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As Earth Day 2012 approaches I thought it important to revisit the 1998 Wingspread Statement on the Precautionary Principle. In January 1998 a group of 32 scientists, philosophers, lawyers and environmental activists gathered at Wingspread, headquarters of the Johnson Foundation in Racine, Wisconsin. The Wingspread Conference on the Precautionary Principle was convened by the Science and Environmental Health Network, an organization that links science with the public interest, and by the Johnson Foundation, the W. Alton Jones Foundation, the C.S. Fund and the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

The Wingspread Statement

The release and use of toxic substances, the exploitation of resources, and physical alterations of the environment have had substantial unintended consequences affecting human health and the environment. Some of these concerns are high rates of learning deficiencies, asthma, cancer, birth defects and species extinctions, along with global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion and global worldwide contamination with toxic substances and nuclear material.

We believe existing environmental regulations and other decisions, particularly those based on risk assessment, have failed to adequately protect human health and the environment—the larger system of which humans are but a part.

We believe there is compelling evidence that damage to humans and the worldwide environment is of such magnitude and seriousness that new principles for conducting human activities are necessary.

While we realize that human activities may involve hazards, people must proceed more carefully than has been the case in recent history. Corporations, government entities, organizations, communities, scientists, and other individuals must adopt a precautionary approach to all human endeavors.

Therefore, it is necessary to implement the Precautionary Principle: When an activity raises threat of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. In this context, the proponent of an activity, rather than the public,, should bear the burden of proof.

The process of applying the Precautionary Principle must be open, informed, democratic, and must include potentially affected parties. It must also involve an examination of the full range of alternatives, including no action.

“Precautionary Principle.” Science & Environmental Health Network. n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2012 http://www.sehn.org/wing.html

According to the AP, “The complaint alleged that annual approval of methyl bromide use by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation had a disproportionately adverse impact on the health of Latino children because their schools were often close to agricultural fields.”

Methyl bromide is a soil fumigant, injected into the soil to kill pests, weeds, and diseases prior to planting crops. Methyl bromide is scheduled to be phased out by 2015.

The original suit was brought in 1999. The obvious question “Why does it take so Long?”

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The New York Times reported yesterday, July 14, 2011, that the new Dupont herbicide Imprelis is suspected in the deaths of thousands of Norway spruces, eastern white pines and other trees on lawns and golf courses across the country.

According to the article, Bert Cregg, an associate professor of horticulture and forestry and an extension specialist with Michigan State University has fielded many calls from landscapers and inspected affected trees, said the problem existed across the country. Many extension services have issued warnings, Dr. Cregg said. “This is going to be a large-scale problem, affecting hundreds of thousands of trees, if not more,” he said. Imprelis is used on athletic fields and cemeteries as well as on private lawns and golf courses, he noted. (more…)