Local opinion: Spraying pesticides and public health, still an issue

The Cronkite article (Nov. 11), “The human toll of Yuma’s vegetable empire,” reminded me of the expression, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Farmland of Yuma is being sprayed with pesticides, to which farm workers are exposed while working the fields. Acute illnesses emerge just from skin exposure, bad enough to start with. Even worse, ingestion of pesticide residues can lead to devastating diseases such as cancer, but not till after years of time have elapsed, making it impossible to associate the cancer with any specific cause.

The article says the science on pesticides and human health is 60 years old. No citations are given, but presumably this refers to the book, “Silent Spring,” published just over 60 years ago, which documented adverse, unintended consequences of the overuse of pesticides in the war against insects. Acute and long-term health effects on humans were tied to exposure to pesticides, and not just for farmworkers but also for others living near areas being sprayed. Also documented was the loss of other animal life, including fish, birds, and even beneficial insects. Pesticides tend not to be specific, so aerial broadcasting of them can wreak havoc up and down the food chain.

Silent Spring pointed out that, ironically, pesticides don’t really work in the long term. Yes, target insects are killed in the first spraying, but inevitably, some individual insects survive to live another day and reproduce, thereby creating the next generation with resistance to the pesticide. A few insect generations later, the pesticide is ineffective, and the target insect is not only still around, it’s harder to kill. New, stronger pesticides must be synthesized, and the cycle repeats itself. Would it still be necessary to continue spraying 60 years later if this weren’t true?

Silent Spring also listed alternatives to pesticides, including biological controls like fostering natural predators, sterilizing male insects (not as hard as it might seem), or attracting insects away from crops. Given 60 years of experimentation since then, the current suite of biological options today must be enormous.

The author of Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, was revered by many (Patron Saint of Environmentalism) and reviled by some (paranoid, murderer, woman). The vilification that Carson experienced is also being practiced 60 years later on other issues, e.g., global warming, where scientists are attacked ad hominem for merely elucidating the obvious: temperatures are rising globally, a common byproduct of industrial life (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that therefore, logically, must be playing a role, and adverse, unintended consequences will likely ensue due to warming. Research and data demonstrating any of this is dismissed with a single word: “hoax.”

The Tucson-Pima Public Library carries Silent Spring, so it’s easy to obtain a copy and catch up on what was known 60 years ago about pesticides. Also recommendable: search for “Bill Moyers Remembering Rachel Carson” to find and watch an excellent video covering pesticides, Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, and a terrific stage play about it all, A Sense of Wonder, by actress and playwright Kaiulani Lee.

And may we all acknowledge the health plight of farmworkers (Yuma and elsewhere) as we enjoy lettuce and melons.