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#humanhealth

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"Taken together, Bill 5 blunts the regulations that ensure construction and extraction don’t cause undue harm to land, #water, #wildlife and #humanhealth. It also empowers cabinet to create special economic zones where the laws that do remain can be circumvented to facilitate development." thenarwhal.ca/ontario-bill-5-e

The Narwhal · Ontario’s development and mining law, Bill 5, explained | The NarwhalPublic commenting on Bill 5 closes in a few days. Here’s everything you need to know about Ontario’s omnibus development bill

Dying For Palm Oil: Palm Oil Workers Perishing For Hazardous Pesticides

Investigation reveals that #palmoil plantation workers in #Colombia, #Ghana, and #Indonesia are routinely exposed to hazardous #agrochemicals and #pesticides, including EU-banned #paraquat. Lack of protective gear, inadequate health monitoring, and poor enforcement of safety regulations exacerbate the grave health risks for workers and environmental risks for water #pollution. The study calls for immediate action to protect workers’ health and rights. #BoycottPalmOil #HumanRights #BoycottPalmOil #Ecocide

News: #Palmoil workers in #Colombia, #Ghana, and #Indonesia exposed to hazardous #pesticides, including EU-banned #paraquat. Lack of protective gear poor safety puts lives and #health at risk. #BoycottPalmOil #HumanRights #Boycottpalmoil @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-bHT

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Profundo. (2025, May 7). Research on spraying in the palm oil sector reveals many hazardous substances. FNV. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https://www.fnv.nl/mondiaal-fnv/nieuws-mondiaal-fnv/nieuws-verhaal/research-on-spraying-in-the-palm-oil-sector-reveal

Palm Oil Workers Face Hazardous Pesticide Exposure, New Report Reveals

A comprehensive study conducted by research agency Profundo, commissioned by the International Palm Oil Workers United (IPOWU) and funded by Mondiaal FNV, has uncovered alarming health risks faced by palm oil plantation workers in Colombia, Ghana, and Indonesia due to exposure to hazardous agrochemicals.

The investigation, involving 1,436 workers, identified the use of at least 56 different agricultural chemicals on plantations, including substances classified as “highly hazardous” by the World Health Organization. Notably, paraquat—a pesticide banned in the European Union since 2007—is still being exported from the EU to Indonesia, highlighting a concerning double standard in global chemical safety practices.

Key findings from the report include:

  • Absence of comprehensive chemical safety policies, leading to inadequate health monitoring, safety training, and protective clothing for workers.
  • None of the three countries studied have ratified key International Labour Organization conventions related to occupational health and safety.
  • International palm oil buyers do not mandate specific occupational health and safety policies from their suppliers.
  • Many workers are unaware of the dangers associated with pesticide exposure.
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE) is often not replaced when damaged, and access to facilities for washing PPE is limited, increasing the risk of contamination.
  • Workers with longer tenures reported more health issues, such as skin rashes, dizziness, and vomiting, indicating cumulative exposure effects.

The report underscores the urgent need for stronger enforcement of safety regulations, better training and equipment for workers, and greater accountability from international buyers to ensure the health and safety of those at the forefront of palm oil production.

The EU’s double standards by banning paraquat while exporting it to Indonesia

Quiroz is upset about the EU’s double standards: banning paraquat but still producing and exporting it to Indonesia. “That is unacceptable! That the EU protects its own citizens but not the rest of the world. The EU does not show much compassion for people in the supply chain. At the same time, we see that Colombia allows certain chemicals under specific and controlled conditions on palm oil and other commercial plantations, which eventually end up in the palm oil that we import. So that protection is not watertight at all.”

Risks of pesticide contamination are high for families and communities

 “I did not expect that not all plantations have washing facilities for the workers’ protective clothing. So, they can’t wash their gear on-site, and they bring it home, exposing their families. There are even reports of people washing their protective clothing in nearby, flowing rivers, potentially contaminating the whole area. This happens on a small scale in Colombia and on a larger scale in Indonesia.” – lead researcher Diana Quiroz.

