The Scotts Miracle-Gro company has agreed to pay millions of dollars in criminal fines for misleading the public, lying to the EPA and knowingly contaminating their bird seed products with pesticides known to be toxic to birds.
Professional applicators and homeowners using pesticides
are more aware than ever about the potentially serious health effects of
pesticides, in humans, pets and wildlife. Because of this, many more people are
reading warning labels on pesticide products and trying to use them
responsibly. When a product manufacturer lies about such inherently dangerous
products, it is truly a criminal act.
Last week, Scotts Miracle-Gro pleaded guilty to
eleven criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The $12.5 million dollar fine was the largest criminal
penalty under FIFRA to date. Scotts admitted falsifying pesticide registration
documents, selling pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels and
distributing unregistered pesticides, in addition to applying toxic and
potentially lethal insecticides to its wild bird food products.
Although everyone should avoid pesticide exposures,
children, pregnant women and the chronically ill are particularly vulnerable.
Children take in more pesticides relative to their body weight than adults and
have immature organ systems that are more vulnerable and less able to detoxify
the chemicals contained in pesticides. They are also disproportionately exposed
because of their behavior, playing in the grass and on floors and engaging in
typical hand- to -mouth behavior. Childhood malignancies associated with living
in households where pesticides are used include neuroblastoma, Wilm's tumor,
Ewing's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and cancers of the brain, colorectum
and testes.
Along with other environmental health groups, we work
very hard to educate the public about the links between common environmental
toxins and human health and encourage non-toxic solutions to pest problems
whenever possible. If someone decides to use a pesticide, the label should
clearly indicate proper handling as well as the potential short term and long
term health effects of the product even when used according to the label. It is
highly irresponsible for a manufacturer of these poisons to ignore or even
intentionally challenge federal laws intended to protect the public.
