Pesticides are safe if used properly says scientist

Jennifer Smith - Kelowna Capital News Published: January 31, 2009

Anything can kill you, it’s the dose that counts, according to Keith Solomon, a toxicologist with the University of Guelph who spoke at the Environmental Plant Management Associations’ conference Friday about using pesticides. On Thursday, during the conference, another speaker, a pesticide advocate, challenged the industry to sue those who disagree with using the products. By Friday afternoon, the troops were rallying behind the cause with conference conveners encouraging industry professionals not to have a knee-jerk reaction to reports in media that speak out in favour of Kelowna’s cosmetic pesticide ban—particularly if they quote the UBCO English professor (or his wife) who are leading the rally against their cause. For his part, Solomon encouraged his audience to use the products judiciously, as simply any other tool in its arsenal, and tried to provide some facts for the fight. “It’s very difficult for the public, for politicians, to differentiate between the potential for harm and risk,” he said.Pound enough sugar, salt or egg white into a body and eventually you will kill a person, he said. It’s the same principle with the chemicals.

Provided people follow the safety guidelines and use the products sparingly, they offer far more benefits than potential for harm, he said. In Kenya, 70 per cent of the population is involved in food production, whereas only two per cent of North Americans are, said Solomon, noting that those who criticize these products tend to be the ones who benefited the most from their existence. “In Africa, they’re trying to get more pesticides,” he said. As someone who tests the products prior to them reaching the market he said it’s generally the user, not the product, that causes problems. In North America, pesticides are directly responsible for only hundreds of poisonings versus thousands in the developing world where those spraying the products tend not to have the same protective gear and safety standards available to them. As for Canadian pesticide bans, like the one instituted in Ontario, Solomon encouraged his audience to question the fine print, as it were, pointing to some obvious flaws in the logic. In that case, some very toxic insecticides, like pyrethrins, are fully permitted if they are used for health or safety reasons—like killing a wasps’ nest.

Solomon suggested the testing is thorough and so-called cancer epidemics, linked to the products are unrealistic when one considers that the statistics, don’t reflect an increase in cancers in Canada at all—at least if age and the population increase are factored into the equation. Pesticides offer a $3 to $4 return on the dollar investment for growers—not much if they are not used sparingly, he said.“Sometimes you just need that exact socket wrench for that exact size nut and there’s no other tool in the tool box that will do,” he said.