By Judy Hoy, Stevensville
Last week President Trump conned the media into talking continuously about what he said to four Congresspersons. Meanwhile, the EPA upon his orders registered for use a new insecticide called Sulfoxaflor, a bee-killing compound similar to the notorious neonicotinoid insecticides. In addition, the EPA was told to take use restrictions off of the insecticide, Chlorpyrifos (Dursban). Exposure damages children and farmworkers, so was banned for most uses. Birth defects on children exposed as a fetus to Chlorpyrifos included defects of the brain, eyes, ears, palate, teeth, heart, feet, nipples, and genitalia. The leading cause of infant deaths in the United States is birth defects, accounting for 20.1%. There is a growing body of evidence that agrichemical exposures may significantly contribute to birth defects. Imidacloprid, the neonicotinoid shown to kill invertebrates and most vertebrates, including large mammals, is especially concerning and should be banned immediately, as should Chlorpyrifos. Roundup, implicated in causing cancer and known to kill non-target plants and animals, should be banned immediately. All the toxins mentioned kill bees and cause birth defects on vertebrate young, human newborns included. Does anyone care?