“The patent for 2,4-D was issued in 1945. As one of the world first “hormone herbicides”.

The list of known or suspected health effects reads like an inventory of the worst possible things that could happen to a human. And I'm not even referring to things like the nausea, headaches, vomiting, eye irritation, difficulty breathing and lack of coordination that can occur from accidentally spilling 2,4D on your skin. I'm referring to the long-term effects of exposure to 2,4-D: non-Hodgkins's lymphoma ( a form of blood cancer),  neurological impairment, asthma, immune system suppression, reproductive problems and birth defects. 

In farming families in North America, for instance, there is a higher incidence of miscarriages and birth defects than in the general population. Farmers in Ontario, who use pesticides also have lower sperm counts and poorer-quality sperm than non-farmers. 

There is a clear link between pesticide exposure and many forms of cancer, and this has made doctors concerned. A recent examination by a team of doctors and scientists of more than one hundred studies on pesticides and cancer concluded, that most studies on non-Hodgkins's lymphoma and leukaemia showed positive associations with pesticide exposure.  Children's and pregnant women's exposure to pesticides was positively associated with the cancers examined in some studies, as was parents' exposure to pesticides at work. The most consistent associations were found for brain and prostate cancer.
 
After reviewing 124 studies, doctors found the consistency of evidence showing that pesticides exposure increases the risk of neurologic, reproductive and genotoxic effects. They found strong evidence linking pesticide exposure and birth defects, foetal death and altered growth. 

According to the chemical industry, pesticides are safe and there is no science to suggest otherwise. According to doctors, hundreds of studies link pesticides to neurological problems, cancers, birth defects and many other disorders and diseases.

Even tiny and very brief dose of pesticides, far below current safety levels, can damage infant brains.

The traditional assumption is that the degree of harm increases with the dose. This means that the more poison you receive, the more harm it will do. This is not true for 2,4-D or many other toxins.  Hormone-disrupting chemicals follow a “U-curve”. A very low dose may cause significant harm, a moderate dose may cause a lesser degree of harm and a large dose again may cause significant harm.

The problem, as I see it, is that the regulators are far too close to the industries they regulate. In other words the foxes are guarding the hen house. “ End of excerpt.
 
Summary for our community which is currently exposed to major private and council spraying.  Please contact us to find out how you can raise your concern to Council, who is currently reviewing their policy on the Herbicides/Pesticides procedures.  Now is the time to let our voices of concern be heard!

healthyenvirontmentgroup.org