> if you want to defend chemicals (GOD KNOWS WHY?) that is up to you.

I think very strong case can be made that the general well being of the world's people, their plants and animals have benefited from the judicious use of chemicals, including pesticides, medicine, preservatives, etc. Sure, there are many side effects but a world without these improvements would be far worse. 

Those of us who remember the 1800s know this. My hero H D Thoreau died on May 6, 1862 at age 44, of tuberculosis. His brother John died in his 20s, of tetanus. During the US Civil War some 700,000 died. Only one third were killed outright on the battlefield, the rest died from infections and other disease. 

> Most published material relating to pesticides focuses on negative attributes and outcomes. This fact probably partly explains the public's inaccurate perception of the hazard they represent, and the low level of appreciation of the benefits they bring.  Twenty-six primary benefits are identified that are immediate and incontrovertible, and 31 secondary benefits that are longer term, less intuitive and for which it is harder to establish causality. These benefits include increased crop and livestock yields, improved food safety, human health, quality of life and longevity, and reduced drudgery, energy use and environmental degradation.

from: The benefits of pesticides to mankind and the environment
Jerry Cooper,  and Hans Dobson
Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK
Available online 1 June 2007

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