CAPE’s Position Statement on Synthetic Pesticides

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) issued this position statement advocating for the eventual abandonment of synthetic pesticides due to their toxicity, persistence in biological systems, and risks to human health, particularly for children and fetuses. The document outlines a transition toward sustainable growing practices and a more restrictive regulatory framework based on the precautionary principle.

• The global pesticide industry is highly concentrated, with ten multinational corporations producing 73% of the more than 2.5 million tons of chemicals applied to crops worldwide, valued at over US $30 billion. The primary producing nations are France, the U.S.A., Germany, Britain, and Switzerland.
• Pesticides pose significant global health risks; the World Health Organization estimates that 200,000 people die annually from pesticide poisoning, an increase from 30,000 in 1990, and at least 3 million people are poisoned every year.
• Synthetic pesticides exhibit high persistence and bio-accumulation, appearing in remote ecosystems and human tissues long after bans. For example, DDE (a metabolite of DDT) was found in 93% of samples in a 1982 US EPA survey and 100% of autopsy specimens from elderly Texans in a 1990 study, despite the US banning DDT in 1972.
• Children and fetuses are uniquely vulnerable to pesticide toxicity because they incorporate substances into their bodies more avidly than adults, which can disrupt developmental processes and cause disproportionate acute and chronic toxicity.
• CAPE proposes a transition to eliminate routine pesticide use through several measures: increasing funding for non-toxic pest control, creating market incentives for organic growing, legislating an end to cosmetic pesticide use within two years, and implementing a regulatory framework based on the precautionary principle, reverse onus, zero discharge, and closed production processes.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). CAPE’s Position Statement on Synthetic Pesticides. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/8.CAPE’s-Position-Statement-on-Synthetic-Pesticides-2000.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. CAPE’s Position Statement on Synthetic Pesticides. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/8.CAPE’s-Position-Statement-on-Synthetic-Pesticides-2000.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=CAPE’s Position Statement on Synthetic Pesticides |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/8.CAPE’s-Position-Statement-on-Synthetic-Pesticides-2000.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndcapes, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{CAPE’s Position Statement on Synthetic Pesticides}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/8.CAPE’s-Position-Statement-on-Synthetic-Pesticides-2000.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }