The Disappearing Male (Documentary - 45 minutes)

The Disappearing Male is about one of the most important, and least publicized, issues facing the human species: the toxic threat to the male reproductive system. The last few decades have seen steady and dramatic increases in the incidence of boys and young men suffering from genital deformities, low sperm count, sperm abnormalities and testicular cancer. Some researchers say that declining male fertility rates could be the first sign of extinction.

Response to the Public Consultation Paper on Cosmetic Use of Pesticides

Written by Pesticide-Free CRD: "The non-essential or cosmetic use of pesticides is unnecessary, so given there are strong indications in the scientific literature that many pesticides have negative impacts on both human health and the environment, the BC government should apply the Precautionary Principle and ban the sale and use of those pesticides. The precautionary approach should be the overarching guide for all pesticide-use decisions; there is overwhelming evidence to support this approach."

US Biologists Say 3 Common Pesticides Harm Salmon - Nov 2008

Farms and orchards that continue to use three pesticides that harm salmon will have to greatly expand buffer zones around their fields so the chemicals don't reach streams, federal biologists ruled Tuesday.

Glowing Evidence

An incredible photographic portfolio of the invasiveness of pesticides into our personal environment.

A Citizen's Guide to Pesticide Use and the Law in B.C.

Prepared by West Coast Environmental Law.
Review of federal, provincial and local government law and regulation with respect to pesticides, as well as opportunities for public participation and input with respect to pesticide use at each level. Some of the Guide’s highlights include:
- Overview of pesticides and their use
- Links to other organizations with detailed information about various aspects of pesticides
- A summary table of legal authorizations
- A checklist of Pesticide Management Plan (PMP) content
- An example of a model bylaw for communities

Chain of Contamination - The Food Link

From dairy products to meat and fish. Many of the compounds are found in a concentration range of 0.1 to 10 ng/g, with the exception of phthalates for which typical concentrations are two orders of magnitude higher. Brominated flame retardants have been found in 19 of 26 samples, with the highest concentrations in meat.

Pesticides in Produce

Findings based on 43,000 tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2004. A guide listing pesticide residue on 43 common fruits and vegetables.

Pesticide Action Network (PANNA) - Huge Site

Here's an excerpt from their publication Chemical Trespass (May 21, 2004): "None of us choose to have hazardous pesticides in our bodies," said Kristin Schafer, PAN program coordinator and lead author of the report. "Yet CDC found pesticides in 100% of the people who had both blood and urine tested. The average person in this group carried a toxic cocktail of 13 of the 23 pesticides we analyzed... Many of the pesticides found in the test subjects have been linked to serious short- and long-term health effects including infertility, birth defects, and childhood and adult cancers... "While the government develops safety levels for each chemical separately, this study shows that in the real world we are exposed to multiple chemicals simultaneously," explained Margaret Reeves, Ph.D., senior scientist at PAN. "The synergistic effects of multiple exposures are unknown, but a growing body of research suggests that even at very low levels the combination of these chemicals can be harmful to our health."

Hundreds of Toxic Chemicals & Pesticides Detected in the Blood of Newborn Infants in the USA - Jul 2005

A chemical study of umbilical chord samples from the American Red Cross has found that babies have an average of 200 known toxic chemicals in their blood, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides and a chemical used in the production of Teflon, even before being born. The tests found that hundreds of chemicals, pollutants and pesticides are stored in body fat over a lifetime and then pumped from mother to fetus through umbilical cord blood. Overall, chemical absorption can be reduced by eating organic foods, and by reducing exposure to toxins at home and at work.

Children’s Chemical & Pesticide Exposure via Food Products Exposure via Food - Jul 2005

According to the Food and Drug Administration, half of produce currently tested in grocery stores contains measurable residues of pesticides. Laboratory tests of eight industry-leader baby foods reveal the presence of 16 pesticides, including three carcinogens.According to EPA's "Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment," children receive 50% of their lifetime cancer risks in the first two years of life.In blood samples of children aged 2 to 4, concentrations of pesticide residues are six times higher in children eating conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables compared with those eating organic food.

The Chemical Wars, Part 3 - Sep 2004

A very succinct explanation of the environmental "risk assessment" process in North America.

Pesticide leaves robins unable to carry a tune

Nearly half a century after DDT was first dumped across acres of North American farmland and three decades after it was banned in the United States and Canada, the toxic pesticide still has damaging effects on local species, according to a new study.

Bad Blood? WWF Reveals EU Lawmakers' Chemical Contamination

Ministers from 13 European Union countries are contaminated with dozens of industrial chemicals according to results of blood tests released today by World Wildlife Fund. Fourteen Environment and Health Ministers were tested in June 2004 for a variety of chemicals that can negatively impact wildlife and human health.

