Our environmental laws in this Country are often as much politically dictated as they are based on science. While in a perfect world we would like health and environment laws to be based on our science, big business and lobbyists often have too much control over the process. Take, for example the Dursban ban, which is really the imposition of additional controls on a product called chlorpyrifos.

Yes, what everyone is saying is that this stuff was banned. But take a closer look. This product, also referred to as Dursban, Lorsban ,and other trade names, was not totally banned, just partially banned. Nobody is being forced to remove chlorpyrifos from the shelves, which means chlorpyrifos will be available for home use for some time to come.

For home use, the ban is near total. You cannot use chlorpyrifos on home lawns and you can not use it outdoors around your home. You also cannot use chlorpyrifos inside to spray in cracks and crevices. And most termite applications have also been canceled.

But, we all work somewhere and in the case of commercial applications, the ban-line is not as clear. In indoor and outdoor areas where children may be exposed, such as schools and playgrounds, it cannot be used. Query: who will decide where children are usually found? How about shopping malls? How about movie theaters? How about sports arenas?

Listen to this: the product is still allowed in certain manufacturing operations including "food processing plants." It is also allowed on golf courses, other outdoor applications, to kill mosquitos anywhere, and it still can be used in many agricultural operations.

So, how bad is this stuff? We can't have it in our homes. But, we can have it in food processing plants, and it can be sprayed on apples, grapes, and other vegetables. Does this sound right to you? Forget the law, for a moment. If it is bad, wouldn't common sense say get rid of it all together. When fat cat money is involved, forget common sense.

There have been very substantial concerns raised about the levels of pesticides reaching our dinner tables. Groups as noteworthy as the Consumers Union, and others, have published reports indicating potential toxic levels of pesticide residues on vegetables that reach our dinner tables. In light of these concerns about pesticides reaching our dinner table, how is it that this unsafe chlorpyrifos can still be sprayed on vegetables that we will be eating? Does this make a lot of sense to you?

Our EPA informs us that the health effects associated with chlorpyrifos vary. Exposure can over stimulate the nervous system which can lead to a host of problems such as nausea, dizziness, and confusion. The EPA also says that at certain levels, exposure can be fatal. This is the EPA talking, not some biased group with an agenda.

Even professionals who apply this material are at risk, and the EPA says the risk is there even if appropriate precautions are followed. So exterminators need to watch their health and make sure they do not have any problems.

When we see critters, we have all been quick to run to the hardware store to pick up whatever seems to work. Now, look at the mess we created. And rather than just getting rid of a substance that does not seem to be that healthy for us, our EPA made another deal with big business.

You need to protect yourself, because in the long run, no one else will do that for you.

Published: June 29, 2000

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Stuart Lieberman, Esq. writes about environmental issues. He was a New Jersey Deputy Attorney General assigned to the State Department of Environmental Protection from 1986 to 1990. Currently he is a shareholder in the environmental law firm of Lieberman & Blecher, P.C., located in Princeton, New Jersey. Stuart can be reached at slieberman@liebermanblecher.com.