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Currents activities
New book on ecological solutions in horticulture
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Available in the section publications of our website (just in French)
Our Provincial Program on Alternatives to Pesticides for Municipalities
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CERTIFICATION
OF SERVICES IN HORTICULTURE WHICH RESPECTS ECOSYSTEMS
for the professionals in landscaping and in greenspaces maintenance
who offer or want to adopt horticultural practices which respect ecosystems.
(Description and explanation of Horti-Eco certification are available just in French)
Quebec’s Pesticide Code Supported by Citizens
CAP Congratulates Government for Sound Science and
Health Protection
through Prevention
Montreal, Quebec.
April 18, 2006 – The Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (CAP)
strongly supports the Minister of the Environment, Quebec, for the Pesticide
Code of Quebec. Since the Code’s final implementation last Monday,
CAP has received an avalanche of email and calls of congratulations
for the impressive health protection Pesticide Code of Quebec. CAP in
turn, wishes to pass on these good wishes to the Government of Quebec
who should be proud of this landmark legislation, the first in North
America and possibly the world! We sincerely thank the Government
of Quebec for upholding and implementing the Code.
CAP wishes to communicate
the following messages to the Press, the Government and the people of
Quebec:
Dr. Warren Bell,
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment states, “CAPE
is deeply grateful for the foresight and astonishing courage of the
government of Quebec, as demonstrated by its passage of the Pesticide
Code. There's new research on combinations of pesticides along with
other poisons, new research on pesticides in their actual products (not
isolated on their own), new research on children's cancers, new research
on the body burden of pesticides and other chemicals. This research
should have been done 40 years ago, but wasn't. Now, finally, detailed
research is showing, with increasing clarity, how insidious and devastating
the effects of pesticides really are. It makes the litany from industry
-- that these products are thoroughly researched and regulated -- sound
like the meaningless propaganda it always was. This new research makes
it clearer than ever that these substances should, as the Ontario College
of Family Physicians said, be avoided at all costs."
Elizabeth Guillette,
Ph.D. Assoc. Research Scientist in Anthropology, University of Florida:
“Research has repeatedly shown a strong correlation between pesticide
use and decreased mental and physical abilities in children. For some,
this loss of capabilities is minor but on a community scale, even a
5 point loss of IQ means a 57% increase in the mentally retarded plus
a similar decrease of the mentally gifted. The result is a loss of those
capable of creative leadership and invention, and a sharp rise in medical
and educations expenditures for those requiring specialized care. Cities
across North America should be following Quebec's ban on the unnecessary
use of pesticides.”
Warren Porter, PhD,
Professor of Zoology, Professor of Environmental Toxicology, University
of Wisconsin, Madison, congratulates Quebec for the Pesticide Code and
adds “Our studies on lawn pesticides and commonly occurring pesticide/fertilizer
mixtures show induction of abortions and resorption of fetuses, immune,
neurological, and hormonal changes in experimental animals at environmentally
relevant levels. Work by other scientists show important health effects
on children and adults due to pesticide exposure. There are hundreds
of studies now in the peer reviewed scientific literature showing a
broad array of biological effects on animals or humans due to environmental
or controlled laboratory exposures to pesticides, especially herbicides.”
“What is registered (‘active’ ingredient)
is only part of the formulation sold to the consumer. Registration
procedures do not routinely include tests of mixtures of active ingredients
and especially of the solvents and surfactants (other ingredients) in
the mixtures that have their own biological activity. Fat soluble solvents
are the universal master key to enter the skin and cell membranes and
cross the blood brain barrier and the placenta of a fetus. Surfactants
are the master key to penetrate the respiratory surfaces of the lungs.”
“Unregistered production contaminants may also
be present in formulations sold over-the-counter. These contaminants
may also be biologically active.”
“Registration procedures do not include tests
for neurological, endocrine, or immune effects, especially in the parts
per billion and parts per trillion which is where endocrine responses
typically occur. The neurological, endocrine, and immune systems
are intimately interconnected and communicate with each other, which
can result in effects on all three when one is perturbed.”
“A recent peer reviewed study published in one
of the most prestigious toxicology journals by a group of some of the
most eminent reproductive physiologists in the world has demonstrated
that the linear dose response assumed in the regulatory process may
underestimate biological effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals by
up to 10,000 times at very low doses.” *
“A commentary published later in the same journal
documents the use by industry of an animal strain that is non responding,
which provides for "no effect" results, when compared against
independent research studies using different strains that show significant
biological effects for the same chemicals.”
Édith Smeesters,
Biologist, Spokesperson, CAP, "Quebec has shown its citizens that
health protection is the most important priority. Alternatives to pesticides
exist. Restrictions on pesticide use in Quebec have existed since the
80's and not only do green spaces exist in these areas, but their property
values have increased too! Biodiversity is the slogan of the future.
Even if there should be damage to plants, human health should always
come first. There is no reason to lose plants because 20 pesticide active
ingredients have been banned. Prevention is always the best strategy"
Michel Gaudet, President,
CAP: “It is now time for those who have been injured by pesticide
and other chemical exposures to be taken care of and socially rehabilitated
with adequate protection in place. Their numbers are growing. Understandably
this will be a major undertaking: however, the government must recall
the lesson from the tobacco lawsuits and make the offender pay for these
costs.”
*Large Effects from Small Exposures. I. Mechanisms for Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals with Estrogenic Activity –Wade V. Welshons,1 Kristine A. Thayer, 2Barbara M. Judy, 1 Julia A. Taylor, 1 Edward M. Curran, 1and Frederick S. vom Saal 2
1 Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and 2Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
Volume 111 | NUMBER 8 | June
2003. Environmental Health Perspectives
A " Phenix " prize in Environment for 2005
Distinctions to CAP !
The Coalition for the alternatives to pesticides is going to distinguish a third time.
The MRC of Blainville received a Phenix prize at the Phénix de l'environnement 2005 in the category "Protection, restoration and enhancer of Environment in sustainable development perspective". The MRC wanted to share this honour with its partners: the Coalition for the Alternatives to pesticides (CAP), Nature-Action Québec (NAQ) and Solutions Alternatives Environnement inc. (SAE).
To learn everything about the award winners in 2005: http://www.phenixdelenvironnement.qc.ca/
A new demo site on ecological lawn was created at Longueuil on 777, d'Auvergne in 2005.
A zone was completely renovated with a "rotodairon" (for infos: F Gagné: (514) 836-3619), one second zone is in progressive restoration with cultural methods and the third zone is used as test.
An interpretation panel makes it possible to the visitors to be informed on the ecological methods and two workshops were taken place on August 27 and on September 17, 2005.
The site of St-Bruno, located at the public library (Boul Seigneurial), is always in activity this year and a workshop took place on June 11, 2005.
©CAP-Québec 2006, All right reserved