In this issue of Pesticides News we reproduce the inaugural Rachel Carson Memorial Lecture presented by Dr Sandra Steingraber, a prominent researcher and campaigner concerned with the burdens our bodies suffer from chemical pollution.
Sandra recalled her own experiences with pesticides and other toxins in a vivid and lucid manner – one that is easily understandable to the public at large. Most notably she is the author of two seminal books that are required reading for all those who have a care for human health and the environment. Living Downstream focuses on environmental contaminants and their links with the risk of cancer. Having Faith followed Sandra's own pregnancy and linked it with an attempt to summarise the findings of foetal toxicity, and the impact of pollutants at vulnerable times in our lives during childhood and older age.
In PN we also report from Eastern Europe on the threat pesticides continue to pose to the quality of drinking water. In rural Romania, millions of inhabitants drink water polluted with nitrates, bacteria and pesticides. Margriet Samwel reports on how a project in one village is carrying out measures to improve its water quality.
Another environmental concern centres around the use of the hazardous fumigant methyl bromide (MB) and its impact on atmospheric ozone depletion. From January 2005 all imports and manufacture of MB are due to cease, as part of the internationally agreed Montreal Protocol. PAN UK is now concerned that pressure from MB manufacturers will result in many exemptions being agreed by European, North American, Japanese and Australian regulators.
Elsewhere we report on a range of key presentations made at PAN Europe conferences. Our policy conference Reducing Pesticide Dependency in Europe to Protect Health, Environment and Biodiversity in November 2003 was organised as part of the Pesticide Use Reduction in Europe (PURE) campaign. The aim of the meeting was to stimulate discussion among European Union member states and accession (Eastern European) countries officials, experts and public interest groups. Over 60 people from 18 European countries debated the case for reducing pesticide dependency, and some steps towards achieving such reduction.
Finally, we report on PAN Europe's fifth Network Conference for members which was also held in November 2003 in Copenhagen. The conference started with an introduction to PAN Europe and its activities since the last conference. We report here on two papers presented. Professor Belpomme, president of a French anti-cancer group (ARTAC), gave a keynote speech on pesticide exposure and cancer incidence. Poul Henning Petersen from the Danish Agricultural Advisory Service reports on his organisation’s work with farmers to encourage and assist them to take part in Denmark's pesticide action plan.
[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 63, March 2004, page 2]