Around 80% of Americans have been exposed to the plant pesticide chlormequat, which causes fertility and growth issues in animals, according to a new study published Thursday…
Around 80% of Americans have been exposed to the plant pesticide chlormequat, which causes fertility and growth issues in animals, according to a new study published Thursday…
Okay then what is a suitable animal to test on?
But pesticides and herbicides are also breeding less robust crops. E.g. corn doesn’t need something to discourage bugs or competitive plants, so it slowly loses that ability. And maybe it slowly loses some of nutrients we want on the way.
Besides which, isn’t the point that we humans learn to fit into the ecosystem?
It’s not that the animals aren’t suitable to test it on. It’s fine to do preliminary safety tests with animals. The problem is that the media runs with the story before it’s also tested on humans as if reactions in mice will always be the same as reactions in people, when they often are not.
“Hey we’re conducting a study to see if this stuff is fatal or alters your hormones, who wants to be first?”
Whether or not you find the idea of such a study ethical, it doesn’t make the animal studies any more accurate as to how they affect humans.
Imagine if we didn’t know whether or not chocolate was safe and tested it out by giving it to dogs.
Does that illustrate the problem better?