Heavy use of restricted-use pesticides demands information

It’s time to pay attention to the genealogy of the poisons that are impacting the health of children, mothers-to-be and families who live next to corporate agriculture. Some of the chemicals our children are exposed to can trace their history back to World War II nerve agents.

Chlorpyrifos is a highly toxic insecticide that merits special mention. It is being used in high volumes in Hawaii by a small number of farms. On Kauai’s west side, pesticide spraying can take place in fields that abut schools and playgrounds. In 2016, 10 Syngenta field workers were hospitalized after exposure to chlorpyrifos.

There are at least 27 schools in Hawaii within a mile of commercial agricultural operations that apply large volumes of restricted-use pesticides (RUPs).

Children have more skin surface area relative to body weight, making them especially vulnerable. Pregnant women risk giving birth to babies who are five times more likely to be on the autism spectrum, more than six times likely to have ADHD-type symptoms and more than 11 times likely to suffer from other attention disorders.

A long-term Columbia University study looked at children born before and after a ban on in-home use of chlorpyrifos took effect. Children born before the ban had much higher exposure levels, were smaller, had poorer reflexes and weighed less.

The American Academy of Pediatric Physicians has raised the alarm about chlorpyrifos.

The EPA’s own 2016 Risk Assessment for non-occupational spray drift exposure to chlorpyrifos concluded that all scenarios “require buffer distances of >300 feet to be below the level of concern.” The EPA, which was poised to ban the chemical, reversed course under Scott Pruitt’s leadership.

Senate Bill 3095 HD 1 in its current form is a clear step forward in protecting the health of our keiki. We welcome the provisions that restrict companies from spraying RUPs within 100 feet of schools during instructional hours. We welcome the call for mandatory regular reporting by the largest users of RUPs. And we applaud the ban on chlorpyrifos.

This month’s visit here by Dr. Virginia Rauh, deputy director of the Columbia University Children’s Center for Environmental Health, was timely. She was the principal investigator on studies documenting the impacts of chlorpyrifos on child neurodevelopment and brain abnormalities.

Her article in the New England Journal of Medicine points out that “harmful effects of chlorpyrifos on the developing brain are hardly surprising, given that this chemical was initially developed to attack the nervous system by inhibiting neurotransmitters in the body. First introduced as nerve-gas agents during World War II, organophosphate chemicals were later repurposed by chemical companies as insecticides and other pesticides.”

We understand the reluctance of legislators to burden corporations with regulations. But asking corporations to do no harm and be transparent about their activities should take priority over asking the community to bear the burden of severe health risks.

Neighbor island representatives who testified at recent hearings included mothers, teachers, marine biologists, nurses and businesspeople. Kelly King, founder of Pacific Biofuels testified that her company does not apply RUPs. If a mid-size business can pay attention to the Triple Bottom Line — people, planet and profits — and still thrive without harming its neighbors, legislators should not shrink from asking big corporations to do likewise.

Native Hawaiian and rural, lower-income communities are the ones most at risk. As health professionals we believe in prevention. The impact on communities who have to endure chronic long-term exposure to highly toxic chemicals is something that we must address.

Corporations who insist they are doing no harm should have no trouble providing information on the chemicals they use liberally year-round. Legislators should have no trouble insisting on it.

Our children deserve no less.

Wailua Brandman, founding president of the Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses (HAPN), chairs its legislative committee.