Pesticides: Now More Than Ever

[groovedaddy]

How quickly we forget.

After the publication of “Silent Spring,” 50 years ago, we (scientists, environmental and health advocates, birdwatchers, citizens) managed to curb the use of pesticides and our exposure to them — only to see their application grow and grow to the point where American agriculture uses more of them than ever before.

And the threat is more acute than ever. While Rachel Carson focused on their effect on “nature,” it’s become obvious that farmworkers need protection from direct exposure while applying chemicals to crops. Less well known are the recent studies showing that routine, casual, continuing — what you might call chronic — exposure to pesticides is damaging not only to flora but to all creatures, including the one that habitually considers itself above it all: us.

As usual, there are catalysts for this column; in this case they number three.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/11/pesticides-now-more-than-ever/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121212

[KT2000]

1. Brain damage

I wonder how much cognitive impairment a society can support:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9716249/Pesticide-exposure-harms-memory.html

[dballance]

2. Am I just being totally cynical?

Why is it I think it's very possible scientists at companies like Monsanto knew the GMOs would give rise to new "super-weeds" which would cause increased, not decreased use of their company's pesticides? And then the CEOs rejoiced. Not only could they charge farmers more for the GMO seeds they could sell more of the pesticides.

Seems like a winning business model if you're a CEO. Not so much if you're a family farm.

[Nihil]

3. There's a difference between being "cynical" and just being "awake".

Like you say, it's nothing but a business plan that leads to more profit as far as those people are concerned.