Mishap or Tragedy? Word Doctors Strike Again
October 4th, 2009
This commentary is about an article which offers an extremely serious description of the loss of millions of dollars in profits by numerous farmers in an Idaho community. Apparently, due to the drift of herbicides used many years ago on nearby PUBLIC LANDS, (pardon me for shouting since I doubt an informed public actually approved that practice on ‘our’ land), it is still wreaking havoc on land fertility ten years later in non-targeted areas far from ‘ground zero’. Note that the destruction of fertile farmland is termed a mere ‘mishap’ and the reporter does not appear to have made any inquiry into the possible impact of this widespread contamination upon human health. My questions were entered into the ‘comments’ section of this newspaper but apparently never made it out of moderation. Presumably, if the author did have the presence of mind to ask this most important question, it also failed to make the editorial ‘cut’ into print. How could a law suit prevailing on issues of damage to an otherwise hearty ecosystem, fail to demand costs of medical monitoring for the inhabitants of the entire region?
This suit should trigger observational studies by the EPA and the Department of Agriculture where there is an unfounded rumor that drift from the application of pesticides and herbicides is simply not an issue. Having dealt with both agencies, I can personally vouch for their vociferous resistance to that notion, even when documented through clinical testing of both bodies and buildings. I recall being verbally abused upon insisting that ignoring these matters was a politically, rather than scientifically, based matter by persons in both agencies.
Since those Idaho farmers lost their crops to poisoning of the land, the likelihood of some of them being unable to afford health insurance will certainly become a serious issue should the effects of that poison affect any of them in future. Plaintiff’s attorneys will hopefully have considered that even if the media feels that mentioning such a concept is bad for its advertisers. Certainly this is not a normal omission from a story about contamination.
Here was my comment (which never saw the light of day) regarding
S. Idaho Farmers regroup after pesticide mishap by Laurie Welch (The Olympian, 9/19/09) In fact, no comments appear to have been approved for this story when I last visited the site. Why don’t you try?
Welch’s article on damage done by an herbicide to local farmland makes no mention of whether ground water contamination or drift into residences has occurred. Has the community reported any health effects as a result of herbicide persistence?
The database at the Pesticide Action Network notes that adverse effects of chronic exposure to Sulfometuron methyl herbicide can result in metabolic disorders, emphysema and other health problems. There is an uncomfortable lack of data about this and many other such chemicals.
The preservation of farming as an industry, and of farmland as a precious resource, has to become a top priority in this country. Chemical drift from weed management must be assessed for effects upon schools, homes and businesses. Regulation of devices for applying these chemicals in a manner which reduces drift is also a long awaited advance in this science. Impacts upon successive generations of sentinel wildlife forms in the path of drift or due to chemical persistence, is another essential measure of our risk.
Litigation records cannot serve as evidence of pesticide safety because the science of detection for persistent contamination and adverse health effects is extremely limited. Physician education in toxicology is lacking while resources for testing indoor environments and their occupants are largely inaccessible to the public. Given the increase in developmental and acquired disabilities throughout the country, greater scrutiny in the selection and application process for our chemical tools can no longer be delayed. Medical monitoring of individuals exposed to pesticides must be part of the evolution of modern land management techniques.
Categories: Letters, The Olympian
