Some science news is not news

That is, if it doesn't fit certain agendas. Dan Gardner of the Ottawa Citizen gives us the facts:

Have you heard the news? Almost two weeks ago, Health Canada announced that a sweeping scientific review had concluded 2,4-D - one of the most common pesticides - is safe when used as directed.

"There is reasonable certainty that no harm to human health, future generations or the environment will result from use or exposure to the product," reads the verdict of Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency.

What's that? This is the first you've heard about it? That's strange.

Ontario is in the process of banning lawn and garden pesticides, most of which contain 2,4-D. "Studies by public health experts are showing growing evidence of the potential health risks of pesticides," reads a press release from the McGuinty government, "particularly for children."

But Health Canada says that's not true, at least not with respect to 2,4-D. "Risks to homeowners and their children from contact with treated lawns and turf are not of concern," PMRA writes.

And that's not only the view of the government's scientists. An independent panel of scientists convened by Health Canada agreed.

And, as the PMRA noted, this is only the latest of many such findings: Regulatory reviews in the European Union, New Zealand and the United States all came to the same conclusion. So did a review by the World Health Organization.

So you would think that Health Canada's announcement would be major news. And yet, it wasn't major news. It wasn't even minor news. In fact, as far as I can make out, it wasn't reported in any newspaper.

[...]

...I called the Ontario Ministry of Health and asked if the Health Canada verdict would affect the pending ban. Apparently not. I say "apparently," because it was difficult to get a straight answer out of the spokesperson.

When I asked if this would change the government's view of the safety of 2,4-D, he responded "it's not a safety issue." Huh? Practically every statement the McGuinty government has made about the ban includes the claim that it will "protect human health, especially children's health." And that's not a safety issue?

No, says the spokesperson. "The issue is not public health. Our issue is you want to keep it out of the environment as much as you can." But why worry if its presence isn't dangerous? No answer. Instead, the spokesperson burbled on about how "it's in the food chain. It's in the aquatic environment. And it's man-made."..

Mark C.

Posted by markc at May 28, 2008 09:43 PM