MEPs should vote to protect child health

WHILE much attention is being given to the financial problems in the health service, not all interventions need increased expenditure.

Many chemicals — pesticides, for example — are overused. Unnecessary use of pesticides within EU countries is a significant threat to children’s health. Some pesticides are also associated with increased risks of cancer and asthma in children. Another concern is that children exposed to pesticides today may be more likely to develop a chronic disease later in life.

The Irish Doctors’ Environmental Association would like to see reduced pesticide use, the removal from the market of the most hazardous products and a ban on spraying pesticides and insecticides near parks, schools, playgrounds and any other area where children are eating, playing and learning.