COMMENT: The pesticide threat

And the danger of inadequate regulation is not limited to acute disasters. The accumulation of toxic substances from chemicals applied both in the field and in storage also contributes to the continuous decline in the quality of our natural environment – namely, our soil, water, and air.

More than 250 studies have linked agrochemicals to several types of cancers, including cancers of the brain, breast, colon, liver, lungs, prostate, and thyroid. Children, in particular, seem to be susceptible to the toxic effects of pesticides: research shows that the increased incidence of childhood leukemia and brain cancer could be the result of early exposure. And exposure to such chemicals has been linked to a variety of birth defects.

All of this paints a grim picture of what could happen in the U.S. if the EPA’s opponents – who now include the agency’s director – get their way. In 2006 and 2007, the U.S. used more than one billion pounds of pesticides annually – and that was with EPA regulations in place. Without adequate regulation, those quantities are likely to rise.

Of course, the U.S. is not the only country at risk from excessive use of organophosphates. While pesticide use in developing countries is much lower than in the U.S., data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) show a steady increase in countries in Africa and Asia. Farmers in these regions are understandably looking for easy ways to reduce crop losses and increase their income. And there are few regulations in place to stop them.

In fact, the FAO reports that most pesticide-poisoning cases occur in developing countries, precisely because health standards there tend to be inadequate or non-existent. The UN report found that only 35% of developing countries had regulatory guidance on pesticide use, and all of them struggle with enforcement.

Developing countries must implement more effective mechanisms for monitoring the agrochemicals that are in circulation. They must also work to reduce the use of toxic chemicals to control pests and increase yields, especially by promoting organic alternatives that do not pose widespread health and environmental risks.

Such organic methods were used for centuries before the advent of modern synthetic pesticides in the 1940s. For example, organic manure can help boost crop yields, as can biopesticides, derived from plants. Such natural methods, which are both effective and non-toxic, should be adopted not just in developing countries, but around the world.

Synthetic pesticides may have a place in helping to feed an increasingly hungry world, especially in developing countries. But we must imagine how many unnecessary poisonings and deaths will occur unless they are deployed with the utmost care and restraint. If Americans can’t imagine that, Pruitt’s dream, if not reconsidered, will become their nightmare.

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Mojisola Ojebode, a Nigerian biochemist and the founder and product developer at Moepelorse Bio Resources, is a Global Innovation Through Science and Technology (GIST) awardee and an Aspen New Voices fellow. Follow her on Twitter @OjebodeMojisola.

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Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2017.
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