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Show WSflW- MONPALE WSEPM AMBftSSAWRSHIP' lomcmw siMtijoo,,, WeeMy gpecnall ZZSgr" Government covers up risks of 'recommended' pesticide Washington If you have a vegetable vege-table garden or fruit trees in your back yard, you have probably heard of malathion. It is a pesticide recommended recom-mended by most garden books. It can be purchased at the local hardware store or garden center. The Environmental Protection Agency , insists that .the insecticide poses no danger to humans when used properly. The truth is, the government has" covered up the risks involved in the use of malathion?" There is evidence that the pesticide can cause cancer, and you should take precautions to avoid exposure to malathion spray or dust and to wash fruits and vegetables that have been treated with it. Our associate Donald Goldberg has seen two studies that say the chemical can cause cancer. One was conducted by an independent laboratory hired by the EPA; the other was by one of the agency's own scientists. They agree that malathion is a serious hazard. The EPA scientist's unpublished report states: "It has been determined that the upper limit on cancer risk attibutable to currently established tolerance for malathion... is as high as one to four per 1,000 population: I should think that this represents an unacceptably high upper limit on the risk ascribable to malathion." But the EPA continues to maintain in its official publications that the insecticide poses no danger to people when used properly. The agency's opinion is based on a couple of studies by the National Cancer Institute. The researchers studied the effects of malathion on laboratory rats and mice and included in their report evidence of the dangers posed by the chemical. But when EPA officials reviewed the Cancer Institute studies, they looked only at the summaries, not at the detailed evidence, and they emphasized empha-sized the parts that minimized the risks. The independent laboratory hired by the EPA studied the same documents and found "highly suggestive evidence of a dose-related carinogenic effect." Yet the EPA has refused to change its stand on malathion. As the EPA's own scientist put it in at. internal memo, "We have here what amounts to little more than a 'cover-up' job." Footnote: The carcinogenic effects of exposure to malathion should be of particular concern to Californians. The pesticide is currently being sprayed over a huge area of the state --. including suburbs of Los Angeles -- to combat a new version of the Mediterranean fruit fly which is known as the Mexican fruit fly. EYE ON THE ECONOMY: The Reagan administration's foreign policy may heat up into the major campaign issue this year, but there will still be plenty of news about the pocketbook issues of immediate concern to most Americans. For example, we have seen a report prepared by the congressional Joint Economic Committee, and it predicts that interest rates are not likely to come down soon. This is because of the Treasury Department's quarterly borrowing to fund the federal debt and a recent surge in business borrowing. As for unemployment, the congressional con-gressional report points out that the 12-month decline in the unemployment rate came to a halt in March. This is of primary concern to women, who accounted for more than 90 percent of the March increase in the labor force. That was the good news. The bad news was that adult women made up 64 percent of those who wanted work but couldn't find it. Thirty percent of those who couldn't find jobs were blacks. The unemployment rate fell only slightly in April and is projected to dip slightly in coming months. ANOTHER LUNCH CRUNCH: Remember when the Reagan administration admin-istration tried to cut corners on the federal school-lunch program by classifying ketchup as a vegetable? It turns out the White House penny pinchers are still sniping at the program. Their latest target is a modest allocation for- refrigerators, for stoves and other kitchen equipment for schools that are starting lunch 1 programs. The cost of the school-lunch hardware is about $10 million a year, but the president's budget office thought it was too much to spend on decent lunches for school-children. So the item was dropped from the budget. Fortunately, some eagle-eyed congressional con-gressional aides noticed the disappearance disappear-ance of the food-equipment program, and the battle is now being fought in both the House and Senate to put the stove and refrigerator money back in. ARAFAT REBOUND?: A few months ago, Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasir Arafat was being hunted down by the Syrian government. President Hafez Assad wanted the PLO leader dead and Arafat had to run for his life. But now, according to our sources, tempers seem to have cooled. Arafat is determined to regain control of the fragmented Palestinian movement, and he knows he will need Syria's approval or at least its neutrality. So Arafat has been trying to arrange a reconciliation meeting with Assad. The hitch is that Assad can't stand Arafat. The Syrian may agree to meet with the PLO leader, but it's doubtful he'll let Arafat have the power he used to enjoy among Palestinians. Copyright, 1984 United Features Syndicate, Inc. |