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MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION" NO. 10 65, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



plant diseases that may be introduced from other 

 parts of the world. To prepare for such accidental 

 introduction, we need to study plant pests poten- 

 tially destructive to U.S. crops. This will require 

 an isolated research facility where plant diseases 

 and their vectors from all parts of the world can 

 be investigated. 



Allergens 



Bees gathering pollen from flowers do not take 

 all of it. About 1.7 million tons of this delicate dust 

 enters our atmosphere. Allergenic pollens cause 

 mild to severe distress to untold thousands of peo- 

 ple. In addition, the cost of prevention and allevia- 

 tion of allergies caused by pollen is tremendous. 

 The prevention and therapeutics of allergen- 

 induced disease are still more art. than science. 



It was indicated in appendix III that no research 

 is underway designed specifically for the control 

 of plant species that produce allergenic pollen. Of 

 even more importance is that there is no complete 

 catalog of allergenic pollen. Consequently, the dis- 

 tress caused by pollen cannot even be assessed 

 properly. 



Many of the weeds producing troublesome pol- 

 len occur naturally in uncultivated wastelands. 

 The only cultural method of control would be re- 

 peated mowing or cultivation that would keep the 

 ground bare. Neither method is desirable. Chemi- 

 cal control offers a very real possibility, however. 

 Information on the chemical control of other weed 

 species could be extended to weeds that produce 

 allergenic pollen. Control practices that would sig- 

 nificantly reduce pollen incidence in the atmos- 

 phere would have to be widespread because pollen 

 is blown for long distances by wind. An additional 

 approach would be to study the prevention of pol- 

 len formation. 



Improved technology, widely applied, has the 

 potential for significantly reducing the incidence 

 of troublesome airborne pollen, thus alleviating 

 the distress of afflicted persons. 



Agricultural Chemicals 



Senate Document 85 (117) provided an amend- 

 ment to P.L. 88-573, the act making appropria- 

 tions to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 

 fiscal year 1965. Senate Document 85 stated : 



The requested changes for the U.S. Department 

 of Agriculture would provide an additional $29 



million to accelerate work on pesticide residues, 

 making a total 1965 request of $69 million for 

 pesticide research, education, and regulation in 

 the Department. 



This action by the Congress was eloquent testi- 

 mony to the interest of the people in problems 

 posed by pesticide residues as possible contami- 

 nants of the environment. 



Insecticides 



The discussions in appendices I, II, and III 

 point out the many complex problems associated 

 with the use of pesticides. Even though progress 

 is being made through research to ameliorate some 

 of these problems, the problem of pesticide resi- 

 dues, both the hazard and the legal issues, con- 

 tinues to be one of major interest. 



Toxicologists who have investigated the effects 

 of pesticides on laboratory animals, and even on 

 man, see no evidence that our food supply is not 

 safe. Even though there is no proof that low-level 

 residues in foods constitute a hazard to man, the 

 mere presence of such residues, regardless of in- 

 finitesimal amounts, incurs apprehension in some 

 people. In spite of the great benefit derived from 

 pesticides, and the essential role they play in the 

 production of the Nation's food supply, some peo- 

 ple hesitate to accept any risks to man that might 

 be involved in their use. 



Wildlife conservationists object to the risks of 

 widespread dissemination of pesticides in our en- 

 vironment. 



The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the 

 State agricultural experiment stations strive to ob- 

 tain information needed to assess the risks of pesti- 

 cides in the environment. Hazards are corrected 

 within the limitations of available information. 



Taking the long view, it is more realistic to place 

 major effort on ways to deal with specific insect 

 problems that completely avoid hazards to man 

 and other forms of life. Any system of insect con- 

 trol that has adverse effects on a wide range of 

 organisms will be regarded as objectionable, either 

 because of economic losses from the adverse effects 

 on nontarget organisms, or because of the esthetic 

 value that the public places on such organisms 

 even though they may not be of economic im- 

 portance. If pesticides were to create hazards to 

 the survival of a species of wildlife, this would be 

 looked upon as a calamity by many. Excessive loss 



