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Lorsban is sprayed on a soccer pitch to
control grubs, 1987. Photo: srv007 via Flickr. |
Dow's teratogenic pesticide chlorpyrifos is a human
and environmental disaster, writes Janette D. Sherman. It causes
serious, irreversible damage to the human foetus even at low
concentrations that may be harmless to the mother, resulting in severely
and permanently disabled and mentally damaged children. But it's still
sprayed in vast quantities on America's farms.
The recent number of articles in the
popular press concerning loss of intellect among children exposed to
chlorpyrifos is important in the case of this pesticide.
Although in-home use of chlorpyrifos was restricted in the US in
2000, it is widely used in agriculture, and is a serious risk to health
and intellect for people working and living in proximity to fields.
Detectable levels of chlorpyrifos detected in New York City children,
raises the question of exposure via food.
Across the US we learn that students are doing poorly in school,
often blaming the teachers and their unions.
Are teachers no longer
competent to teach or have children been 'dumbed-down' by exposure to
this neurotoxin?
The State of California is considering restriction on use, but is
prepared for strong opposition from the pesticide and big agricultural
industries.
FLK - 'Funny looking kid' syndrome
Back in the 'Dark Ages' - a mere 50 years ago - when I was a medical
student and intern at Wayne State University, I rotated through
Children's Hospital in Detroit. It was staffed by some of the most
thoughtful and kind physician / professors I have ever met.
I attended a clinic named 'FLK' otherwise known as Funny Looking Kid
clinic. There we saw children who had abnormal looking faces, abnormal
body parts, and, often impaired intelligence.
Many of the children required complicated medical care, but I don't recall much discussion as to
why they had these abnormalities that had dramatically cut short their futures and altered the lives of their families.
Realizing you have given birth to a child with birth defects is
devastating - not only for the child, but for the family, and for
society in general. If the child survives infancy, it means being
'different' and having to cope with disability, and with having to learn
alternative ways to function.
For many families, it means 24/7 care of a child who can never live
independently. For society the costs can be enormous - surgery (often
multiple), medications, social services, special education, special
equipment, then alternative living arrangements, if and when family
cannot care for their child, now grown to a non-functional adult.
Chlorpyrifos - a potent neurotoxin
Although the neurotoxicity of pesticides has been known for decades,
recently, several national magazines, have named the pesticide,
chlorpyrifos, as an agent causing loss of intelligence, as well as
birth defects and structural brain damage.
Dr. James Hamblin's article in March 2014 issue of
The Atlantic, titled '
The Toxins that Threaten Our Brains' listed 12 commonly used chemicals, including chlorpyrifos, which is marketed as Dursban and Lorsban.
The exposures described in the
Atlantic articles were urban,
so we do not know exactly how widespread is this epidemic is,
especially if we do not include agricultural areas such as in
California, Hawaii and the mid-West..
That same month,
The Nation published Susan Freinkel's articles '
Warning Signs: How Pesticides Harm the Young Brain' and '
6 Ways to Avoid Eating Pesticide Residue'; and Lee Fang's '
The Pesticide Industry vs. Consumers: Not a Fair Fight'. All report adverse effects from exposure to Dursban and Lorsban.
Dr. Hamblin's article generously cites Drs. Philip Landrigan of Mt.
Sinai in New York City and Philippe Grandjean of Harvard that a
"'silent pandemic' of toxins has been damaging the brains of unborn children."
Dr. Landrigan chaired a 1998 meeting of the Collegium Ramazzini
International Scientific Conference, held in Carpi, Italy. In attendance
was Dr. Grandjean, whose research found
"Methylmercury as a hazard to brain development." Dr. Richard Jackson, from the US CDC was also in attendance, as well as US governmental and university members.
At that Collegium Ramazzini International Scientific Conference, on
October 25, 1998, I presented definitive data in my paper: 'Chlorpyrifos
(Dursban) exposure and birth defects: report of 15 incidents,
evaluation of 8 cases, theory of action, and medical and social
aspects.'
This presentation followed my earlier publications beginning in 1994
wherein I reported damage to the unborn from the same pesticide.
