This new report highlights the growing body of science linking pesticides to learning disabilities, childhood cancer and asthma in the United States. The report calls for policy makers to protect our children and future generations. This report, released by Pesticide Action Network North America (PAN, draws from research published within the past five years. Our children are exposed to a “toxic soup” of chemicals that have not been properly tested under the current EPA risk assessment process.
From the Executive Summary:
Children today are sicker than they were a generation ago. From childhood cancers to autism, birth defects and asthma, a wide range of childhood diseases and disorders are on the rise. Our assessment of the latest science leaves little room for doubt: pesticides are one key driver of this sobering trend.
As the recent President’s Cancer Panel reports, we have been “grossly underestimating” the contribution of environmental contamination to disease, and the policies meant to protect us have fallen far short. Nearly 20 years ago, scientists at the National Research Council called for swift action to protect young and growing bodies from pesticides. Yet today, U.S. children continue to be exposed to pesticides that are known to be harmful in places they live, learn and play. This report reviews dozens of recent studies that examine the impact of pesticides on children’s health.
You can download the rest of the study from the Pesticide Action Network North America’s site, here.
