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Canada
• Nova Scotia
Tue 06 Jun 2006
The Charlottetown Guardian
Cosmetic Pesticides a Health Risk for Women and Children
The PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women joins the
Environmental Health Co-operative in expressing concern about
municipal and provincial governments delay in banning cosmetic
pesticide use in Prince Edward Island communities.
"The use of cosmetic pesticides is an issue for women because
scientific research has repeatedly shown that women, especially
pregnant women, and young children are especially vulnerable to
health effects from exposure to pesticides," says Advisory Council
Director Lisa Murphy. "A ban on these chemicals, building on
successful models from other parts of Canada, would be a positive
step for encouraging the general and reproductive health of women and
their families.
"Women are more greatly affected by exposure to pesticides because
their bodies contain more of the body fat in which pollutants
accumulate and because of the way chemicals interact with their
hormonal systems," Murphy says.
"Pregnant women face special risks," says Council researcher Jane
Ledwell. "The Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency itself warns
pregnant women against contact with pesticides. There are known links
between household gardening pesticides and birth defects and certain
cancers."
"But how does a pregnant woman avoid cosmetic pesticides applied near
a sidewalk or in the next-door neighbour's yard? And how does she
avoid exposure before she knows she's pregnant,when lawn chemicals
can have a serious effect on the healthy development of a fetus'
nervous system?"
Murphy said the Advisory Council is especially alarmed at the risks
children face when exposed to cosmetic pesticides. "The safety of
pesticides is tested on full-grown adults, not small children,"
Murphy says. "And, as any parent knows, children are more likely to
be exposed to pesticides at ground level. Children are built close to
the ground, and they play and breathe - outdoors in our lawns and
gardens."
"It's not enough for women and children to know that a salesperson
has been educated about proper application and the risks of the
cosmetic pesticides they sell or even for consumers to be educated, "
concludes Ledwell. "We live in shared neighbourhoods and a shared
environment. Research shows that the risks are high enough, and the
vulnerability of women and children is serious enough, to warrant
banning the use of cosmetic pesticides, as a precautionary principle."
The Advisory Council on the Status of Women supported the recent
petition calling for a ban on cosmetic pesticides with a letter of
support for the Environmental Health Co-operative efforts.
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