The Ramazzini organization sent my paper to the
European Journal of Oncology
for publication. Since my paper reported birth defects, not cancer, the
paper has received little notice, but the attendees, including the
EPA, have known of the findings for 16 years.
Hawaii - awash with pesticides
Currently a
new battle is occurring in Hawaii
over the use of pesticides, especially by Dow AgroSciences, DuPont
Pioneer, BASF Plant Science, and Syngenta on the island of Kauai where
giant seed companies develop Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and
other specialized seeds.
The pesticides used there include alachlor, atrazine, chlorpyrifos, methomyl, metalochlor, permethrin and paraquat.
Author Paul Koberstein from
Cascadia Times estimates that
annually, more than 2,000 pounds of chlorpyrifos are used per acre per
year on Kauai, compared to less than 0.025 averages for the US Mainland.
In addition to Hawaii, areas in California include workers and
families from the Imperial Valley and other intensive agricultural areas
where pesticide use is extensive. Using the Koberstein data, annual
use of chlorpyrifos in California is approximately 1500 pounds/ acre.
Neurological damage: before and after birth
Birth defects arise as a result of two mechanisms - damage to a gene,
prior to fertilization, or damage to the growing cells of the fetus
after life in the womb has begun.
Differing from genetic damage, such as occurs in Down syndrome or
Trisomy-21, the latter damage results from exposure of the developing
fetus to agents called teratogens.
For many years Mongolism was the name applied to children with growth
delays, similar facial and hand features and intellectual deficits.
Chlorpyrifos is a unique pesticide. It is a combination of an
organophosphate and a trichlorinatedpyridinol (TCP). TCP is not only the
feedstock used in the manufacture of chlorpyrifos, but also a
contaminant in the product, and a metabolic breakdown product that is
known to cause central nervous system abnormalities (hydrocephaly and
dilated brain ventricles), and other abnormalities (cleft palate, skull
and vertebral abnormalities) in fetuses - as reported by Dow Chemical
Co.
What exposure to Dursban can do
In March 1995, I was asked to fly to Arkansas to see a child whose
mother had been exposed to the pesticide Dursban (chlorpyrifos) early in
the pregnancy of her daughter.
Mrs S had been working in a bank when in mid-March, 1991, she
noticed a man spraying the baseboards behind the station where she
worked as a teller. She said she asked the man if was okay to be in the
area since she was pregnant, and she said the man told her it was
"perfectly safe".
She said the spraying had occurred around 4 PM, and that she worked
at the bank until 6:30 PM, and when she went home that evening she had
nausea and a
"bit of headache". She said she returned to work the next day, felt nausea, but worked most of the day.
An electrical fire at the drive-in window followed the pesticide event, and a technician used of a fogger that sprayed a
"citrus-like"
chemical that was intended to deodorize the smoke odor. Mrs S said she
worked at the bank until about April of that year, and then worked at a
credit union until her daughter was born in September.
When Mrs S was about five months pregnant she had an ultrasound,
which showed that her baby had enlarged ventricles in her brain. Further
examination revealed absence of the
septum pellucidum, a
central portion of her brain. Mrs. S. had additional follow up at a
university center as well as with her own physician that showed normal
amniocentesis and normal chromosomes.
Both Mr & Mrs S said that caring for the daughter A. has been a
severe financial and emotional drain, sometimes requiring them to be up
72 hours to try to soothe A's crying. A. had surgery to repair her
cleft lip when she was six months old, and repair of her cleft palate
and left eyelid when she was a year old.
Both cleft lip and palate can now be repaired (in areas with skilled
surgeon, and insurance or other funds) but until they are, the child
has difficulty feeding and risks poor nutrition, upper respiratory and
lung problems as a result of aspiration of food.
Additional diagnostic procedures indicated that A has a cleft left
eye (failure of her eye to fuse during development), and she cannot
blink her eye or move the left side of her face.
A was unable to sit up on her own by the time she was a year old, had
to have food pureed until she was two, then her parents realized that
when A neared her 4
th birthday, she could not hear, when they began a program of sign language with the aid of a speech therapist.
A's brother B was born two years later, and is well, sleeping thought the night when he was two weeks of age.
