Georgina Downs - UK Pesticides Campaign - Home Page
Pesticide Exposures for People in Agricultural Areas“People move to the countryside thinking it will be a healthy environment to bring up their children and do not know about the dangers and risks inherent in the spraying of poisonous chemicals on surrounding fields, until they themselves suffer adverse effects on their health”
Georgina Downs
NEW - Georgina nominated in the Daily Mail's Inspirational Women Of The Year Awards
NEW - MEP's to Vote on critical EU pesticide proposals: Contact your MEP before 23rd October 2007 - Word document
NEW - See Georgina's article in the September 2007 edition of the Ecologist magazine entitled “If I were in charge of the UK's pesticides policy.....” - Adobe PDF
NEW - Georgina granted permission by judge to challenge the Government's pesticide policy in the High Court - Listen Again to Radio 4's Woman's Hour that featured the story
NEW - Article by Georgina entitled "Why I am taking legal action against the Government over pesticides" - Word document
Georgina nominated in this year's Great Briton Awards 2006. To support Georgina and the UK Pesticides Campaign click here to add your vote
Georgina wins 2nd major award for her tenacious and fearless campaign on the health risks of pesticides - Word document
Georgina meets EU Commissioner for Health and informs him of UK Government complacency over pesticides - Word document
Georgina wins prestigious award at the 2006 British Environment and Media Awards (BEMAs) - Word document
Georgina nominated for Campaigner of the Year at Observer's Ethical Awards 2006
Georgina listed in Top 20 Power Players in UK Farming
A Breath Of Fresh Air?
Campaign Information and Objectives
Bystander Risk Assessment - Background information
DEFRA Consultation on crop-spraying - Information and links
Georgina Downs' submission to the Consultation
Royal Commission On Environmental Pollution Consultation on Crop-Spraying and Public Meeting
Georgina Downs' submission to the Royal Commission's pesticides and bystander exposure study
Pesticide Exposures - UK and International Policy Failings Presentation given by Georgina Downs at the conference "Science, Medicine and the Law" on 1st February 2005 and the Green Party conference on 3rd March 2005 - Powerpoint slides (600KB)
and accompanying commentary - Word document
Video - Pesticide Exposures for People in Agricultural Areas - Part 1: Pesticides in the Air | Part 2: The Hidden Costs
Comprehensive Review of Pesticide Research Confirms Dangers
Today the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution published their report “Crop Spraying and the Health of Residents and Bystanders.” So, what will the Royal Commission’s recommendations really mean for rural residents and communities? - Word document
Launch edition of Lifescape magazine October 2005 features Georgina's campaign - Adobe PDF
"Buffer Zones - How Big Should They Be?" Presentation given by Georgina Downs at the meeting "Putting the RCEP Into Practice" on 16th November 2005 - Powerpoint slides (900KB)
and accompanying commentary - Word document
See Georgina Downs' submission to the National Pesticides Strategy Consultation Document - Word document
and Georgina's comments to the COT, as an observer - Adobe PDF
Georgina has article on pesticide exposure published in April 06 edition of Outlooks on Pest Management - Adobe PDF
Press Releases
The following are links to the relevant websites, for other formats (plain text, Word document and Adobe PDF) click the corresponding link:A Breath of Fresh Air? - 18/3/03 Text | Word | PDF
Toxic Politics - 15/9/03 Text | Word | PDF
Paying to be Poisoned - 3/11/03 Text | Word | PDF
A Rural Idyll? - 20/1/04 Text | Word | PDF
Action on Pesticides Needed Now - 25/4/04 Text | Word | PDF
A Legal Poisoning? - 16/6/04 Text | Word
Chief Scientific Advisor Did Not See Vital Evidence Prior to DEFRA Decision on Crop Spraying - 3/8/04 Text | Word
Figures published by the Government do not give a true representation of the numbers of reports of adverse effects from pesticide exposure - Text | Word
Pesticides Campaigner urges Government to assess cases of prostate cancer - Text | Word
Pesticides campaigner accuses Government of inconsistency following the immediate withdrawal of products containing Sudan 1 and the lack of any action to prevent human exposure to pesticides - Text | Word
Disagreements amongst members of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides over the safety of pesticides continues with the publication of Minority Statement - Text | Word
Government criticised over pesticides as EFRA Committee recommend the prioritisation of pesticide issues in new report - 4th April 2005 Text | Word
