sbi C 1977 ERA COMMUNICATIVE ARTS =~ “He Ron ING 4 APVENTURES CANT HeLP iT! FORREST LAST- JUST NiguT "WHEN I SQUEEZED THE TOO MEA Tee ‘SQUIRTED uA’ THE Thee vee : THE MAO ACCIDENT , Genny® AS PF Barta & SURE ORNING AFTER Roc ; Ky'S AN Bntisuars “TING UNDERSTAND | WW (IN DIFFERENT BUT T KNOW iT HAS SOMETHING TO BDO wit THAT ROCK. Dear Mr. Nielsen: Well, the 2,4-D spraying program in the Okanagan lakes has begun accompan- . ied by assurances that all is well and that the experis know what they are doirg. Unfortunately public confi- dence has been shaken by a wide range of events, such as. the North Sea oil blowout, for. example, and I am reminded of that old joke about the first fully-automated, trans-Atlantic passenger flight. The recorded cabin an- nouncement welcomes. people aboard, tells them of the wonder of the equipment and ends up repeating ‘‘Nothing can go wrong.... nothing can go wrong..... nothing can go wrong.... ”’ Since many people fear that something could go wrong in the Okanagan, | wonder if you would be kind enough to consider a few points? ‘ First, to significant contamination because of precautions taken _and because water supplies ' will be monitored for 10 days - to ensure that biocide levels are ‘‘well below’’ the level recommended by the World Health Organization. Is it not ‘true, however, that Canada, like the United States, prohibits placing any cancer- causing agent in water supplies? Are these not the regulations of the federal Health Protection branch and the US Environmentai. Pro- tection Agency? | urther- more, is it not true that the Pest Control Products Act prohibits use of 2,4-D_ in water used for irrigation or domestic use. Since Okana- gan waters are used for both, does the program contravene the law? You indicate that 2,4-D will not enter the drinking water because tests will be carried out in shallow water whereas intakes are in deep pilot-less_ you state that— residents will not be exposed water. At the same time, however, you state that 2,4-D. drops directly down through the water. Doesn’t this suggest that some of it could find its way down to the water intakes? In this regard, could you comment on an incident at Montebello, Cali- . fornia where 2,4-D is:report- ed to have travelled for five ‘miles? The biocide was released inacvertantly from a. factory, travelled under- ground, entered a river, went downstream, was pumped into a reservoir and was still there six years later. Does this incident, and others like Se SORRee Sawn AAI it, suggest that a 10-day monitoring period may be insufficient? I am told, Mr. Nielsen, that the reason for having a ‘zero tolerance ieveil’’ in the United States and Canada is because a single molecule of a chemical like 2,4-D can cause cancer if it reaches a receptive cell in the body. in other words, there is no such thing as a ‘‘safe’’ level. Could you comment? As you must be aware, our society now suffers from a virtual plague of cancer and it is estiinated that one out of four North Americans will die from the disease. Fur- ther, if trends. continue, 50 per cent will die of cancer by the year 2000 and there is mounting evidence that pes- ticides are a prime cause. Many grisly statistics can be cited to back up this statement but, to give only one, Dr. Ton That Tung, commissioned by the World 4 4a, afl CS ied en AS weds om Federation of Scientists, reported a 500 per cent _ increase in tumors in Viet- namese living in areas sprayed by US armed forces. This is only part of the story, however, because, as you know, biocides of the 2,4-D type also cause birth defects of the most hideous kind -- brains outside the skull, grossly ‘deformed heads, babies born without heads at all, and many other malformations. It has been stated, in fact, that 2,4-D is ait icast 60,000 times more dangerous than thalidomide, in particular because it tends - to deform the head rather than the limbs. 1 am told. that there appears to’ have* been :a particularly. shocking | inci- dent in the Gulf Islands of . B.C. in 1972-73 when five out of 16 babies born to. women animal Hotel North Van. Open 11-7 Wed. “ Sun. Pleaso call Nion. - Tues. e investigation by provincial . Plaza International 1999 Marine Drive for appolintmant 986-4545 living near a B.C. hydro power line gave birth ‘to babies suffering from. a gross deformity of the skull and spinal column. These fami- lies all use wells located close to the power line and the evidence strongly suggests _ that they were contaminated . by the Hydro spray program. No warning was given to the residents and I am fold that there was no subsequent een fo vo BD he i MMe ce 6, w page 13 - July 6, 1977 - North Shore News PF wn WOW, You DONT \ KNOW "YOUR OWN STRENGTH, ROCKY. health authorities in spite of repeated requests. if true, this failure to investigate is surely the most serious aspect of the case and I wonder, sir, if you will look into it?~ Tam also told that B.C. has a high incidence of other birth defects and that the rate may be rising. At the Birth Defects Conference at the University of B.C. last year, the chairman, Dr. R. Brian Lowry, reported a tripling in the occurence of mongolism in the babies of mothers between the ages of 35 and 39. This increase took ‘place v“thin a period of only seven years. Similarly, it has been - found that, of four provinces tested, B.C. has the highest incidence of cleft palate deformity -- 30 per cent higher than Alberta, 300 per cent higher than Manitoba, and 400 per cent higher than New Brunswick. Is this cause for concern? Turning to another unplea- sant point, do you have any comment on the fact that, under’ certain conditions, 2,4-D changes into dioxin which has been called the most deadly chemical in the world? I am told. that, in en en en er