I was given a tour of the bank where Mrs S worked by its' Senior
Vice-President, and to minimize stress to A, I examined her in the
office and presence of her pediatrician. I also accompanied her parents
to their home where I could observe A at her home.
A was a small-boned child who walked with a wide-based, unsteady gait
and who made audible sounds, but no language content. Her head was
enlarged with hydrocephaly and a small bruise due to a recent, commonly
occurring fall. Her abnormalities included the following, and were
characteristic of findings in other children: low-set, tapering ears,
wide-spaced nipples, and frequent infections.
This litany is not to horrify readers, but to bring to attention to
the burdens imposed upon this child, her parents, and society as a
whole. I evaluated seven more children, two families each having two
children with similar, but more severe medical conditions.
Eight cases of severe retardation - and a single common cause
With the exception of child #1, the seven children were profoundly
retarded, were diapered, could not speak, and required feeding.
I first met C & D in 1996, along with their parents and handsome,
healthy older brother, at their attractive home on the West Coast.
Both D (a girl) and C (a boy) were lying flat, diapered, mouths open,
fists clenched, staring into space, and being fed by bottle. Even
today, looking at the photographs reminds me what an enormous burden
was dealt to that family.
Ultimately I evaluated eight children, and identified seven more,
reported by Dow Chemical Co., the manufacturer, to EPA on November 2,
1994, with reporting delays of as long as seven years from when the
corporation first learned of them.
I obtained the reports via a Freedom of Information request (FOI) from EPA. The reports were labeled with the revealing name:
"DERBI" - or -
"Dow Elanco Research Business Index."
When I saw seven more children, all of who looked like siblings,
(much as Trisomy-21 or Down Syndrome children do) it became clear to me,
that the cause was linked to Dursban, the pre-natal exposure common to
each.
Among the Dursban-exposed children, all 8 had both brain and palate
abnormalities, seven had widespread nipples and growth retardation, six
had low vision or blindness and six had genital abnormalities, five had
brain atrophy and external ear abnormalities, four children had
absence of the
corpus collosum that is the critical connection between the two hemispheres of the brain.
Chromosomal studies were normal in all 8 families. All families
reported stress and enormous financial burden to care for their
children.
In addition to the children with birth defects, I also evaluated a
number of families and a group of adults who had been exposed at their
work site. Of the workers, all 12 complained of headache, and three of
dizziness.
Eight had findings of central nervous system damage, and six had
peripheral nervous system damage. The patients reported upper
respiratory and chest symptoms, as well as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
and four had incontinence. The families also reported abnormalities and
deaths in their household pets.
Dow knew in 1987, but waited five years to tell EPA
In February 1996, my deposition in the first case was taken by three
groups of attorneys representing the defendants, two principally
defending Dow Elanco. I was questioned for three 8-hour days. Ultimately
a list of 565 exhibits was accumulated that included over 10,000 pages
of materials that I supplied and relied upon for my opinion.
These materials included Dow documents and correspondence, EPA
documents, legal depositions, basic embryology, biochemistry and
toxicology of chlorpyrifos, medical records of other exposed children,
patents, books, articles, etc, etc.
Chlorpyrifos was designed to be neurotoxic in action. It is an
interesting pesticide, in that it has not only an organophosphate
portion, but also it has three chlorine atoms attached to a pyridinol
ring. This ring is trichloropyridinol (TCP), a significant hazard,
because it is fat-soluble, and persistent, up to 18 years as claimed by
Dow Chemical Co.
TCP also forms the body of trichlophenoxyacetic acid, part of Agent
Orange, also linked to birth defects and cancer. In a war that ended in
1975, Agent Orange continues as a risk to the Vietnamese, and to
military troops that were stationed there.
According to multiple Dow documents, TCP is the feedstock for
production of chlopryrifos, a contaminant in the product, and a
metabolic breakdown product. TCP has been demonstrated to cause central
nervous system anomalies (hydrocephaly and dilated brain ventricles) as
well as cleft palate, skull and vertebral abnormalities in the fetus
at doses nontoxic to the mother, similar to the defects seen in
affected children.
That TCP caused birth defects was known by Dow in 1987, but not reported to EPA until five years later in 1992.
