It starts at the beginging, and then you figure the best thing we can do is re-use
what we already have. The dangers are real! - Conventional cotton production itself
uses approx 25 percent of the world’s insecticides and over 10 percent of the
pesticides. Your average T-shirt may even have formaldehyde in it to prevent creasing.
In addition, standard printing inks used in screen printing contaminate the environment
with 1.5 million gallons of plastisol a year. -In
2001, the UN FAO and World Health Organisation estimated that developing countries
spend US$3 billion annually on pesticides. However, one-third of these pesticides
did not meet internationally accepted quality standards. Developing countries
are used as a dumping ground for hazardous chemicals, many of which are banned
throughout much of the rest of the world because of the serious threats they pose
to human health and the natural environment. 
Cambodia
is one such country. -Pesticides are toxic by design. Every year, pesticides are
estimated to cause tens of millions of cases of accidental poisoning. Many of
these poisoning cases are in the developing world where awareness of the dangers
is lacking. Symptoms of pesticide poisoning can range from short-term headaches
and nausea to convulsions, unconsciousness or death. Longer-term effects include
damage to nervous systems, respiratory and skin diseases, cancers and birth defects.
What's Your Poison? -EJF's
work to raise awareness of the human health impact of endosulfan and the publication
of End of the Road for Endosulfan led to the Cambodian Government announcing a
ban on the import, sale and use of this dangerous pesticide. Find out why endosulfan
is so dangerous to human health: [Read EJF's report End of the Road for Endosulfan]
-Cotton uses nearly 10% of the world's pesticides, and of this, 25% of the world's
insecticides. The consequences for human health and the environment are well known,
particularly in the developing world where pesticides are not subject to stringent
regulation and where public awareness of the risks are limited. There has been
a slow response from producers, traders and retailers to developing and promoting
organic cotton production that can sustain environment and rural communities. | 
