Portland Press Herald | Editorial | January 30, 2002 State legislators ought to pass a ban on a popular brand of fertilizer, given the amount of arsenic it contains. While defenders of Ironite say there's no evidence that the product is dangerous, we think the burden of proof should work in the other direction. Until state officials - including the Department of Environmental Protection - can be assured that the product is safe, it shouldn't be sold here. The proposed legislation would also require state agencies to study arsenic levels in other products, including pressure-treated wood. According to Rep. Scott Cowger, the bill's sponsor, arsenic is a "known carcinogen" with other acute health effects, and adding it to the environment - which already contains base levels of the substance - could put children at risk.
That same precautionary principle should also be applied when towns on Casco Bay decide to use pesticides to fight a browntail moth caterpillar epidemic. There are concerns that the pesticide, Dimilin, could harm shellfish. There's a ban on spraying within 150 feet of water in order to protect lobster, but that may not be enough of a buffer. Clearly, the potential benefits of these practices should be weighed against the possibility of harm. If there are reasonable concerns about the effects of pesticides or particular fertilizers, these should be addressed before they're used, not after the fact. Copyright 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc. Portland Press Herald:
