Dangers of pesticide spraying revealed

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"It is government policy not to let Indian know what is going on around them. We've been kicked around for many, many years now."

These are the words of Ken Steinhauer, President of the Blackpowder Association of Alberta.

"This time though, it's not only Natives, but non-Natives as well."

Mr. Steinhauer was referring to the pesticide spraying incidents involving the Fort McKay Band, Meander River and Calling Lake, late last year. Mr. Steinhauer said the public did not receive ample notification of any spraying before or after the incidents occurred.

In a letter to the Edmonton Journal last January, Alberta Environment Minister, Ken Kowalski, said the statements that indicated the spraying had occurred without public notice were false.

The Journal retaliated by claiming "details were released only after a specific request from the Journal."

The question is - how did two government departments, one issuing the license and the other monitoring the system, forget to inform the public of the intended spray areas?

"Monitoring," huffs Randy Lawrence, a spokesman for the Coalition for Forest Spraying Alteratives in Hinton. "The companies or government agencies or departments doing the spraying are monitoring themselves. If the Alberta Forest Service issues a license it's up to the Forestry Department to monitor itself.

"The system is very inadequate - if Alberta Environment is approving licenses, which they do, then they should play a much bigger role in monitoring," added Lawrence.

There are many concerns about the ever-growing problems brought on by excessive and unnecessary use of dangerous chemicals.

One of the major points on that list of concerns is the fact that Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories (IBT), once the largest testing facility in the U.S., and responsible for up to 35% of all pesticide tests ever taken (Reference: U.S. EPA Press Release August 25, 1977 'Deficiencies in Pesticide Safety Test Reported by EPA) crumbled in an investigation which found deliberate falsifications of documents and test reports.

IBT went out of business and three senior officers were convicted of fraud. (Reference: Pesticide - Christian Farmers Federation 1979 'The IBT Affair - Canadian Response.'

The concern. At the time of IBTs collapse, Canada had over 100 IBT test supported chemical on the market. Some of these are still in use today. How many are there left to re-evaluate? We're still using 2-4D and Roundup, the latter looking to become popular in Alberta.

"I don't know why they insist on spraying Roundup," said Ken Steinhauer. "On the can it says its not recommended for spraying. And 2-4D? It's amazing what our government will allow - 15 years after Vietnam we are still seeing the effects of 'agent orange' - and 2-4D was one of the key ingredients. We see its results in birth defects, brain disorders, and an increase in cancer. Recent studies in the U.S. have proven the chemical is a carcinogen."