Poisons, Pests and People

A film report on how chemical research is on the side of the farmer in battle against the plagues that threaten his crops. Insects, plant diseases and weeds come under close scrutiny as scientists develop new formulas to check the invasions to which field and garden crops are subject. The film shows laboratory experiments at a government research station and examines the questions that still need to be answered about the ultimate effects of toxic substances on food-producing soil.

A look at the history of arctic travel and the perils confronting early explorers in search of fabled riches and the Northwest Passage. Modern developments in air and sea navigation are also noted.

Prince Edward Island--a rural paradise and a safe haven from the city. But is this image really a mirage? Many of the children on the Island can't catch their breath. PEI has the highest rate of hospital admissions for asthma in Canada, and many affected never leave home without an inhaler. Hanging over the farmers' fields, reaching into every city and town, is an invisible cloud of extremely dangerous poisons. Since the late 1960s, the potato has become the commercial crop, creating a monoculture that has destroyed the soil's natural balance. Consequently, potato farmers have grown more and more dependent on pesticides. The last twenty years has seen a 700% increase in the use of these toxins to kill insects that might endanger the potato harvest and the Island's economy. Filmmaker Sylvie Dauphinais discovered that living in paradise comes at a heavy cost: the health of her son. She has made this documentary to issue a wake-up call about an environmental crisis that is putting the ill, the elderly and the young at greatest risk. Some subtitles.