Talk:Pesticides in the United States

Split out DDT section

I have added info from DDT in the United States to this article after it was redirected to DDT, without good reason in my opinion. Due to its importance, notability and the dearth of info on the topic DDT in the United States deserves its own article. -- Alan Liefting (talk) - 19:46, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

The opening paragraph should contain more information to make it more appealing to the public. A one sentence opener discredits the article and may cause the reader to look elsewhere for the information that might actually be on the page. (Meghan.lyn.fischer (talk) 01:12, 8 February 2011 (UTC)) MLF

Herbicide/Pesticide

Perhaps it's just a matter of definition, but DDT is a pesticide and atrazine is a herbicide. There is a difference, as any farmer could tell you. Perhaps this page needs to be renamed? Changed? Removed? Helifino. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mrbuddhafreak (talk • contribs) 07:31, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

Wow, this has been here a long time without comment. Anyway, herbicides are a type of pesticide, along with other types such as insecticides and fungicides. --tronvillain (talk) 18:15, 18 May 2018 (UTC)

EWG

Just a note that I've gone ahead and removed content related to the Environmental Working Group. This is a non-WP:MEDRS source that is frequently criticized for misleading consumers with their "dirty dozen" listing.[1][2] It's a fringe point of view from an advocacy group that even has peer-reviewed research debunking it[3] (along with MEDRS sources citing it)[4] If we're talking about listing the USDA statistics that say those residues are so low they don't pose a significant health issue, that's one thing, but we can't contradict it with an advocacy group they has been criticized for misrepresenting the data. Kingofaces43 (talk) 17:22, 18 May 2018 (UTC)

I don't have the time, energy, or motivation to engage in a long back and forth on this, so I'll lay my argument out here and leave it at that. I'm not going to revert and I probably won't continue in the discussion--I simply don't have the energy.

With that out of the way: There is nothing FRINGE about EWG taking the USDA PDP database and identifying the items on which pesticides are most and least commonly detected, and then publicizing lists of those items. It may be controversial, but controversial does not automatically mean fringe, and they are not making any claims about the healthfulness of those items. And EWG is major, mainstream environmental organization. As there is no medical claim, this is outside of the purview of MEDRS guideline. (I'll note that you, Kingofaces43, have butted heads with previously over the applicability of MEDRS, and I think your view of the guideline is overly broad.)

The EWG dirty dozen/clean fifteen list are clearly notable--there is no shortage of discussion of the lists in reliable secondary sources--so we can and should mention the dirty 12 and clean 15 lists on Wikipedia. And we should also mention the criticism of the lists. On the other hand, the language were are talking about is clearly ripe for improvement: some links are dead, secondary sources are available and should be included, and I don't think we need to actually list the individual items in the 12/15 lists. So, in short: The section needs to be trimmed/cleaned up and improved and referenced better, but it don't need to be completely removed. Yilloslime (talk) 22:16, 18 May 2018 (UTC)

What do you think "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean Fifteen" are supposed to be in this context, if not implied safety and danger (which clearly falls under MEDRS)?--tronvillain (talk) 22:47, 18 May 2018 (UTC)

(edit conflict) The EWG is directly making health claims in their dirty dozen articles, so no one can really claim health claims or the presence of pesticide residues aren’t cover under MEDRS. Either way, this is directly criticized as unreliable by MEDRS sources, so we don’t treat it as reliable. It is indeed noteworthy in how certain fringe theories can be such, but we only discuss it with due weight in mind by discussing how it’s discredited where relevant. Kingofaces43 (talk) 22:56, 18 May 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

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• Placard against pesticides on a window (cropped).jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 08:08, 6 September 2021 (UTC)