N&O Story on Pesticide Study Misses Key Facts

Kudos to the Raleigh News & Observer for running a Washington Post story today about the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to accept more than $2 million from the American Chemistry Council – formerly known as the Chemical Manufacturers Association – to help fund a $9 million study exploring the effects of pesticides and household chemicals on children.

The Children’s Environmental Exposure Research Study will survey 60 children from birth to 3 years of age and collect information on their exposure to pesticides as well as other toxic household chemicals including phthalates, brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated chemicals.

Unfortunately, the story that ran in the Washington Post and N&O omitted important facts that were included in an article on the study that appeared last week in the trade journal Chemical & Engineering News. To wit, the parents of children participating in the study “must agree to spray or have pesticides sprayed inside their homes routinely during the two-year study period, and will receive up to $970 for participating,” the journal reported.

Considerable evidence already exists showing pesticide exposure presents serious health risks for humans – and especially for children. For our government to sanction a study that will continue exposing families to dangerous chemicals for cash is morally bankrupt. To let EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt know what you think about the plan, call his office at 202-564-4700.