compared to
controls, while those with moderate exposure had a 48 % decease in IVF success(97).
13. In
a survey of Texas farm workers:
(a) 78% had chronic skin rashes
(b) 56% had kidney and liver abnormalities
(c) 54% suffered from respiratory problems(18)
15. A study of farmworkers exposed to pesticides in grape gardens in India
found a 6 fold increase in genetic damage and adverse reproductive
outcomes. 44% of pregnancies of
exposed farmworkers resulted in miscarraige or stillbirth. A high rate of
sterility was also found(19). Similar results were
also found in an Idaho study(19b).
16. Adoption of
extensive use of pesticides in growing rice in the Philippines has resulted in
a large increse in the death rate of farmers. A ban
on endrin resulted in death rate reductions of over
50% in diagnosed stroke deaths of farmers between age 15 and 34. Death rates were found to be significantly
higher during seasons of heavy pesticide use(20,50).
17. Pesticide posioning incidents have more than doubled in the last 10
years. More than 300,000 farm workers are made ill every year through pesticide
exposure. The miscarraige
rate for female farm workers is seven times the national average. Disability days associated with
pesticides have increased 53% since
1979; hospitial days have increased 61%.(18)
18. Milk and meat in Arkansas and
surrounding states was found to be contaminated after seeds treated for
heptachlor were sold for cattle feed. A follow up investigation found over 100
more firms selling treated seed for animal feed(23).
19. 30% of the monkeys
born in a 12 month period at the Awajuishima Mondey Center had shortened or absent limbs. The cause was determined to be food residues
of a commonly used pesticide(fernitrothion)
in wheat and soybeans grown for human consumption(21).
20. As of April 1986,
EPA had not completed health and safety evaluations of any of the 600 active
ingredients in the thousands of pesticide products, a task assigned to EPA by
Congress in 1972. Information on long
term chronic effects of pesticides such as cancer, sterility, and birth defects
has not been compiled. EPA points out that pesticide registration does not
guarantee safety, since by design pesticides are intended to kill biological organisms(21).
Emulsifiers, propellants, and other chemicals is pesticide solutions
have also been found to consist of volatile organic chemicals and solvents
which have harmful health effects(38).
21. Due to increasing
use of pesticides in the U.S. and world, the health damage suffered now is at
least as much as 25 years ago(70).
Pesticide residues in food and in drinking water cause cancer and affect
human nervous and reporductive systems throught their effect on the endocrine/hormonal
system.
While use of pesticides has risen
significantly, crop losses to pests have not declined correspondingly. Pesticides kill millions of fish, birds,
bees, and other plant pollinators each year, disrupting agricultural ecosystems
and making it harder for farmers to manage their crops. Integrated Pest Management, where natural and
biological controls replace some pesticide use, would be more ecologically and
economically effective in controlling pests(70).
22. Thousands of
pesticides now in use have not been adequately tested for the ability to cause
cancer, birth defects, and genetic damage in humans. The current requirement
for new pesticides is more rigorous.
Thus the National Acadamy of Sciences
estimates that at least 20% of "old" pesticides pose a significant
risk and 90 % of total cancer risk from pesticides comes from "old"
pesticides. Fillers and contaminants found in pesticide formulations are also
known to cause cancer and health problems(2). Pesticide residues in processed foods are
governed by the Food,Drug,
and Cosmetic Act of 1954(FDCA). The Delaney Clause of that act prohibits
setting a tolerance level on pesticides on pesticides known to cause cancer(prohibits use on foods that will be processed if any
residue would result). A National Acadamy of Sciences
report found 31 violations of the Delaney Clause in which EPA allows pesticide
use of crops even though the pesticides are believed to concentrate in
processed foods and are carcinogenic. The report identified 778 processed foods
that are likely to contain residues of one or more pesticides suspected of
causing cancer. The Committee recommended a uniform "negligable
risk standard" setting the standard as a risk of less than one in one
million for carcinogens used on all types of food, as well as more consistent
enforcement(2).
23. A report published
by the NRDC found that many of EPA's pesticide residue tolerance levels are
dangerously high, because of clearly unreasonable assuptions
they are developed under. For example the residue tolerance levels are set
assuming each individual eats the average amount of every fruit and vegetable
eaten by all Americans, which for any given fruit or vegetable is a very small
amount. Anyone eating any fruit or vegetable on a fairly regular basis would be
exposed to risk much higher
than that implied by the tolerance level(24). Also tolerance values are based
on amounts commonly found in agricultural practice, not primarily on health or toxilogical considerations.
