Abstract
The Hawaiian Islands have long been a draw for tourists from around the world. But the year-round climate of warm winds, sunshine, and ample moisture has also made the islands a hot spot for multinational agrochemical and seed companies, which see the tropical environment as an ideal testing ground for a range of new seeds and the chemicals used on them. Corn is the big seed crop, in high demand around the globe. And with the introduction of genetic engineering of corn and other seeds in the mid-1990s has come a broad expansion by the seed and chemical companies across Hawaiian farmland and broad use of glyphosate herbicides.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Notes
- 1.
Virginia A. Rauh et al., “Brain Anomalies in Children Exposed Prenatally to a Common Organophosphate Pesticide,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109, no. 20 (April 20, 2012): 7871–7876, doi:10.1073/pnas.1203396109.
- 2.
Philippe Grandjean and Philip Landrigan, “Neurobehavioral Effects of Developmental Toxicity,” Lancet Neurology 13, no. 3 (March 2014): 330–338, doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70278-3.
- 3.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Chlorpyrifos: Revised Human Health Risk Assessment for Registration Review,” November 3, 2016, https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2015-0653-0454.
- 4.
State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture, “Summary of Restricted Use Pesticides Sold in 2014,” http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi/files/2015/04/SUMMARY-ALLSALES-2014.pdf.
- 5.
Bernard Riola, Surachat Chatkupt, Kupono Chong-Hanssen, and Jim Raelson (physicians), letter to Kauai County Council, July 29, 2013, https://www.stoppoisoningparadise.org/doctors-and-nurses-letters-to-mayor.
- 6.
Qing X. Li, Jun Wang, and Robert Boesch, University of Hawaii Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, “Final Project Report for Kauai Air Sampling Study,” March 15, 2013, http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Waimea-Canyon-Air-Study.pdf.
- 7.
Paul Koberstein, “The Kauai Cocktail,” Cascadia Times, June 16, 2014, http://times.org/2014/06/16/kauai-cocktail/.
- 8.
Lee Evslin, in conversation with the author, October 2016.
- 9.
Peter S. Adler and Keith Mattson, letter to Scott Enright and Bernard P. Carvalho Jr., May 25, 2016, http://www.accord3.com/docs/GM-Pesticides/report/JFF%20Kauai%20Transmittal%20Letter.pdf.
- 10.
Adam Asquith et al., “Pesticide Use By Large Agribusinesses on Kaua‘i: Findings and Recommendations of the Joint Fact Finding Study Group,” May 25, 2016, https://jffkauai.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/jff-kauai-final-report1.pdf.
- 11.
Pat Gegen et al., petition letter to Libby Vianu and Robert Knowles (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Region 9), October 10, 2014, https://goo.gl/ofRBmE.
- 12.
Ileana Arias (director, Division of Community Health Investigations, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry), letter to Pat Gegen, August 15, 2016, https://goo.gl/rR9aoZ.
- 13.
“Monsanto Sues Hawaii County over GMO Ban,” RT, November 14, 2014, https://www.rt.com/usa/205655-monsanto-dow-gmo-hawaii/.
- 14.
Andrew Pollack, “Unease in Hawaii’s Cornfields,” New York Times, October 7, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/business/fight-over-genetically-altered-crops-flares-in-hawaii.html?_r=1.
- 15.
Hawaii State Department of Health and Hawaii Department of Agriculture, “2013–14 State Wide Pesticide Sampling Pilot Project: Presentation of Preliminary Findings to the 2014 2nd Annual Joint Government Water Quality Conference, Wailuki, Maui, August 12, 2014,” http://health.hawaii.gov/sdwb/files/2014/09/03.Maui-WQP-Pesticide-Presentation.pdf.
- 16.
“Pesticide Ban to Be Considered in Hawaii County,” Big Island Video News, July 31, 2015, http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2015/07/31/pesticide-ban-to-be-considered-in-hawaii-county/.
- 17.
Keoki Kerr, “Pro-GMO Companies Spend $8 Million to Fight Maui Initiative,” Hawaii News Now, October 28, 2014.
- 18.
Gary Hooser, in conversation with the author, October 2016.
- 19.
Ibid.
- 20.
Paul Achitoff, in conversation with the author, November 2016.
- 21.
Sadie Costello et al., “Parkinson’s Disease and Residential Exposure to Maneb and Paraquat from Agricultural Applications in the Central Valley of California,” American Journal of Epidemiology 169, no. 8 (April 15, 2009): 919–926, doi:10.1093/aje/kwp006.
- 22.
Paul Achitoff (Earthjustice), letter to Gina McCarthy (EPA administrator), August 4, 2016, https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-pJR4cGo9ckVVZ2cE9WMlVKZEk/view?usp=sharing.
- 23.
Paul Achitoff (Earthjustice), letter to Lilian Dorka (EPA acting director, Office of Civil Rights) and Daria Neal (U.S. Department of Justice deputy chief, Civil Rights Division), September 14, 2016, https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-pJR4cGo9ckSi1BT1JTRUZsbU0/view?usp=sharing.
- 24.
Paul Achitoff, in conversation with the author, November 2016.
- 25.
Peter Adler, in conversation with the author, November 2016.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Carey Gillam
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gillam, C. (2017). A Poisoned Paradise. In: Whitewash. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-833-6_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-833-6_8
Publisher Name: Island Press, Washington, DC
Print ISBN: 978-1-61091-923-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-61091-833-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)