John, Every year more than 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used in the United States. One-quarter of that total, roughly 300 million pounds, are so dangerous they've been banned in many other countries — including Brazil, China, and the whole European Union. These pesticides don't just disappear. They pollute the air, water, and soil long after they're applied. Some (like organophosphates) have even been used as nerve agents in chemical warfare; others (like atrazine) are linked to amphibian declines and severe health problems in people. The United States doesn’t have to keep poisoning itself with these extremely toxic chemicals. If the biggest agricultural economies in the world can move forward without them, we can too.
Tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ban pesticides that other countries already consider too dangerous to use. |
