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The Use of Pesticides

2002:05EM THE USE OF PESTICIDES

Whereas:

  • More than 6,000 pesticide products are currently registered, and Canadians annually purchase and use up to 50 million kilograms of pesticides, spending $121 million a year on non-agricultural pest management products alone;
  • The World Commission on Health and the Environment of the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 220,000 deaths annually directly attributable to pesticides, as well as over 700,000 people suffering from the chronic effects of long-term exposure to pesticides;
  • Children in the formative stages of their development are at high risk from the use of pesticides;
  • Also at risk from pesticide use are pregnant women and the fetus they are carrying; workers such as farmers, exterminators, and golf course maintenance workers who use pesticides on the job; those in poor health, including older persons; pets and wildlife; as well as earthworms and microbes beneficial to soil and crops;
  • A recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada has made it possible for municipalities to prohibit the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes, but there is currently no requirement for them to do so;
  • Scientific understanding of the effects of toxic substances on human health is incomplete and remains the subject of ongoing scientific investigations;

RESOLVED:

  • That the National Council of Women of Canada adopt as policy the reduction and eventual phase-out of the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes and the promotion of alternative methods of pest and weed control.

RESOLVED:

  • That the National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada to:
    1. Exercise the precautionary principle in decisions affecting the registration and use of pesticides so that registration does not occur where there is doubt about the safety of a pesticide;
    2. Support research and promote alternatives to traditional pesticide and herbicide use;
    3. Re-evaluate pesticides that have been in use for many years and ban those that do not meet modern safety standards;
    4. Provide leadership to eliminate the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes;
    5. Take leadership in informing the general public about the use of pesticides and their possible harmful effects.