More Info on Pesticides Please

By Andrew Fellows, Chesapeake Regional Director Today's Baltimore Sun has a fine editorial on legislation that Clean Water Action has been pressing for, the Maryland Pesticide Reporting and Information Act (HB 775). The pesticide database is a long overdue tool for protecting public health and prioritizing future research on chemicals in Maryland's environment.  Farm families and others in greater danger of multiple exposures to pesticides will benefit the most, but even tiny amounts of certain chemicals can cause significant effects, so every resident will gain something from this proposal. Knowledge is power - and this bill gives us the knowledge we need to protect our families. Aggregate exposures of multiple chemicals may cause the greatest problems on public health and aquatic life  - the database is a great way of addressing the lack of information on the combined effects of thousands of chemicals that are ending up in our water. The proposal also fits in nicely with BayStat and other efforts to quantify challenges and measure success in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. This proposal will provide Maryland with information that state residents truly have a right to know. Find out more here.