Many tolerance values are much higher than the EPA oral reference dose
considered safe and if most vegetables contained these levels would result in
dietary exposure thousands of times higher than the EPA RFD(66). The FDA has published Action Levels for many
pesticides and toxic substances(83).
24. An international
coalition of organizations(Pesticide Action Coalition)
each year publishes a dirty dozen list of pesticides based on the level of
serious health and environmental damage being caused by pesticides
worldwide(49). The most recent list includes: aldicarb,
camphechlor, chlordane, heptachlor, chlordimeform, DBCP, DDT, aldrin,
endrin, EDB, HCH/BHC, lindane,
paraquat, parathion, methyl parathion, PCP, and 2,4,5-T. DDT is still
widespread in the environment and is causing reproductive failures in birds,
fish, and animals and serious impacts on human health, even though its use is
banned by the U.S. and 49 other countries.
Approx. 100 tons per year is still exported from the U.S. and is being
distributed worldwide by wind currents(48). Parathion is so acutely toxic that spilling
some on the skin can be fatal. Parathion is causing serious poisonings and
health effects worldwide and in the U.S. including birth defects, systemic and
respiratory illnesses. EPA has found
widespread serious health problems in workers even when all possible
precautions for its use are carried out(50). DBCP has caused sterility in thousands of
farm workers(50) and use has resulted in extensive
groundwater contamination in California.
EDB and other similar pesticides and fungicides have contaminated
groundwater throughout the U.S. including thousands of wells in Florida.
Aldrin, dieldrin and endrin are the most
acutely toxic organochlorine pesticides and have
caused thousands of deaths in addition to other widespread serious health damage(49,52,106). Lindane is a probable human carcinogin
and damages the nervous system and endocrine systems of people and
animals. Lindane
has also been found to be a common cause of CFS, neurological problems, and
multiple chemical sensitivities(87). Like most others on the list it is found in
the milk and tissues of people and animals around the world. Aldicarb has been
responsible for the acute poisoning of thousands in the U.S. and large numbers
in Central America, and extensive ground water contamination. EPA toxicologists in 1989 estimated that tens
of thousands of infants and children were exposed each day to enough aldicarb residues in bananas and potatos
alone to pose a risk of illness(51). Chlordane is highly carcinogic,
neurotoxic, and endocrine and reproductive system disrupting(51,52,53).
A survey of U.S. pesticide exports found that over 55 tons of endocrine
disrupting chemicals are exported each day, in spite of most being banned from
use in the U.S. and most developed countries.
Maternal exposure of one month or more
during the first 2 months of pregnancy resulted in a 240% increase in risk of
stillbirth due to congenital defects compared to controls(96). Women exposed in the home during early
pregnancy to cockroach and ant pesticides had a 70% increased incidence of
stillbirths due to congenital defects compared to controls. After Israel banned pesticides in their food
supply, their breast cancer rate decreased by over 75%(96).
25. Pesticide mixtures
in use include"active" and
"inert" ingrediants with the inerts making up usually over 95% of the mixture. "inert" solvents used to disolve the active ingredients penetrate clothing and skin
taking toxic active ingredients with them, and many of the inerts
like epicholorhydrin and nonylphenol
are neurotoxic or reproductive or developmental
toxins. In spite of the toxicity of such
inerts, inert ingredients are not listed on pesticide
labels and are considered trade secrets.
26. Epidemiology stuides on pesticides have found associations with
hematological cancer, nerurotoxic effects,
neurobehavioral disorders, reproductive prolems including
birth defects and infertility, newborn deaths, etc .(76,79,104). Dibromochloropropane(DMCP) has been found to cause mutations, cancer, testicular
and reproductive problems(77).
27. Bacterial related
illnesses are becoming more dangerous due to the growing antibiotic resistance
of many types of bacteria. WHO has
called the situation extremely serious and called for a drastic curtailment of
antibiotics used in animal feed(76). Approx. 50% of all antibiotics made in the
U.S. end up in farm animals through feed.
Antibiotic residues to many of the commonly
used antibiotics are found in beef in supermarkets and 4 antibiotic strains of
bacteria have been transmitted from animals to humans: salmonella,
campylobacter, enterococci and E coli. Recent studies
have found that drug resistant strains of bacteria causing ear infections, sinuitis, and pneumonia more than doubled since 1996, and
similar for strains of bacteria in U.S. rivers(84).
