An excerpt from the PACTPA press release packet reads:
Each year, the United States uses over a billion pounds of pesticides — nearly a fifth of worldwide use. Once they’re approved, pesticides often remain on the market for decades, even when scientific evidence overwhelmingly shows a pesticide is causing harm to people or the environment. In 2017 and 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency registered more than 100 pesticides containing ingredients widely considered to be dangerous.
Approximately one-third of annual U.S. pesticide use — over 300 million pounds from 85 different pesticides — comes from pesticides that are banned in the European Union. The pesticide regulation statute, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1972 (FIFRA), contains many loopholes that put the interests of the pesticide industry above the health and safety of people and our environment.
The Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act of 2020 (PACTPA) from Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), would provide desperately-needed improvement to FIFRA that would better protect people and the environment and calls for the following:
1. Bans some of the most damaging pesticides scientifically known to cause significant harm to people and the environment such as organophosphates, neonicotinoids, and paraquat
2. Closes loopholes in emergency exemption regulation
3. Places restrictions on pesticides banned in Europe or Canada until the EPA does a thorough safety testing review
4. Requires farm owners to report injury to farm laborers from agrochemicals
5. Places restrictions on agrochemicals that have shown to injure farm workers
6. Requires instructions on agrochemical labels to be provided in the foreign language of applicators if there are 500+ speakers of that language
7. Enables local communities to petition the EPA to investigate the harm from a pesticide and enact protective legislation and other policies without being vetoed or preempted by state law
In other words, regarding point number seven, incidents such as the shocking reversal of the Maui vote to ban glyphosate herbicides from the island would be prevented. If this bill were to pass it would prevent additional corruptions of justice such as the one that happened in Maui when the residents overwhelmingly voted by clear democratic process, to ban glyphosate from their island, and yet, the courts over ruled their vote, stating federal and state laws.
Pediatrician, Dr. Michelle Perro, author of “What's Making Our Children Sick?“ who has supported the recovery of thousands of children from exposure to environmental toxicants stated, “We must reduce the exposure of toxicants to our children. We are in the midst of a health epidemic and agrochemicals are at the top of the list of major contributing factors to health issues I see in our children today. This bill, if passed, would be a crucial factor in reducing harm to the most vulnerable population, our children, and reduce healthcare costs. A bi-partisan bill that places our children’s well-being as a priority over agrochemical business profits would be a welcomed progressive change.”
The passing of this bill would clearly be a huge step in the direction of a safer, less toxic food supply which would reduce health care costs, strengthen our economy, and support future generations of Americans. Moms Across America and many consumer groups call upon our elected officials to be co-signers on this bill.
You can take action and ask your representatives and senators to co-sign this bill today by clicking here.
moms across america