Yes Mr. Secretary, Pesticide Exposures Matter — but There’s More than Just Herbicides

As a scientist working at an advocacy organization, I have lots of opinions, but I also work hard to base those opinions on solid evidence. It has been challenging to see public discourse that includes evidence based material mixed in with things that are not based on reliable evidence. This mixture is a recipe that harms scientific integrity and lowers public trust in science.

Case in point, I already know that I disagree with Health Secretary RFK Jr. on vaccines because his stance is formed by relying on discredited research. However, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s report looks like it may have sections that I agree with somewhat.  For example, I agree that corporate capture of agencies and pesticides is a problem, but my takeaway is that I’d disagree with several aspects of the evidence base they use to support many of their positions.

This report puts pesticides in the spotlight and the Commission discusses cumulative exposure to pesticides and other environmental toxicants. This seems like a bit of a win, in that cumulative exposure of children to environmental toxicants is a problem. The report also name-checks two major herbicides, glyphosate and atrazine, which are banned in several countries but continue to be used at high levels in the US.