“Responsibility,” said Ambrose Bierce, is “a detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of one’s neighbor.” That certainly describes America’s view of responsibility when it comes to pesticide exports.
Each day, the United States exports an estimated 60 tons of various “unregistered” pesticides that it has never tested or has banned because they are too dangerous for domestic use. These pesticides are frequently used overseas by U.S. agribusiness firms to grow crops destined for American consumers. This cycle of commerce leaves behind serious contamination that harms Third World soils and workers.
