headed the pesticide industry’s first committee on endocrine disruption before she left
Sandoz at the end of 1996. Here are her candid remarks:
‘‘It is their science or it’s no science. They are so intricately involved with pesticides
that who is anybody to tell them that pesticides can react in a way that is totally unsus-
pected? It’s hard to describe the personalattachment that many in the industry have
towards the industry. They grow up as a pesticide salesman or a bench scientist and they
climb up the ladder. You don’t move from the pesticide industry to another industry usu-
ally. I know that our CEO started out as a salesman. It is something that is their life, and
when an issue comes up that tries to show them that their whole life may be a
lie—I would have problems with that. You have to justify it to yourself. You have to
believe that you are not intentionally putting children or women or men in danger. And
they are not intentionally doing it. But the roadtohellispavedwithgoodintentions.’’^85
More from Industry
Representatives of the $1.5 billion non-agricultural pesticide industry, which makes
the herbicides and pesticides used in school applications, say their critics overstate the
potential harm of their products to children and underestimate the public health
threat of the bugs and weeds they are designed to kill.
‘‘Pesticides are the most efficient and effective means of protecting children’s health
in schools,’’ said Allen James, president of RISE. James referred to a 1997 National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases study that included cockroach allergens
among the top causes of childhood asthma. It also mentioned food infestations, poison
ivy, and weed-strewn playgrounds as prevalent threats to students’ health and safety.^86
In June 2003, the giant Grocery Manufacturers Association, the world’s largest asso-
ciation of food, beverage, and consumer product companies, presented the industry’s
position in a letter from Director of State Affairs Kristin Power to California State Sen-
ator Mike Machado, opposing a bill regulating pesticides then in the legislature:
‘‘Dear Senator Machado:
‘‘On behalf of the Grocery Manufacturers of America, I am writing to express our
opposition to Assembly Bill 1006...scheduled for hearing on Tuesday, July 1.
‘‘GMA and its member companies have worked collaboratively with members of
the California legislature over the past several years to address concerns regarding the
use of pesticides on school campuses. We appreciate the author’s [Senator Chu, the
bill’s sponsor] concern about the issue, however AB 1006 does not take into consider-
ation the risk of pests and allergens and the benefits of pesticides and cleansers. Chil-
dren are particularly vulnerable to bites and stings from spiders, ticks, wasps, and fire
ants. Additionally, many suffer allergic and asthmatic reactions to the presence of
roaches, bacteria, and other contaminants found in schools.
‘‘AB 106 would prohibit the use of many products that are safety and effectively
used to disinfect and prevent insect infestations, including mold and mildew remov-
ers, cleansers, and insecticides. These products are appropriately labeled for safe use
and are strictly regulated under both federal and state laws.’’^87
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