Date: March 3, 2008
Senator Jim Vickerman, Chairman
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Veterans
Room 226 Capitol Building
75 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
Re: SF 2994 - Agricultural pesticide application information access
Dear Senator Vickerman:
Many pesticides are sold in Minnesota and are used in varying amounts throughout
the state. By their very nature, they are toxic chemicals, effectively destroying
insect pests, disease fungi, and unwanted plants. Some pesticides are building
up in Minnesota surface and groundwater. Research shows that these toxins
make their way into the human body and some are linked to disease. However
basic data on pesticide usage in the state is not available to the public.
Pesticides have the unfortunate ability to migrate through aerial drift, water
and soil movement. Organic crops, animals and people may be accidentally exposed
to chemicals that have serious impact on crop value and the health of animals and
humans. This makes pesticide application a public concern and, as such, data
regarding pesticide data should be available to the public.
Application information must be quickly available in case of accidental exposure
requiring medical attention. Application data is also needed for research
in tracking the mobility of various pesticides in the environment and examining
possible public health implications.
The League of Women Voters Minnesota encourages you and your fellow members of
the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Committee to support of SF2994. We hope
this will lead to Minnesota joining the 27 other states which have made pesticide
application data available to the public.
Thank you for your consideration,
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