Thu 03 Aug 2006

The Charlottetown Guardian

Cancer society says its research supports ban on cosmetic pesticide use

by Dave Stewart

The Canadian Cancer Society stands firmly behind groups and
communities trying to ban the use of cosmetic pesticides, saying it
bases that stance on extensive research.

Heather Logan, director of cancer control policy for the national
organization, contacted The Guardian Tuesday to respond to comments
made by an employee with a multinational pesticide company.

Donna Houghton, who works with Sygenta, one of the biggest pesticide
companies in the world, made a presentation to Charlottetown city
council on Monday.

Houghton said the cancer society exists mainly as an advocacy
organization and quoted Barbara Whylie, the chief executive officer
with the cancer society, as saying they support a ban only because of
public pressure.

Logan said the national organization began extensively researching
the effect of pesticides in 2000 to determine what individual studies
had to say about the link between pesticides and cancer rates. They
also looked at pooled analysis, or combined data, from a number of
individual studies and the positions of other organizations around
the world.

The conclusion - there were enough red flags to support a ban on
cosmetic pesticides.

"As a result of that process, the Canadian Cancer Society concluded
that the scientific evidence was certainly suggestive,' Logan said
from her office in Toronto. "There are studies to suggest there is an
increased risk of some specific types of cancer.'

She said the list includes childhood leukemia, childhood brain
cancer, adult leukemia, brain tumours and some lung cancers.

"Now the evidence is suggestive and what that means is that the body
of evidence isn't directionally all pointing to an increased risk but
there are individual studies that suggest a relationship.'

There are other studies that suggest there is no link between cancer
and pesticides. Houghton said Sir Richard Doll, the man famous for
making the connection between cancer and cigarettes, said there is no
evidence to suggest pesticides cause cancer.

Dawn Binns, executive director of the P.E.I. division of the Canadian
Cancer Society, said the public also needs to know there are many
chemicals in use by pesticide companies that have yet to be assessed
by the Pest Management Review Agency, a division of Health Canada.

Binns adds that the PMRA also gives companies time to phase out
chemicals deemed unsafe.

"Isn't that interesting. They give them a year to stop producing it,
then another year to stop selling it and then another year to stop
applying it,' Binns said. "There is a false sense of security that
these chemicals are all regulated.'

Logan said regardless of the fact evidence is suggestive, she wonders
why some people need definitive proof.

"There's no countervailing health benefits,' said Logan. "If you use
pesticides on your lawn for the purpose of getting rid of weeds it
offers you no known benefits. You may be not only increasing your
risk of disease but (affecting) people who walk on your lawn . . .
you've taken away their choice.'

Binns said just in the last week, the community council in London,
Ont., voted to ban the use of cosmetic pesticides.

Charlottetown's environmental issues committee is currently in the
process of discussing the makeup of an ad-hoc committee that would
study the pesticide issue with the goal of making an ultimate
recommendation to council on whether to ban or not.

Coun. Philip Brown, who chairs the environmental issues committee,
said the ad-hoc committee will likely include two members of the
pesticide industry, two members from the environmental citizens
group, two residents, a biologist, a medical doctor appointed by Dr.
Lamont Sweet (the province's chief health officer) and a
representative from the provincial, city and federal governments
(non-voting status).

  In summary

   * The Canadian Cancer Society firmly supports the call to ban the
use of cosmetic pesticides.

   * The national organization says it made that decision based on
extensive scientific research from a number of studies.

   * A spokeswoman with the society says while there is no direct
evidence linking pesticides with cancer, there is plenty of
suggestive evidence.

   * The position the society takes is that using cosmetic pesticides
isn't worth the risk to human health and that there is no benefit to
human health.

  * Charlottetown's environmental issues committee is currently
formulating how an ad-hoc committee will be set up to examine the
pesticide issue. Council will vote on that committee on Aug. 14.

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