28. Rain water in
Europe has been found to have such high levels of pesticides that it often far
exceeds drinking water standards(81). Gov’t studies have found high levels of atrazine,
alachlor, 2-4-dinitrophenol, etc. in rainwater. Water running off roof materials treated with
fungicide also had extremely high levels .
29. In a population of
German patients suffering from neurological problems and multiple chemical
sensitivities, wood preservatives such as pentachlorophenyl
were found to be the most common cause(87). Other common exposures that appeared to be
factors in MCS included organic solvents, pyrethroides,
and other biocides. Pyrethrum
insecticides also have been found to have allergenic properties and to induce
asthma in susceptible people with at least one death(98). Animal studies have also found effects on
fertility and fertility outcomes for phyrethrum and rotenone(98), as well as estrogenic and antiprogestagenic
effects that may contribute to reproductive dysfunction, developmental
impairment, and cancer(98).
30. Organochlorine
and organophosphate pesticides have been found to induce prenatal brain injury
in animal studies and to result in functional deficits(89).
31. Chronic animal studies with a number of
organic solvents support the evidence for peripheral neuropathy and mild toxic encephalopathy
in solvent‑exposed workers.
''Epidemiologic studies of various groups of solvent‑exposed
workers(92) or pesticide/rodentcide exposed
workers(104) have demonstrated
statistically significant chronic changes in peripheral nerve function (sensory
and motor nerve onduction velocities and electromyographic abnormalities) that persisted for months
to years following cessation of exposure. Epidemiologic studies have also shown
statistically significant increases in neurobehavioral effects in workers
chronically exposed to organic solvents(92) or
pesticides (101,104). These effects include disorders characterized by
reversible subjective symptoms (fatigability,irritability, and memory impairment), sustained
changes in personality or mood (mask faces, emotional instability and
diminished impulse control and motivation), and impaired intellectual function
(decreased concentration ability, memory, and learning ability). Among organic
solvent abusers, the
most severe disorders reported are characterized by irreversible deterioration
in intellect and memory (dementia) accompanied by structural CNS damage, muscle
weakness, wasting, tremors,etc....'' (92,101,104)
32. The Pesticide
Action Network Pesticide Database contains information on 5100 pesticide
ingredients and over 100,000 formulated pesticide products. Where available,
chronic and acute toxicity,
regulatory status and aquatic ecotoxicity are listed with each chemical(102).
33. Glyphosate-containing
products(Roundup, Rodeo, etc.) are acutely toxic to
animals, including humans. Symptoms
include eye and skin irritation, cardiac depression, gastrointestinal pain,
vomiting, and accumulation of excess fluid in the lungs. The surfactant used in
a common glyphosate product (Roundup) is more acutely
toxic than glyphosate itself; the combination of the
two is yet more toxic.In animal studies, feeding of glyphosate for three months caused reduced weight gain,
diarrhea, and salivary gland lesions. Lifetime feeding of glyphosate
caused excess growth and death of liver cells, cataracts and lens degeneration,
and increases in the frequency of thyroid, pancreas, and liver tumors. Glyphosate-containing
products have caused genetic damage in human blood cells, fruit flies, and
onion cells. Glyphosate causes reduced sperm counts
in male rats, a lengthened estrous cycle in female rats, and an increase in
fetal loss together with a decrease in birth weights in their offspring. Animal studies have found evidence of
increased cancers from glyphosphate pesticides(126). Roundup also disrupts thyroid function by disrupting Steroidogenic
Acute Regulatory (StAR) Protein expression(135). Other chemicals that have been found to
disrupt the StAR hormone function are lindane and Dimethoate.
Residues of the
commonly-used herbicide glyphosate have been found in
a variety of fruits and vegetables. Residues can be detected long after glyphosate treatments have been made. Lettuce, carrots, and
barley planted a year after glyphosate treatment
contained residues at harvest. In California, where reporting of
pesticide-caused illnesses is more comprehensive than in other states, glyphosate exposure was the third most commonly-reported
cause of pesticide illness among agricultural workers. For landscape
maintenance workers, glyphosate ranked highest. Glyphosate can
drift away from the site of its application. Maximum drift distance
of 400 to 800 meters (1300-2600 feet) have been measured. Glyphosate residues in soil have persisted over a
year. Although not expected for an
herbicide, glyphosate exposure damages or reduces the
population of many animals, including beneficial insects, fish, birds, and
earthworms. In some cases glyphosate is directly
toxic; for example, concentrations as low as 10 parts per million can kill fish
and 1/20 of typical application rates caused delayed development in earthworms.
