Pesticides have contributed impressively to our present-day agricultural productivity, but at the same time they are at the centre of serious concerns about safety, health and the environment. Increasingly, the public wonders whether the benefits of pesticides - the perfect red apple - "outweigh the costs of environmental pollution, human illness, and the destruction of animals and our habitat". Scientists and government officials are suspected of promoting commercial interests rather than protecting human welfare. This volume is the result of more than a year's study by leading scientists and policy experts who address the environmental, economic, ethical and health issues related to pesticides. In examining the social policies related to pesticide use, they consider the risks as well as the benefits. They show that to regain public trust, those who regulate and use pesticides must examine fair ethical questions and take appropriate action to protect public welfare, health and the environment.
Anyone concerned with reducing our reliance on chemical pesticides and with how human activities can remain both productive and environmentally sound should find this volume of interest in a troubling debate. This book should be of interest to ecologists and environmentalists.