Comments on: Pesticides May Cause Brain Cancer in Young Children http://buildakinderearth.com/health/pesticides-may-cause-brain-cancer-in-young-children/ Saving the environment one page at a time Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:59:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: hannah http://buildakinderearth.com/health/pesticides-may-cause-brain-cancer-in-young-children/comment-page-1/#comment-7 hannah Sun, 10 May 2009 18:44:55 +0000 http://buildakinderearth.com/?p=108#comment-7 Keith, I did not delete your comment. Today was the first time I have read your comment and I must approve it before it can be viewed. I am not on my computer 24/7. Next time please do not assume I am unwilling to consider anyone's opinion other than my own. Doing so is rather impolite. Thank you for your input. Hannah Keith,
I did not delete your comment. Today was the first time I have read your comment and I must approve it before it can be viewed. I am not on my computer 24/7. Next time please do not assume I am unwilling to consider anyone’s opinion other than my own. Doing so is rather impolite.

Thank you for your input.

Hannah

]]> By: Keith Farnish http://buildakinderearth.com/health/pesticides-may-cause-brain-cancer-in-young-children/comment-page-1/#comment-5 Keith Farnish Sat, 09 May 2009 11:35:15 +0000 http://buildakinderearth.com/?p=108#comment-5 This study, in doi: 10.1289/ehp.0800209 (http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2009/0800209/abstract.pdf) is based upon 421 cases, using anecdotal evidence, which appears to suggest almost a doubling of risk in childhood astrocytoma tumours (1.9). An earlier study, in Am J Epidemiol 2003; 157:989-997 (http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/amjepid;157/11/989)found no significant link between pesticides and tumours. This suggests that more work is needed, using more substantive methods before a causal link can be stated. It would be more useful to point to other, more proven, risks of pesticides on humans and ecosystems in general, to reduce the risk of bloggers being accused of scaremongering. There are plenty of other reasons not to use pesticides (see, for instance: http://www.farnish.plus.com/amatterofscale/chapter3.htm), but they are seemingly not exciting enough to write about any more. This study, in doi: 10.1289/ehp.0800209 (http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2009/0800209/abstract.pdf) is based upon 421 cases, using anecdotal evidence, which appears to suggest almost a doubling of risk in childhood astrocytoma tumours (1.9). An earlier study, in Am J Epidemiol 2003; 157:989-997 (http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/amjepid;157/11/989)found no significant link between pesticides and tumours. This suggests that more work is needed, using more substantive methods before a causal link can be stated.

It would be more useful to point to other, more proven, risks of pesticides on humans and ecosystems in general, to reduce the risk of bloggers being accused of scaremongering. There are plenty of other reasons not to use pesticides (see, for instance: http://www.farnish.plus.com/amatterofscale/chapter3.htm), but they are seemingly not exciting enough to write about any more.

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