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Letter to politicians
Dear Members of ....'your town'....'s Town Council:
We, the members of ....'your group's name', are writing to you because we hope you will work with us to ban the cosmetic
use of chemical pesticides in ...'your town'.
With the Canadian Cancer Society joining the list of prestigious organizations calling for a ban on the cosmetic use of
pesticides, and with mounting scientific evidence of the harmful human health effects of exposure to these dangerous chemicals,
we believe the time has come for ...your town'... to join the 130 communities across Canada that have already enacted pesticide
bylaws.
The same argument that was successfully used to ban smoking in public places applies to pesticides: the danger they pose
cannot be limited to the user alone. Pesticides, even when used as directed, seep into ground water contaminating our drinking
water sources; when they're dispersed on land they end up on neighbours' properties, land on public sidewalks and roadways
and contaminate anyone who walks on them ending up in people's homes; they also drift through the air spreading over great
distances.
Hardly a week goes by without another scientific study or respected association raising a red flag about the number of
chemicals Canadians are being exposed to and the damage they can do to our health. Pesticides pose a particular threat because
they are manufactured and sold precisely because of their toxicity. Mounting evidence shows their dangers are not limited
to lower life forms. For example, a scientific study recently published in the Annals of Neurology, concluded that exposure
to pesticides - even at low levels - can increase a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 70 per cent.
Another concern about pesticides is that we are exposed to them through so many sources, from our food and water to the
air we breathe and the grass we walk on. We cannot, no matter how hard we try, prudently avoid the risk they pose. Nor can
we know how they interact with each other or with the many other dangerous chemicals that we are also exposed to.
The harmful effects of pesticide exposure are wide ranging. Studies have linked pesticides to cancer, degenerative neurological
diseases such as Parkinson's disease, hormone disruption, cancer, asthma and learning disabilities. A recent study on the
widely-used fungicide vinclozolin (Globe & Mail, Pg. 17, Tuesday, September 19 2006) found the effects of its hormone-disrupting
properties lasted generations and may cause a wide variety of disease by turning genes on and off at critical times causing
breast tumours, immune dysfunction, prostate cancer and kidney disease.
Our children, of course, with their undeveloped immune systems and rapidly growing bodies, are especially at risk. Many
studies have linked childrens' pesticide exposure to cancer including Zahm and Ward. The study published in 1998, in Environmental
Health Perspectives, vol. 106, found the following childhood cancers were linked to pesticide exposure: leukemia, neuroblastoma,
Wilms tumor, soft-tissue sarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, non-Hodgkins' lymphoma, and cancers of the brain, colorectum and testes.
They noted, that many of the reported increased risks are of greater magnitude than those observed in studies of pesticide-exposed
adults, suggesting that children may be particularly sensitive to the carcinogenic effects of pesticides.
Many people believe falsely that since the Federal Government approves these chemicals for use, they have proof they are
safe. That is not the case. Many of these chemicals were approved for use before rigorous testing was done. Since there is
little independent testing, our government relies on the manufacturers' own studies about safety. Also, the many "inert"
ingredients in pesticides are not tested though research indicates that they may magnify the toxic effects of the active ingredients.
And finally, no one is studying how these chemicals interact and accumulate in real life as we are exposed to them through
a multiplicity of sources. Studies about their effects on children, before and after birth, are especially lacking.
A 2003 audit report by Johanne Gelinas, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, outlined many grave
concerns with the way the Federal Government deals with pesticides. She noted that in 1999, the federal government said it
would reevaluate 405 active ingredients approved for use in Canadian pesticides by 2006. Since then only six active ingredients
have been fully evaluated. Gelinas also noted that "every pesticide that has been re-evaluated has either had its legal
uses further restricted or has been pulled off the shelves because it has been found to pose unacceptable risks." As
well, 61% of the chemicals found in Canadian pesticides have already been deemed unsafe and banned by other countries.
The following organizations have already spoken out about the danger of pesticides and urged bans on their use:
· The Canadian Cancer Society
· The Ontario Public Health Association
· The Ontario College of Family Physicians
· The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario
· The Toronto Board of Health
· The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment
· The Canadian Institute of Child Health
· The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada
· The Association of Early Childhood Educators
· The Canadian Union of Postal Workers
· The United Steelworkers of America
· The David Suzuki Foundation
Given that there are many effective ways to maintain healthy lawns and gardens without the use of dangerous chemicals,
we believe the time has come to join with other progressive communities across the country and enact bylaws banning the use
of cosmetic pesticides in the Town of ...'your town'.... We look forward to working with you to achieve this goal of making
...your town... a healthier community.
Submitted by,
.........................
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