Profundo. (2025, May 7). Research on spraying in the palm oil sector reveals many hazardous substances. FNV. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https://www.fnv.nl/mondiaal-fnv/nieuws-mondiaal-fnv/nieuws-verhaal/research-on-spraying-in-the-palm-oil-sector-reveal

ENDS

Read more about animals at risk from air and water pollution and human rights problems associated with palm oil. When you shop #Boycottpalmoil

Irrawaddy Dolphin Orcaella brevirostris

Intelligent and social Irrawaddy dolphins, also known as the Mahakam River dolphins or Ayeyarwady river #dolphins have endearing faces. Only 90 to 300 are estimated to be left living in the wild. Their…

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Paraquat: Banned in EU, Destroying Lives of Palm Oil Workers in Indonesia

The dangerous pesticide Paraquat is banned in the EU however continues to destroy the lives of palm oil plantation workers in Indonesia. Read this story below originally published in Geographic Magazine and learn how…

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Palm Oil Increases Deaths of Baby Macaques

In Peninsular Malaysia, a new study published in Cell Biology by a team led by Dr Anna Holzner of German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig has found that infant mortality rates…

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Goliath Frog Conraua goliath

Goliath #Frogs are the largest frog in the world and can grow as large as a domestic cat. These muscle-bound #amphibians lift heavy rocks to build nests and protect their young. They face…

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Uncovering The Glasswing Butterfly’s See-through Wings

Most butterflies sport colourful, eye-catching wings. But some species flit about using mostly transparent wings. Researchers have now uncovered the tricks that one of these — the glasswing butterfly (Greta oto) — uses to hide…

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

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Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

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Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

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Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

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How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Pledge your support

"Air pollution and ALAN exposure are linked to memory impairment, with combined effects potentially amplifying risk. #Biomarkers play a key role in mediating these effects, suggesting a need for targeted public health measures to mitigate these environmental health risks."

link.springer.com/article/10.1

SpringerLinkSynergistic impact of air pollution and artificial light at night on memory disorders: a nationwide cohort analysis - BMC Public HealthBackground Air pollutants and outdoor artificial light at night (ALAN) are known health risks, with established effects on respiratory and cardiovascular health. However, their impact on cognitive function, particularly neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, remains poorly understood. Methods Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), including 44,689 participants, memory impairment (Memrye) was defined by self-reported memory-related diseases. Cox regression models were applied to assess the relationship between pollutants, ALAN exposure, and Memrye. Interaction analyses evaluated the combined effects using relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion (AP), and synergy index (S). Biomarker analyses and stepwise causal mediation examined the underlying mechanisms. Results Air pollutants and ALAN were significantly associated with Memrye (p < 0.05), with hazard ratios (HR) ranging from 1.010 to 1.343. Synergistic effects were observed, such as for PM2.5 and ALAN, with RERI, AP, and S values of 0.65 (0.33, 0.97), 0.30 (0.26, 0.34), and 1.43 (1.21, 1.65), respectively. Biomarker analyses showed significant correlations between pollutants, glucose, cholesterol, and uric acid, while ALAN was negatively associated with glucose and uric acid. Mediation analyses indicated that PM2.5, NO2, and ALAN indirectly affected Memrye through biomarkers, accounting for 1.07–8.28% of the total effects. Conclusion Air pollution and ALAN exposure are linked to memory impairment, with combined effects potentially amplifying risk. Biomarkers play a key role in mediating these effects, suggesting a need for targeted public health measures to mitigate these environmental health risks.

“ALAN [artificial light at night] is a significant environmental factor contributing to adverse health outcomes, particularly metabolic disorders and mental health disturbances. While findings suggest actionable interventions, further longitudinal studies are required to confirm causality and explore preventative strategies.”

sciencedirect.com/science/arti

Continued thread

Plants and animals are different [citation needed], but we've both evolved on the same Earth. So the physiology of animals is also affected by exposure to #LightPollution, and this extends to humans and #HumanHealth.

We have the problem that we spend most of the day indoors under artificial lights (much darker than natural day), and then spend the evening indoors under artificial lights (much brighter than natural night). Especially for night owls, this lack of a clear day/night signal screws up our internal #Circadian clocks. These clocks control things like metabolism, so messing with them causes #health problems: doi.org/10.1177/23727322231193 (5/17)