Recommended Reading
On the Web
Listings do not imply organizational endorsement.
Washington Toxics Coalition The web's best resource on toxic waste in fertilizer; they also have info on pesticides in water, schools, and homes.
Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
Institute for Children's Environmental Health Based in Freeland, Washington.
Center for Children's Health and the Environment Click the link to view thumbnails of the New York Times ads run by this academic policy and research center at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. See also the Center for Child Environmental Health Risks Research at the University of Washington.
UW study on pesticides in children A 2003 study by University of Washington researchers found that children who ate mostly conventionally grown foods had six times the level of certain pesticide residues in their urine as children who ate mostly organic foods. The researchers concluded that “consumption of organic produce appears to provide a relatively simple means for parents to reduce their children’s exposure to organophosphorus pesticides.” For context, see this surprisingly good MSNBC article; for details, see the Environmental Health Perspectives journal article itself.
Body Burden In a 2002 study, researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 91 industrial compounds, pollutants, and other chemicals in the blood and urine of nine volunteers.
F.A.C.T. (Fair Agricultural Chemical Taxes) A nationwide study by Friends of the Earth in 1999 detailed $674 million in state sales tax exemptions for pesticides and fertilizers.
Fear in the Fields A 1997 Seattle Times investigation of toxic waste in fertilizers. See also reporter Duff Wilson's book Fateful Harvest and Patty Martin's Quincy, Washington—based organization Safe Food and Fertilizer.
Books
Living Downstream: A scientist's personal investigation of cancer and the environment. By Sandra Steingraber.
Having Faith: An ecologist's journey to motherhood. By Sandra Steingraber.
Fateful Harvest: The true story of a small town, a global industry, and a toxic secret. By Duff Wilson.
Our Children's Toxic Legacy: How science and law fail to protect us from pesticides. By John Wargo.