TCP is used to manufacture chlorpyrifos, and as such, comes under
regulation of Section 8(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA),
rather than the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Control
Act (FIFRA.) Though there was regulatory difference, TSCA states very
clearly:
"Any person who manufactures, processes or distributed in
commerce a chemical substance or mixture, or who obtains information
which reasonable supports the conclusion that such substance or mixture
presents a substantial risk of injure to heath or the environment,
shall immediately inform the Administrator of such information."
From 1976 to 1982, I was a member of a 16 person Advisory Committee
to the EPA for TSCA, Chairman of the Risk-Benefit Assessment Group from
1977 to 1979, and a member of the Carcinogen Policy Sub-group from 1977
to 1981.
It was clear that risks and benefits do no accrue to the same party.
In the case of chlorpyrifos, the risks are to the unaware public, and
the benefits to the corporation.
EPA whitewashing
Although the EPA stopped home use of Dursban in 2000, Lorsban is
widely used in agriculture, on ornamentals, and places where women, the
unborn and children are exposed. For many, this exposure is without
their knowledge or consent. How is this allowed to happen?
Is it successful advertising, recommendations from country and state
agricultural agents, an inept or politically adept EPA? Such as when on
September 11, 2001, the then administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency and former governor of New Jersey Christie Whitman
said on September 13, 2001,
"EPA is greatly relieved to have learned that there appears to
be no significant levels of asbestos dust in the air in New York City."
Barely a week later, on 18th September, she was quoted in an EPA press release as saying:
"Given
the scope of the tragedy from last week, I am glad to reassure the
people of New York and Washington, DC that their air is safe to breathe
and their water is safe to drink."
In 2008, the US EPA named Dow as an Energy Star Partner of the Year
for excellence in energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions.
Dow's fleet of skilled lawyers have managed to save Dow from
liability, when they achieved a reversal of a $925 million judgment for
the contamination of the area around Rocky Flats, the Colorado facility
that produced plutonium triggers for hydrogen bombs. And, a lawsuit
filed by Vietnamese, damaged by Agent Orange against Dow and Monsanto
was dismissed.
Dow is a multinational corporation and the third largest chemical
manufacturer in the world, with earnings more than $57 billion in 2013.
In addition to the manufacture of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides,
and genetically modified seeds, Dow also manufactures multiple
plastics, polystyrene, polyurethane, synthetic rubber, biphenyl-A as
well as many other chemicals.
What are the chances that the use of Lorsban will be curtailed in the
agricultural areas of Hawaii, California and elsewhere? Given what we
know of the financial strength of the Dow Corporation, the weakness of
the EPA, and our paid-for Congress, it does not look promising.
The burden of brain damage
If the top corporate officials were required to care for one of these
severely brain-damaged children for a week, would it change their
minds about the ethics of manufacturing chlorpyrifos for corporate
profit?
There is not a teacher who can teach brain-damaged children to read
and do math, which raises the larger question being proposed: are
children's lack of learning due to poor teachers, or to subtle brain
damage?
If children are being damaged to various degrees, profoundly in the
situation of the 15 children sited in my research, to 'mild' learning
and/or behavioral problems, ranging from decreased IQ, Aspergers,
hyperactivity, autism, etc., how much is attributable to exposure to
pesticides such as Dursban / Lorsban?
If we blame poor teaching, and teachers' unions, but don't stop the
use of brain-damaging pesticides, where does that leave our US society
as a source of creativity and intellect in this world?
Author's note: All of my chlorpyrifos / Dursban
documents have been accepted and will be archived at the National
Library of Medicine, along with my other scientific, medical and legal
research.
Janette D. Sherman, M. D. is the author of
'Life's Delicate Balance: Causes and Prevention of Breast Cancer and
Chemical Exposure and Disease', and is a specialist in internal
medicine and toxicology. She edited the book 'Chernobyl: Consequences of
the Catastrophe for People and Nature', written by A. V. Yablokov, V.
B., Nesterenko and A. V. Nesterenko, published by the New York Academy
of Sciences in 2009. Her primary interest is the prevention of illness
through public education. She can be reached at toxdoc.js@verizon.net and www.janettesherman.com.
This article is an edited version of one originally published on
CounterPunch.
