Environmental Health

I found Susan's story to be inspiring. Her dedication and will was impressive during her quest to show the use of pesticides and other dangerous chemicals banned in Canada. I think we need more activists to speak out like her to bring about positive change in Canada. I have always heard of the dangers of using and being exposed to pesticides but until Susan's presentation i was unaware just how dangerous these chemicals are.

After the video we watched i wondered why more studies have not been done to see the effects of pesticides used on large plantations and the relationship to the health of the villagers. Even in the study done in the documentary the researcher funded her own work and was told to use a specific title of 'environmental research' so that the local people did not get frightened. Her results were alarming, and showed that the effects of pesticide use on children living nearby. Their development skills were seriously effected, i found this distributing. I hope that more studies are able to prove the effects and see that pesticides are banned completely.

Lack of scientific and medical certainty is one of the main reasons pesticides are still used. Studies like in the video we watched are taken less serious because they are not accepted as scientific. More research must be done in this area. Everyday hygienic products like deodorant, makeup, lotions and shampoos have been linked to cancer, but do not get studied. This relates back to corporate power. Companies do not wish to fund these studies, and show serious resistance to any new studies as they profit immensely from both the products themselves and cancer treatments.