The Cellar - I thought we did away with this sort of thing?

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I thought we did away with this sort of thing?

Got the following in my Leftist e-mail today. Anyone know whether or not this is on the level, or is it just the usual bullshit?

Quote:

"EPA WILL USE POOR KIDS AS GUINEA PIGS IN NEW STUDY ON PESTICIDES
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), led by Bush appointees, plans to launch a new study in which participating low income families will have their children exposed to toxic pesticides over the course of two years. For taking part in these studies, each family will receive $970, a free video camera, a T-shirt, and a framed certificate of appreciation. In October, the EPA received $2 million to do the study from the American Chemistry Council, a chemical industry front group that includes members such as Dow, Exxon, and Monsanto. The EPA's Linda Sheldon says the study is vital, because so little is known about how small children's bodies absorb harmful chemicals. As of press time, none of the EPA's employees are offering to have their own children take part in this research project. The Organic Consumers Association is calling on the nation's citizens to demand the EPA forgo this project before its scheduled launch in early 2005. Sign petition by clicking here and forward this email to family and friends... http://www.organicconsumers.org/epa-alert.htm "

Ohh the things people say...

The whole thing reads like something you'd find debunked on Snopes.

Poor American kids? No.

Can't be true--too much liability if they were to do this in the U.S. I wouldn't put it past them to try it in some third-world country, though.

Well, here's what should be a reliable source...

http://www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=2549768

The story is dated today, and says the test has been postponed. Guess the Leftist e-mailing worked, huh?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elspode

I don't know if that's a reliable source or not but I swear that the guy on the left in that news crew at the top of the page is Mr. Six from the Six Flags commercials. :confused:

Oh, please ...

Quote:

For taking part in these studies, each family will receive $970, a free video camera, a T-shirt, and a framed certificate of appreciation.

I think they embellished a bit much.

And unless documentation of the study design is presented, I'll take it all with an extra large grain of salt.

It would be reasonable to recruit children/families for the study as described to test the children for possible environmental exposure ... an adjunct to testing for lead levels and so on ... they don't expose children to the contaminent, but test to see if they already have been. It's reasonable to hypothesize that poor children might have been more likely to have been exposed than children of wealthier families ... most McMansions don't get regularly bombed for roaches, after all.

If I'm guessing right about the study, and misinformation killed it, that's a damn shame.

If the story is accurate, villigers with pitchforks and torches should storm the gates of the sponsoring agencies.

More likely villagers with obsolete video games and VHS camcorders...

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf

It's reasonable to hypothesize that poor children might have been more likely to have been exposed than children of wealthier families ... most McMansions don't get regularly bombed for roaches, after all.

It's more than that. Poor communities don't have much of a voice when it comes to NIMBY. In fact, many lower income communities sprang up around industrial parks to provide the work force. That's not to say that everyone isn't affected by pollution, since we had a superfund site a mile from our last house. It's just that there is a relationship between income and pollution risk.

Poor people generally don't emphasize the environment as a political issue either. If you don't have a job, you don't really care about the state of the air or the river.

The problem is, people believe this stuff.

I'm not sure that is left or right.... :D Seems more like the Loony Palace.

Quote:

In fact, many lower income communities sprang up around industrial parks to provide the work force.

Quite often that silver lining turned out to be cadmium. :(

Or radium, if you were in Upper Darby ...