Green Space
Published February 2002
By Scott Fisher
ENVIRONMENTAL DECLINE AND TERRORISM
Klaus Toepfer, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, drew a cause and effect relationship between environmental degradation and extreme religious fundamentalism that results in terrorism, when he said recently, "It is the forces of poverty, environmental degradation and hatred that give birth to the intolerance that can lead to fundamentalism and terrorist acts. I'm not suggesting for a moment that poverty and environmental degradation are factors on their own," Toepfer said. "But it can fan the flames of hate and ignite a belief that terrorism is the only solution to a communitys or nation's ills."
A few years ago, while taking a course called the Sociology of Environmental Issues, I had learned that one of the causes for mass migration in the developing countries was environmental degradation. Most news media only report that it is because of a lack of jobs that people migrate from the country to the city, for example. When I read Mr. Toepfer's analysis, it struck a chord with me.
"Desperate people can resort to desperate solutions. They may care little about themselves and people they hurt,"Toepfer said in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 21, 2001. Toepfer was visiting the Central Asian countries to launch a regional environmental action plan, covering such issues as the receding and polluted Aral Sea, land degradation, waste management and mountain ecosystem degradation.
ARSENIC, SUCH A WASTE
We in the local area originally heard about arsenic in pressure- treated wood from Judy Braiman, founder of the local group Rochesterians Against the Misuse of Pesticides (RAMP).
Arsenic is found on many of our decks, children's playgrounds, picnic tables, etc. According to an EPA spokesman the St. Petersburg Times interviewed in its July 7, 2001 issue, "New labels and signs in home improvement and hardware stores such as Home Depot and Lowe's should make consumers more aware of the risks of buying wood infused with chromated copper arsenate, or CCA."
Labeling such products is not enough, according to many consumer and environmental advocates. "Better labeling on a toxic product doesn't help," Laura Chapin of the Environmental Working Group says. Environmental Working Group analyst Renee Sharp, principal author of a report entitled Poisoned Playgrounds: Arsenic in Pressure Treated Wood, claims that "In less than two weeks, an average five-year-old playing on an arsenic-treated playset would exceed the lifetime cancer risk considered acceptable under federal pesticide law." In several countries, chromated copper arsenate is banned in wood altogether. The town of Pittsford has recently torn down two playgrounds that contain the pressurized wood, according to the November 28, 2001 Democrat & Chronicle.
How does arsenic get into the human body from wood? It can be rubbed off onto the skin or leach into places where children can ingest it, according to Judy Braiman. RAMP had testing done on several playgrounds and found 106 ppm at the Maplewood Park playground, for example. The State Department of Environmental Conservation's acceptable limit for arsenic is only 7.5 ppm.
Why isn't Monroe County doing anything about it? Ask Dr. Andrew Doniger, our County Health Department Director. "He claims there is no known ... [arsenic] problem here," according to Judy Braiman. She says, "Our health department is there for damage control. They should not care about business above the health of the people."
Especially when there are alternatives. Other states and nations use them. So could we.