News October 30, 2002 fire Pesticides Safe? Kelly Parry OP Contributor Photo by Devon Lewis A recent study by the Environmental Illness Society of Canada estimated that Canadians spend $1 billion in pesticides each year to kill unwanted insects, weeds and fungi. The Health Action Network Society (HANS) thinks that the public is being misled—they are not told the hidden consequences of exposure to chemical pesti- cides and weed-killers. There are approximately 6,000 products in our Palestinian Aid Worker Spells Out Impact of West Bank Conflict on Refugees Al Khatib still holds out hope for peace Kerry Precht The Gateway Canadian Marketplace to choose from, each with a dif- fering level of toxicity. In an October 2, 2002 press release, Thelma MacAdam of HANS challenges a News Canada article that claims “off the shelf” pesticide control products are safe for humans, animals and the environment. She quotes the manufacturers’ warnings on their products that state “wear appropriate protective clothing and gloves to reduce exposure risk.” The warnings caution the user to contact their local municipality to dispose of any unwanted or unused products. “Because these products are readily available on the market, the public assumes there isn’t any danger with their use. Not true. Nothing could be further from the truth. These innocent-sounding compounds, many for- mulated in military labs to kill and disable the enemy, can cause cancer, mutations, birth defects and neurolog- ical diseases. They are synthetic molecular structures, many with hormonal actions that living bodies cannot safely deal with,” wrote MacAdam, to the Burnaby Now, after her nomination for a 2002 Burnaby Environmental Award in communications. So what exactly is a pesticide? Pesticides are chemical or biological substances designed to kill, control, or repel a variety of living organisms such as insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), mold or fungus (fungicides) and rodents (rodenticides). Pesticides are essentially poisons. Some of the “inert” ingredients in pesticide products may also be poisons. These pesticides can cause headaches, the other p dizziness, eye problems, mental disorientation and la damage to the nervous system. American studies linked significant pesticide exposure to higher cd rates among farmers and gardeners and to cognitive ficulty among children. HANS wants to know why, if these products a safe, do they carry warnings to protect the user exposure, directions to dispose of the product card and detailed cleanup instructions? What happens t chemicals as they are washed down the sewer system the storm drains? What about the long list of pota health concerns linked to pesticide use? HANS reports that tests conducted by the Cand and US governments proved that some of these cals can penetrate protective clothing and even neof gloves. On the positive front, there are some comm actions that are seeking to ban the use of pesticides. landmark decision in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 28, 2001, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmes right of municipalities to ban pesticides and to p their citizens from harm. The case involved two | care companies that were appealing a bylaw enact¢ the municipality of Hudson banning all spraying o vate land. The issue was resolved after 10 years i municipality's favour. “Sadly, [pesticides] wreak their havoc quietly and i iously, seldom leaving fingerprints, only the damage cause,” said MacAdam. EDMONTON (CUP)—From his home in the West Bank, Palestinian Red Crescent Society President Younis Al Khatib spoke to an enraptured crowd at the University of Alberta last Friday evening, discussing the occupation of the Palestinian people and the challenge of providing aid in the midst of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the West Bank. The Canadian Red Cross had formally invited Al Khatib to speak in Montréal earlier this month, and following that lec- ture, Al Khatib would have spoken at the University of Alberta. But the Israeli gov- ernment refused him the papers required for international travel and Al Khatib was unable to leave the West Bank. Instead, Al Khatib delivered his speech via teleconference from his home in Israel. Following Al Khatib’s lecture, Fort McMurray firefighter and paramedic Shane Dabrowski also shared his experi- ences from a six-month tour of duty as a society volunteer. He emphasized that people should look at both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli con- flict before drawing conclusions about it. Al Khatib, awake at 3:15a.m. for the presentation, shared his thoughts as a firsthand witness to the conflict. “[The Palestinian-Israeli] conflict seems to be a bit complicated. [But] to us who are very much involved in this conflict, it seems to be a very simple human suffering situation. Simply, it is a matter of occupa- tion,” said Al Khatib. Both the Palestinians and the Israelis continually sustain heavy civilian losses, said Al Khatib. He declared the occupa- tion to be a disease that affects both groups. “This occupation is not just killing and destroying infrastructures but also it is destroying the souls of people. ... [It] is an abnormal situation for a population to live under and ... it creates a situation of unneeded suffering,” he said. “The remedy of this disease is just to put an end to occupation. It will not just free Palestinians, but for sure it will free the Israelis as well of the burden of occupying and controlling another population.” Al Khatib said that over the past three years, the situation has worsened signifi- cantly. As this happens, Palestinian refugees lack more and more of their basic needs: basic health care, food and water. In order to maximize the services avail- able, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society has been developing adaptive strategies and a program of disaster preparedness. The society already runs about 25 pri- mary health care facilities throughout the West Bank and Gaza, but Al Khatib said that mobile emergency medical services (EMS) teams are being dispatcha respond to rural areas. It can also take as much as three | to drive what ought to take five mi so the society is establishing m EMS stations and substations in col trated areas. During imposed curfews, Palesy refugees lack access to the most health services. To combat this, the g ty is setting up medical hotline Khatib said their pilot project in Ra has received over 1,000 calls in th month. Al Khatib remains hopeful despit conflict. “We in the Red Crescent Society b peace will prevail,” said Al “[There] will come a day when Palest and Israeli children will learn to together side by side. And there wil remedy.” © page 4