Fri Jul 30 2010
I am writing to offer the contrary and non-politically correct viewpoint that pesticides and herbicides should continue to be allowed to be used. There are volumes of information on the debate but let me ask the question differently.
Should flea collars and other pet control products be outlawed? They are a pesticide. Hudson sprays for mosquitoes due to West Nile Virus. That is another pesticide usage. I have a bumper crop of poison ivy every year that I fight so the kids who play in the yard don't end up with an outbreak. It is easy to say we should not treat dandelions in the yard, but individual responsibility has to come into play, and we can't just make sweeping regulations.
The ammonia in window cleaner and the bleach in bathroom cleaning supplies are toxic to plants and animals. Should we ban those as well? These questions are complex and I am glad we have great research universities like Ohio State to study them and make recommendations for our elected leaders and government agencies. An example of that was the phase out of the pesticide class of organophosphates that were found by scientists to have significant side effects.
As a community and society, let's engage more in effective debate and invite science to have a seat at the table of public opinion versus following special interests that have lead to us to jump to conclusions.
As an example, the class of chemicals called phalates (used to soften plastic) in toys in Europe and the U.S. was banned even though research on both continents proved the majority of these posed no harm. Special interests used fear tactics, and now our rubber duckies are made with chemicals that we know less about, cost more and could prove to be harmful.
Brian Kirkendall
Hudson
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