February 8, 2008

Chemicals for lawn are safe, group says
Association asserts studies have shown products don't cause cancer
The Guardian

A group representing companies that produce lawn- care chemicals says pesticides are safe, they do not cause cancer and they should not be banned on Prince Edward Island.
The Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association (CCSPA) represents more than 40 Canadian companies that make soaps, detergents, personal insect repellents and lawn-care products. The membership includes names such as Procter & Gamble, S.C. Johnson, and Unilever Canada.

These companies are a $20-billion industry in Canada.

Shannon Coombs, president of CCSPA, said none of the municipal pesticide bans have produced data to show that cosmetic pesticide bans have achieved any measurable health or environmental benefit.

Furthermore, Coombs said cosmetic bans promotes civil disobedience as consumers continue to purchase these products outside of the area in which the ban is in place.
Coombs made a presentation Thursday to P.E.I. MLAs who are examining the implementation and potential impacts of a provincewide ban on the use of cosmetic pesticides.

“There are a lot of benefits to using the products, which are safe and effective when used according to the label. All the products are approved by Health Canada — they go through a very strong, scientific, rigorous assessment prior to them being sold,’’ Coombs said in an interview with The Guardian.

The rest of the article is available here:
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=106602&sc=98