PESTICIDES ARE NOT AS RISKY AS MANY OF US THINK THEY ARE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 4, 1993                   TAG: 9303030112
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-8   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: JOE HUNNINGS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
PESTICIDES ARE NOT AS RISKY AS MANY OF US THINK THEY ARE
Risk can be defined as the chance that an undesirable event, such as illness, injury or death, will happen to you. All of us take risks as we travel to work, school or the store.
All of us weigh, if only subconsciously, the hazards against the benefits when making a decision. We usually decide to take chances because the benefits are greater than the risks - such as deciding to cross a street.
Studies show that situations that pose the greatest health risks are not usually the situations that people believe are the most hazardous. Stated another way, the risks that kill people often are not the same risks that frighten and anger them.
Our perception of what is risky can be very different from actual risks. Scientific American published a survey in 1982 in which people were asked to rank 30 hazards based on the number of deaths each hazard caused per year. The results of this survey were compared to actual causes of death.
The top 10 causes of death were related to smoking, alcoholic beverages, motor vehicles, handguns, electric power, motorcycles, swimming, surgery, X-rays and railroads. Many people, however, believed that air travel, nuclear power, mountain climbing and pesticides were greater health risks than some of the most hazardous items in the survey.
Pesticides actually rank 28th in the list of 30 hazards. No deaths were caused by pesticides. The survey found that business and professional people ranked pesticides 15th out of 30 risks. Members of the League of Women Voters ranked pesticides ninth, and college students ranked them fourth, ahead of alcoholic beverages and motor vehicles.
Our perceptions of the seriousness of potential health risks are influenced by many factors, including whether a substance is natural or synthetic; whether a situation involves immediate or delayed consequences; whether the risks are well known or unknown, and whether or not we feel we have any control over a situation.
We tend to believe that synthetic substances pose greater health risks than do natural substances. The risk of cancer posed by natural toxicants in food, however, may be far greater than risk posed by synthetic toxicants. For example, aflatoxin, a toxin produced by naturally occurring molds in peanuts, is viewed with far less fear than synthetic pesticide residues, even though the risk of cancer from aflatoxin may be far greater.
We often tend to perceive a situation that has delayed consequences riskier than a situation with immediate consequences. For example, Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that grows on food, can cause immediate illness or even death after consumption. Pesticide residues, however, which never cause immediate illness when used at safe levels, may be seen as a far greater danger to our health. It is the potential, delayed, long-term health consequences of pesticide residues that can make them seem riskier than potentially lethal bacteria such as listeria.
An unknown situation is often perceived as riskier than one that is known. For instance, the bad health effects of most bacteria are well known. We also know what to do to avoid food poisoning caused by these organisms.
The health risks associated with some pesticide residues, however, are unknown and are therefore perceived as a greater risk to our health.
Most of us will perceive a situation as less risky if we have a sense of control over the situation. Statistics show that flying in an airplane is much safer than driving a car. Yet many of us think flying is riskier because we have no control when we fly.
We may feel that we have little control over the amounts of pesticide residues allowed on produce, because pesticides are regulated by the government and applied by growers. Conflicting reports in the media also add to our feelings of little control. It is these feelings that can make pesticides appear riskier than they actually are.
Risks to our health cannot be avoided, but they can be minimized. Problems can arise when we perceive pesticide residues as a health risk that outweighs the benefits associated with pesticide use.
Conflicting information about this issue can undermine our trust in the authorities responsible for regulating pesticides and make us feel powerless. As consumers, we have an important stake in ensuring the safest food supply possible. But as users of pesticides and other hazardous materials in our own homes and landscapes, we also have the responsibility to be well educated about what we can do about the health risks from pesticides and maximize their benefits.
Next week we will look at how we can minimize pesticide use through the use of an integrated approach to pest control.

Joe Hunnings is the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service agent for agriculture in Christiansburg. If you have questions call the Montgomery County extension office at 382-5790.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB