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Pesticides Campaign
Imagine sitting in the bleachers, cheering, watching your child out on the field. Suddenly, you catch wind of a toxic odor. A neighboring farmer just doused his fields with herbicide and its noxious cloud is coming your way. Nausea takes hold of everyone. The game is cancelled and the school is closed.
Imagine you're out in the yard with your spouse and children enjoying the warmth and the gentle breeze on a beautiful spring day. An ominous mist falls from a plane over the neighboring field. The breeze brings the mist your way. You, your family, and your pets are enveloped by it. You rush your family into the house to wash the acrid smelling substance off your skin and clothes. You don’t even know what it is and you may not know its impact on your health for years to come.
The previous examples are true stories of pesticide exposures from the
Many more pesticide exposures and illnesses occur but go unreported because victims don't know that they should report the problem and their physicians do not associate symptoms with pesticide applications.
PESTICIDES AND OUR HEALTH
The EPA defines a pesticide as “any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest.” Pesticides are chemicals designed to kill and destroy living organisms. By their very nature they create risk to humans, plants, and animals. According to law, there should be “a reasonable certainty that no harm will result” from their use. However, the reality is quite different.
Many pesticides in use today are known to cause cancer, genetic damage, asthma, miscarriages, and birth defects. They can burn the skin and eyes, damage the nervous system, and disrupt our hormone and immune systems. They kill fish and birds, and many other unintended plants and animals. They contaminate our land and waters (A national study, found over 95% of our rivers and streams contained at least one pesticide.) Pesticides are found everywhere because they travel off-target from overuse, drift, run-off and industrial uses in consumer products.
OUR ACTION PLAN
In response, Oregon Toxics Alliance is taking action. We’re working to educate public officials and the public at large to the dangers of pesticides. We’re searching for natural and safe alternatives. We're working to reduce pesticide use and drift in public spaces such as schools, government buildings and public roadways. We're working to protect the health of ourselves, our children, and the planet we live on.
To learn more about Oregon Toxics Alliance’s multi-faceted Pesticide Campaign, select your area of interest: