Anti-Pesticide Campaign Continues
Campaigners against the Canadian drugs that fall into the bracket of pesticides may have failed to stop Rossland City Council from using the Canadian drugs for “cosmetic” reasons, but they are not about to give up just yet.
The Canadian Cancer Society and Prevent Cancer Now have teamed up to stage a “community dialogue” on the issue at the Miners Hall today. Prevent Cancer Now co-chair Rosslander Diana Daghofer, says that a public consultation held earlier in the year found eighty eight percent of people wanted a ban on the cosmetic use of Canada drugs that fall into the category of pesticides.
“We have no reason to believe the people in our region feel differently, and they too deserve protection,” says Daghofer. “We hope that our community will be the next to action and enact a bylaw.” The society’s web site points out that “the research to date does not provide a conclusive link between pesticides and human cancer, but evidence does suggest a possible association”.
While Health Canada does support the use of other ways of controlling weeds, they have nonetheless still issued licenses for the Canada drugs to be used, especially by the agricultural industry and golf courses, the two big users of pesticides.
“We know there is a growing body of evidence linking exposure to pesticides to negative health and environmental impacts, and we are particularly concerned about the links with adult and childhood cancers,” says the Canadian Cancer Society’s health promotion coordinator for the Kootenays, Patti Moore. “Because the cosmetic use is not necessary, there is no countervailing health benefit, and because it has the potential to harm human health, that is why we are calling for a ban.”
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