Rural residents disappointed by delay on Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's report on pesticides - Text | Word
New Parkinson's research highlights flaws in regulatory controls for pesticides - Text | Word
Campaigner calls for urgent action to protect children, as new study highlights illnesses from pesticides sprayed in and around schools - Text | Word
A Right Royal Poisoning - Text | Word
Key Government Advisor's (the ACP) Criticised Over Pesticides - Text | Word
Government continues to ignore Key Stakeholders (rural residents and communities) and the health impacts of pesticides, in new National Pesticides Strategy - Text | Word
Calls for immediate action to protect people from pesticides as study finds the risk of Parkinson’s disease 70 % higher for those exposed to pesticides - Word document
Leading Pesticides Campaigner gives damning verdict of Government report on the health risks of pesticides - Word document
Leading pesticides campaign calls for action as preliminary study findings show pesticide exposure damages the same brain areas linked to epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s - Word document
Related Articles
A Perfectly Legal Poisoning - Sunday Telegraph 23/3/03
Georgina's Fight Against Toxic Peril - The Observer 13/4/03
Suffering and Tragedy in a Kent Village - The Observer 13/4/03
Can We Have a Breath of Fresh Air? - The Observer 13/4/03
It's Safer in a Hive - Sunday Telegraph 4/5/03
Campaigner Steps up Pesticide Fight - The Argus 23/7/03
Whitewash for Crop Sprays - Sunday Telegraph 31/8/03
Families' Lives Poisoned by Crop-spraying - The Observer 2/5/04
Pesticide Platitudes - Sunday Telegraph 20/6/04
Defra snubs the young crusader - Sunday Telegraph 8/8/04
School Study Sparks Pesticide Row - BBC News 27th July 2005
Crop Spraying is Health Risk, say Scientists - Sunday Times 11th September 2005
How Living Near a Farm is Bad for Your Health - Daily Mail 22nd September 2005
Downs is Dangerous - Sunday Telegraph 25th September 2005
Danger Zone - The Guardian 28th September 2005
Fury at 16ft Farm Spray Safety Zone - The Argus 29th September 2005
Study reveals pesticides link to Parkinson’s - The Sunday Times 25th June 2006
Study shows Parkinson's disease link to pesticides - The Times 26th June 2006
Pesticides dramatically increase risk of Parkinson's - Daily Mail 25th June 2006
Judgment day for pesticide crusader - The Observer 16th July 2006
Breathing pesticides 'can trigger MS and Parkinson's disease' - Daily Mail 9th August 2006
Other Related Media
Illness Blamed on Crop-spraying - BBC News 16/4/03
Too Close for Comfort - BBC Breakfast News 5/8/03
Something Sinister in the Fields - BBC Politics Show East 11th July 2004
Protect the Public from Pesticides - Letter to the Editor, Daily Telegraph 28th May 2005
Pesticide Exposure for People in Agricultural Areas - Science in Parliament magazine Spring Edition 2005 - Word document
Pesticides - BBC Breakfast - 22nd September 2005
Protection from Pesticides - Letter to the Editor, The Guardian - 27th September 2005
Feature
Inspirational Voice - FOE Earthalert PDF Pages 12-15 - Summer 2003
Links
The Cancer Prevention and Education Society
Lifescape - The alternative lifestyle magazine
Photo courtesy of Cosmopolitan Magazine Georgina receiving her Heroine Award at the Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female Awards, pictured with award presenter |
 Georgina Downs and EU Commissioner, Markos Kyprianou |
photo by Simply Photography Georgina receiving her BEMA from Alistair McGowan (right) and campaign guru, Chris Rose (left) |
photo by Drew Gardner Georgina Downs and her father Ray regularly exposed to toxic pesticides in their air and living environment |
copyright Georgina Downs Georgina's video featured a "family" of mannequins, made up of a pregnant woman, two babies and a young child to illustrate pesticide exposure for rural residents and communities. A worker is legally allowed to know what chemicals they are using, the potential health effects and are required to wear protective equipment. Yet members of the public, breathing in the very same air, are not |
copyright Georgina Downs |
 Currently farmers are legally allowed to spray right up to the open window of any occupied premises, whether it be a house, a school, a home for the elderly or any office or workplace |
photo courtesy of Getmapping plc |
photo by Billy Ridgers |
 |
photo by Andrew Hasson (not for reproduction) |
Contact: Georgina Downs
Tel: 01243 773846
Email: gdowns25@tiscali.co.uk
Website Designed by Georgina Downs and Tom Barrett