Pests

Jim heartfield jim at heartfield.demon.co.uk
Tue Sep 5 08:13:50 PDT 2000


In message <F178cf3ednHM3SOlbpH000059f3 at hotmail.com>, Eli Moskowitz <elimoskowitz at hotmail.com> writes quoting Bill Durodie's piece:
>>Chlorpyrifos, sold under the trade names Dursban and Lorsban, has been
>>in widespread use for over 30 years with no evidence of harm to humans.
>
>The Washington Post, June 14, 2000, Wednesday, Final Edition
>
>Chemicals and the Developing Brain

Bill Durodie replies

The article is a shameful piece of journalism by the once pretigious Washington Post whose editor made his name through a piece of serious investigative journalism.


>From what I can tell only one person was interviewed for the article, David
Wallinga, who works for a 'Washington-based environmental group'. There is much scientific evidence to refute his comments but this is not indicated, nor are the scientists concerned given a chance to reply.

Unlike soft PVC which one could literally eat with little harmful effect unless that were the only constituent of one's diet, I wouldn't recommend munching spoonfuls of any pesticide. However there is no evidence as to the doses which may prove harmful within the article.

One should note that salt is harmful if taken in excess. That doesn't lead to its being banned however as we would then have no food substances available to us.

Many of the 'low-dose' experiments cited in the article are refuted by other scientists. Much of the so-called evidence cannot be repeated elsewhere, the bottom line for scientific evidence. Indeed, there is now a small list of scientists, most of whom I know by name, who hold to these theories that no-one else can verify.

-- James Heartfield

Great Expectations: the creative industries in the New Economy is available from Design Agenda, 4.27 The Beaux Arts Building, 10-18 Manor Gardens, London, N7 6JT Price 7.50 GBP + 1GBP p&p



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