Once again Europe is better at protecting people than the US (Surprise, surprise! Not...) This time a study compared pesticide use on golf courses in different regions of the US and 3 European countries (UK, Denmark, Norway). It found that the number of pesticide products and pesticide use is significantly higher in the US than in Europe - the risk to people from pesticides is 15 times higher in the US than the European countries.
This is because Europe is actively trying to reduce the amount of pesticides used, while the US is not. The European Union has banned a number of the most dangerous pesticides, while the US has not. Fewer pesticides (20 or fewer) are allowed to be used on golf courses in the 3 European countries, while many more (200 to 250) are allowed in the US.
Important: Pesticides drift onto neighboring properties when applied, they contaminate water and soil, people breathe them in, get them on their skin (and so absorb them). They have harmful effects to our health and environment, even at low doses.
Excerpts from Beyond Pesticides: Pesticide Dangers at Golf Courses Much Higher in the U.S. than Europe, Study Finds
Pesticide use on golf courses in the United States poses significantly more risk to human health than those in Europe, according to a study published this month in Science of the Total Environment. The findings highlight yet another area of land management where the U.S. is dangerously behind the European Union, as these countries are set to ban pesticides in parks, playgrounds, and playing fields, and have established a 50% reduction goal for agriculture by 2030.
Meanwhile U.S. agencies continue to perpetuate widespread toxic pesticide use, with U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack even working to counter the EU’s reduction goals through a separate, “market-oriented” initiative alongside pesticide industry-friendly countries like UAE and Brazil. ...continue reading "European Governments Protect Residents By Allowing Fewer Pesticides On Golf Courses Than in the US"