This story was originally high altitude news is part of climate desk collaboration.
Perhaps no Christmas custom is more universal than decorating the Christmas tree. It began more than 500 years ago in Eastern Europe, where people decorated evergreen trees with roses and apples as symbols of Eve and the Garden of Eden. Today, that ancient tradition is booming, employing nearly 100,000 people, generating nearly $2 billion in revenue, and harvesting 25 million to 30 million natural Christmas trees each year. About 30 percent are from the Pacific Northwest. Sales of real Christmas trees have increased nearly 20% since 2020, but fake trees are also booming.
Artificial trees have drawn criticism for the chemicals used in their production and their carbon footprint. However, living trees also have drawbacks. In particular, pesticides and insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides used in tree cultivation have received surprisingly little attention, due in part to a lack of research on their risks to consumers and farm workers.
Those who love traditional green Christmas trees rarely think about how those trees are grown, even those who are concerned about their environmental impact. “I’ve been using fake trees for about 10 years,” said Dennis Castro of Eugene, Oregon. “Before that, I bought a real tree. I had no idea that the tree had pesticides on it.” high altitude news When I contacted her, she started asking her longtime friends if they had thought about it. But they didn’t think about or were particularly concerned about pesticides. “You can include me in this agreement,” Michele Zemba said. “I never thought about pesticides when I bought real trees.”
Some of the most common chemicals used in the industry include chlorothalonil, atrazine, glyphosate (better known as Roundup), and dimethoate, all of which are known to affect human health. Masu. The half-life of some of these chemicals ranges from days to years, depending on the chemicals involved and other factors. Over time, these pesticides accumulate in the environment, persisting in soil and groundwater, and accumulating in plant and animal tissues, especially humans at the top of the food chain.
Low levels of pesticides are commonly detected in surface and drinking water in Oregon. 2021, Portland State University Researchers Public data This study shows that forestry-related pesticides are present in Oregon’s coastal waters and that they flow downstream in the state’s rivers. However, it is difficult to quantify the contribution of specific industries to such widespread low-level contamination over time or to calculate the risk to consumers. Laura Masterson, an organic farmer and former Oregon Department of Agriculture director, acknowledged this is another gap in the science. She said: ‘We don’t really understand the effects of microdoses. [of these chemicals] About health. ”
