Putting Risk into Perspective
Understanding the risks that may – or may not – be posed by agricultural technologies is an important component of sustainability. Careful consumers may research the facts behind a particular technology and decide for themselves whether or not they consider it healthy.
Take pesticides for example. Some risk is inherent within pesticide use, but those risks are well known and studied. Following rules for handling and use of pesticides effectively manages those risks. Still, people express concerns, but how much concern is warranted?
Here’s a surprising example: Glyphosate is a popular herbicide used on soybean crops to kill weeds. Some people are concerned about glyphosate. But glyphosate has less oral toxicity than table salt. (This is not true of all pesticides; each one is different.)
Simply saying “pesticides are risky” doesn’t do justice to the facts. Each pesticide has a different risk, and nearly all crops are protected by pest control practices of one form or another.
For a fun look at how “spin” can make even tap water appear dangerous, check out www.dhmo.org for some “surprising facts.” This website uses careful language to make ordinary water sound positively dangerous, which it can be.