DDT Controversy & more

[Guest guest]

DDT Controversy & more

April 11, 2006

 

U.S. Right Wing Pushing DDT on Africa - Debate Stirs Controversy. PAN

Guest Essay

 

Editor's Note: The United Nations will open the second meeting of the

Stockholm Convention--the treaty to eliminate worldwide a class of

chemicals called persistent organic pollutants (POPs)--May 1st in

Geneva. DDT is one of the twelve initial POPs targeted for elimination,

with limited exemptions allowed for those countries that continue to

rely on DDT for malaria control. A handful of strident conservative

voices in the U.S. are promoting a dramatic increase in the use of DDT

for malaria control, particularly in Africa. New York Times editor Tina

Rosenberg recently wrote an article embracing the message from the

fringes of the right wing that DDT is the only way to combat malaria in

Africa. Sonia Shah sheds some light on this complex issue and the

right's ongoing misinformation campaign in the following article,

reprinted with permission from The Nation.

 

 

 

" Don't Blame the Environmentalists for Malaria. "

Tina Rosenberg's long opinion piece on the New York Times website

brings much-needed attention to the plight of " poor people's diseases, "

from sleeping sickness to tuberculosis ( " The Scandal of 'Poor People's

Diseases,' " Times Select, March 29). But her argument about

malaria--that more DDT would vanquish the disease--is all wrong. (Read

More)

 

India: Pesticide Lobby Launches Offensive On Environmental Groups.

Farmers in India, laden with debt and possible ill health effects from

a chemical intensive technology being forced upon them, commit suicide

with the very pesticide they must use. Environmentalists and scientists

who are advocating for the farmers are now under attack. Umendra Dutt

reports from Counter Currents.org.

 

Brazil: Supplying Organic Products to U.S. Pays Off.

Defying " advice " from family and business associates, an organic farmer

is profiting from exporting his sugar to eager U.S. markets. Chicago

Tribune reporters tell the success story of Leontino Balbo.

 

 

PAN Stands in Solidarity with the Immigrant Workers.

Many workers are at risk in dangerous jobs, particularly in

agriculture, where toxic exposure to pesticides is common. Deep-seated

health issues plague immigrant workers, and Stanford students

investigate dangerous conditions for farmworkers and the need for

education and outreach.

 

Los Angeles Unified School District Celebrates Pesticide Protection

Policies.

In 1998, school children were accidentally sprayed with pesticide in

the Sherman Oaks elementary school. This week the community celebrated

the school district's model program, with a public health focused

policy on pesticides. A message from the organization that made it

happen, California Safe Schools, describes the significance of working

for this crucial public health policy change.

 

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for

Pesticide Action Network North America.

 

PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing resource guides and

reporting on pesticide issues that don't always get coverage by the

mainstream media. It's produced by Pesticide Action Network North

America, a non-profit and non-governmental organization working to

advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide. We gladly

accept donations for our work and all contributions are tax deductible

in the United States.

Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) 49 Powell St., Suite

500, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA Phone: (415) 981-1771 Fax: (415)

981-1991 Email: panna Web: http://www.panna.org

Un me!

Email us at: panna. Phone us at: (415) 981-1771. Also see

Contact and visit information.