In other cases, (small mammals and birds, for example) glyphosate
reduces populations by damaging the vegetation that provides food and shelter
for the animals. Glyphosate
reduces the activity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These bacteria transform
nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient, into a form that plants can use. Glyphosate reduces the growth of mycorrhizal
fungi, beneficial fungi that help plants absorb water
and nutrients. Glyphosate also increases the
susceptibility of plants to diseases, including Rhizoctonia
root rot, take-all disease, fusarium,and
anthracnose(126). Several studies have found increased fusarium
fungus populations in Round-up treated fields- fusariam
causes adverse health effects including death and also adversely affects crop
yields in treated fields and other fields it spreads to.
34. Pyrethroids,
according to 5 different published research studies, directly affect the
brain's production of glutamate, the sodium channel, and function of the nerve
cell's mitochondria (all suspected target areas of ALS)(127)
35. Malathion
at 17 ppm and parathion at 250 ppm
body weight cause breast cancer in female rats(110). Trials indicate that the likely mechanism of
causality is inhibition of AchE, and any AchE inhibiter appears to cause cancer in female rats. This would imply that all organo
phosphate pesticides and many other chemicals are carcinogenic. Recent users of 2,4‑D
(foresters, verified by urine 2,4‑D) showed dose/response chromosone aberations; and altered blood sex hormone levels
(elevated the pituitary's leutinizing hormone (LH)
and, consequently, testosterone), though (for this particular exposure) not far
outside typical ranges. Another type of
genetic damage‑‑PCR V(D)J rearrangements‑‑did
not correlate w/ urinary 2,4‑D levels, but did with herbicide use.
36.
Fipronil has been shown to mutate proteins and to kill human liver cells
at extremely low concentrations of 0.1 nM. (44 ppt) the dose-response
curve
was non-monotonic. In other words, the smallest doses
were more toxic
than larger ones. FrontLine
(by Merial, a joint venture between Merck and
Aventis) is a popular flea and tick treatment for pets. It
contains 9.8%
fipronil by
weight. one day
after applying FrontLine to an adult dog, petting
it for just 5 minutes while wearing gloves resulted
in exposure of 600 ppm.
Termidor termite treatment contains 9.1% fipronil by weight. Breakdown
metabolites are even more toxic than fipronil(149).
37. One study finds that low-level
exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) found in some
plastic bottles and some food cans can promote certain prostate cancers(150a). Independent laboratory tests found BPA which is associated with birth
defects of the male and female reproductive systems in over half of 97 cans of
name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda, and other commonly eaten canned
goods(150b). Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recently detected BPA in 95% of nearly 400 U.S. adults (150c).
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*****************************************************
1. Chlorophenoxy
herbicides, usually used for "broad‑leaf weeds." These are
by far the most dangerous because they are
incredibly toxic long‑lived
poisons on their own and they are contaminated
with dioxins. You'll see on
the packaging mentioning such chemicals as
2,4 Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid
or 2,4 Dichlorophenoxypropionic
Acid (both abbrev as 2,4 D). Especially
dangerous are the trichlorinated
varieties, such as Picloram (3,5,6 T, also
called Tordon and
Agent White), Silvex (banned in the US, 2,4,5
Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid, sometimes called domestic Agent
Orange), Agent
Orange (used by the US military in
Vietnam, manufactured by Monsanto, Dow,
and several other companies). These
chemicals have a long and sordid
history of death, illness, corporate negligence
and genuine psychopathy, and
government oversight problems.
2. Atrazine and
atrazine‑like herbicides. Similar to the chlorophenoxy
herbicides in toxicity and permanence, but used to
kill everything standing on farms.
3.
Phosphorus herbicides, such as glyphosate. Kills
everything except for
gene‑altered plants tolerant to it. Primary
manufactured by Monsanto, called
Roundup. Rated at low toxicity by many sources,
but there are reports of
Roundup poisoning incidents that appear
in the various pesticide monitoring
reports such as www.panna.org.
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