Reddit Comments On Corruption In The Pesticide Industry

[Hugh Johnson]

edit For the MANY people asking what they can do: 1. Educate yourself and become involved politically. 2. Support groups like earthjustice.org and beyondpesticides.org /edit

I suspect this type of activity is systemic across every major industry. Let's look at the pesticide industry, shall we? Most people don't understand just how problematic pesticides are not just for the environment and farm workers, but our entire society. Did you know that one of the most popular families of pesticides used in conventional agriculture, organophosphates, has been widely implicated in severe developmental neurotoxicity issues in children? As these studies showcase, these pesticides, found in normal amounts in children, not children with high exposure, are implicated in reduced IQ and cognitive abilities:

• Prenatal exposure to organophosphates, paraoxonase 1, and cognitive development in childhood. - PubMed - NCBI
• Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides and IQ in 7-year-old children. - PubMed - NCBI
• EHP – Seven-Year Neurodevelopmental Scores and Prenatal Exposure to Chlorpyrifos, a Common Agricultural Pesticide
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate Pesticides | Articles | Pediatrics
• UC Davis MIND Institute study finds association between maternal exposure to agricultural pesticides, autism in offspring
• Pyrethroid insecticide exposure and cognitive developmental disabilities in children: The PELAGIE mother-child cohort. - PubMed - NCBI

Take a few minutes to ponder the ramifications; the food we eat may literally be making us dumber. And yes, food is a major pesticide source despite what industry might claim: Dietary intake and its contribution to longitudinal organophosphorus pesticide exposure in urban/suburban children. - PubMed - NCBIandEHP – Estimating Pesticide Exposure from Dietary Intake and Organic Food Choices: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Continuing on, the most important enzyme responsible for breaking down these pesticides in the human body is called serum paraoxanase. Some people have a lot of paraoxanase activity and are able to break down the pesticides really fast. Guess which subpopulation scientists are beginning to find has significantly reduced paraoxanase activity? People with autism: High levels of homocysteine and low serum paraoxonase 1 arylesterase activity in children with autism. - PubMed - NCBI-- and this year a large study found associations between organophosphates and autism:http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/publish/news/newsroom/8978. More work needs to be done on this front, but the early findings are concerning to say the least.

The data against organophosphates continues to pile up and has resulted in the thousands of scientists represented by the Union of Concerned Scientists wanting organophosphates banned. Unfortunately, politics wins at the EPA:http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/cent...-scientific-integrity/epa-and-pesticides.html

I only spoke of the neurotoxicity issues above. Make no mistake, these pesticides cause harm across a variety of spectrums. Not just on children's nervous systems but everything from gestation duration and birthweight to reduced lung function and lower sperm count in humans to changing the behavior of bugs. Some example studies:

• http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1104615/
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25413219
• http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/03/pesticides-result-in-lower-sperm-counts/
• http://news.berkeley.edu/2015/12/03/breathing-capacity-pesticide-exposure/

Please be sure to also look at the studies showcasing that these products are "safe". I'd suggest starting with Naled, an organophosphate. The 2006 EPA reregistration document is here:http://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/web/pdf/naled_red.pdf) and you'll find the list of utilized, "Studies" begins on page 105. You will also find that 98% of those studies are conducted by the chemical manufacturers themselves (in rats and rabbits) and, "Unpublished" meaning they never underwent peer review. Yet when independent scientists conduct studies, they are finding what I posted above, in children.

As the Union of Concerned Scientists stated in the link I posted above, "Another scientist said that the agency "often ignored independent scientific studies that contradicted the industry-subsidized study." Especially in cases where chemicals' effects on health are poorly understood and studies disagree, said the scientist, the EPA should not automatically side with the pesticide industry. "If there is disagreement, doesn't that cry out for further research?" A report of the EPA Office of the Inspector General also suggested that the EPA had not done enough to protect children from pesticide exposure."

The Naled reregistration document proves this as, of the 91 cited studies, all but one were conducted by industry and unpublished.

Despite countless scientists calling for change, greed and regulatory capture hold the winning hand. And it is the common man who suffers. Whether it be oil or pesticides, those in power have placed their chess pieces over the years in a masterful game and at this point, one has to wonder if we have to simple concede check mate.

edit As long as this post is getting the attention it is, allow me to elaborate on how bad it gets. Remember the pesticide Naled (an organophosphate) I spoke of above? It is also sprayed over millions of people in the name of mosquito control. When sprayed on agriculture fields, there is a 48 hour reentry interval where workers cannot reenter without protective gear (http://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/web/pdf/naled_red.pdf). When it is sprayed over residential areas for mosquito control, there are no such protections; kids are out running around the same day. The thing is, when sprayed in agriculture fields, they use large droplets so it contacts the bugs. When sprayed for mosquitoes, they aerosolize it so it hangs in the air. The problem there is, the US military figured out in a study that aerosolized Naled is 21x more toxic and causes lung and liver necrosis (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01685774) -- In other words, 155lb farm workers can't enter an area it is sprayed for 48 hours but 30lb kids are out the same day despite their form potentially being upwards of 21x more toxic than what the farm workers are suscepted to.

edit2 a good response was made to my edit shown here:https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/..._of_thousands_of_leaked_emails_reveal/d1j5n10that I haven't had time to research but I feel it's only fair to provide both sides of the argument here. Frankly, I'd love to be wrong about the mosquito control aspect so would love others to comment on his response.​

https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/..._of_thousands_of_leaked_emails_reveal/d1j0gyj

I just stole this comment. Might be of interest to people.

 

[secl0rum]

Not sure if this is mentioned by them, or if you are already aware about the FDA & various organizations and how up until here recently "Organic" food had not been being tested for some of Monsantos arsenal of herbicides and pesticides, and that whether a food item is GMO (either an ingredient or as a whole) does not explicitly have to be stated on the container and can simply be included in the QCode of it.

Keep it up mate seriously some stuff out there is paranoia or over-analyzing, some of it holds truth but before bringing it before the table please have conducted your own observations.

Can't remember the one chemical that they had been using in vineyards and orchards to kill vegetation surrounding the plant of interest. Now supposedly this chemical is extremely safe (despite Monsanto employees finding/stating otherwise), which has caught the FDA some heat itself due to this blatant ignoring what the warnings that there may be implications of liver damage, this heat isn't from someone being injured (at least not physically) the heat is because this chemical that prevents plant growth has a half life that varies widely from 7 days to 3months to 5 years. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing until one begins to think of topsoil, runoffs, aquatic places.....and for all we know we could be 2 weeks late, we may need to head to Dantooine.....