Editorial
Desk
| June 19, 2003, Thursday
Biological
Hazards Ahead
By David M. Lodge (NYT) 548 words
Late Edition - Final , Section A ,
Page 25 , Column 1
ABSTRACT
- David M Lodge Op-Ed article says US
government must develop and coordinate
program to protect human health, crops,
wildlife and natural ecosystems from alien
animals and plants; drawing (M) The recent
arrivals in North America of SARS and
monkeypox have understandably alarmed us
all. But they should not have surprised us.
We already knew that an inevitable side
effect of globalization is that emerging
infectious diseases can spread more rapidly.
We already knew that many human diseases
have their origin in close contact between
people and domesticated animals. Those
considerations have informed public health
policy for decades.
What hasn't been adequately considered --
despite persistent warnings --is the
dramatic increase in global trade in alien
animals and plants, and the accidental
transport of other species in ships and
planes. Once here, such alien species pose
not only a threat to humans, but can destroy
our crops, wildlife and natural ecosystems
-- and may be far more costly in the long
run than most forms of pollution. Unlike air
and water pollution, which are often
correctable, biological invasions are
usually irreversible, for the simple fact
that alien organisms reproduce.
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