RATE: Pesticide facts

A nice, simple list of facts about pesticides, by RATE (Real Alternatives to Toxins in the Environment).

Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) Insecticide Factsheet

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a live microorganism that kills certain insects and is used to kill unwanted insects in forests, agriculture, and urban areas.

Cornell University - Pesticide Active Ingredient Information

Pesticides are organized by type of pesticide and active ingredient. Some articles may be in PDF format.

Glyphosate (Roundup) and Glufosinate (same type of compound)

Death by Multiple Poisoning, Glyphosate and Roundup - Feb 2009

Scientists pinpoint how very low concentrations of the herbicide and other chemicals in Roundup formulations kill human cells, strengthening the case for phasing them out, and banning all further releases of Roundup-tolerant GM crops.

Literature review of impacts of glyphosate herbicide on amphibians: What risks can the silvicultural use of this herbicide pose for amphibians in B.C.? (pdf) - Jun 2008

Glyphosate herbicides are the most widely used non-selective broad-spectrum herbicides in the world. In Canada they are extensively used in forestry for site preparation and for conifer release. Recent studies have shown that amphibians are one of the most sensitive vertebrate groups to the toxicological effects of this herbicide (formulated product including surfactant). This report summarizes current literature on the non-target impacts of glyphosate herbicides on amphibians, combines reviews of published studies with a review of the application guidelines and the use patterns of this herbicide in silviculture in BC,and identifies knowledge gaps in the assessment of herbicide impacts on native amphibians in this province.

Glyphosate Toxic & Roundup Worse - Jul 2005

Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and Prof. Joe Cummins call for urgent regulatory review of the most widely used herbicide in the light of new scientific evidence.

Recent papers on glyphosate (embryo damage / liver damage) - Mar 2005

Two recent papers deal with new information on glyphosate toxic effects. The first shows that the herbicide effects global transcription in a marine invertebrate embryo. The danger reaches beyond marine organisms to all embryos. The second article shows that a common glyphosate formulation causes liver damage after a brief (sub chronic) exposure.

Roundup Hurts Babies - Feb 2005

It is shown in this work that human placental cells are very sensitive to Roundup, to concentrations lower than the agricultural use. This could explain miscarriages and premature births in the United States in farmers.

Bayer's GE Crop Herbicide, Glufosinate, Cause Brain Damage - Dec 2004

Yoichiro Kuroda, the principal investigator in a project titled the Effects of Endocrine Disrupters on the Developing Brain, under the government's CREST (Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology) program, believes polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and glufosinate can hamper the development and activity of the brain.

Glyphosate Factsheet - Oct 2000

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide widely used to kill unwanted plants both in agriculture and in nonagricultural landscapes. Estimated use in the U.S. is between 38 and 48 million pounds per year. Most glyphosate-containing products are either made or used with a surfactant, chemicals that help glyphosate to penetrate plant cells.

Problems with Roundup Weed Control - Apr 2000

Roundup, and related herbicides with glyphosate as an active ingredient, are advertised as products that can "eradicate weeds and unwanted grasses effectively with a high level of environmental safety." However, an independent, accurate evaluation of their health and environmental hazards can draw conclusions very different from those presented in the ads.

The Glyphosate Threat

Soil residues of glyphosate from spraying all plants in a field could severely harm soil fertility first and in a later stage make most plant life impossible. Such a disaster would be caused by the destruction of mycorrhizal networks.

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Forums

The following are discussions from the SARE forums:
Roundup Herbicide Runoff Is Lethal To Amphibians
Gluphosinate: Ignored Side Effects
Roundup Ready Soy Is Deficient In Nitrogen Fixation
Animal Effects of Aerial Roundup in Columbia
Roundup Consequences

Purdue University

Pesticides and wildlife
Pesticides and ecological risk assessment
Index of Pesticide Publications

Resources

National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns

The National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns advocates safe, healthy, LIVING lawns and landscapes with the use of organic and least toxic practices and products that nurture and protect the health of children, families, pets, wildlife and the environment from unnecessary exposure to toxic pesticides.

SPEC - Society Promoting Environmental Conservation

Excellent information and links, including information on alternatives

Environmental Health Perspectives

Current research and news on environmental factors that affect human health

The Canadian Environmental Network

The RCEN is an independent, non-partisan organization. It does not take positions on environmental issues. Rather, the RCEN actively encourages and supports those who take part in public consultation processes, participate in working groups, or who are delegates to national and international conferences.

Global Recognition Campaign for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Chemical Injury

A personal website demonstrating the health effects of multiple chemical exposure.