# odd mention of EPA by Bill Moyers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2004, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-mention-of-epa-by-bill-moyers/280473 "2004-12-18T03:30:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-mention-of-epa-by-bill-moyers/280473/1 "2004-12-18T03:30:55Z")
In a speach at Harvard recently, Bill Moyers said the following: “I read the news just this week and learned how the Environmental Protection Agency had planned to spend nine million dollars – two million of it from the administration’s friends at the American Chemistry Council – to pay poor families to continue to use pesticides in their homes. These pesticides have been linked to neurological damage in children, but instead of ordering an end to their use, the government and the industry were going to offer the families $970 each, as well as a camcorder and children’s clothing, to serve as guinea pigs for the study.” [http://www.alternet.org/story/20666/](http://www.alternet.org/story/20666/) What is he referring to? Any ideas? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-mention-of-epa-by-bill-moyers/280473/2 "2004-12-18T03:32:19Z")
Reeder had a pit thread about it a bit back, but I don’t feel like searching. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-mention-of-epa-by-bill-moyers/280473/3 "2004-12-18T03:37:23Z")
[Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/toxins/cheers.asp) has a bit to say about this … ---
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-mention-of-epa-by-bill-moyers/280473/4 "2004-12-20T20:02:32Z")
Thanks. Gotta love how such a topic is studied under an acronym called “CHEERS”. :dubious: “Hey, you’re kids are poisoned! Cheers!” ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-mention-of-epa-by-bill-moyers/280473/5 "2004-12-20T20:12:46Z")
The context of the paragraph is better illustrated with some background: > [@](#): > > NEW YORK, NY (December 1, 2004)– The Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, the first medical school-based center in the United States bringing scientific rigor to the relationship between human health and the health of the global environment, awards its 2004 Global Environmental Citizen Award to Bill Moyers. > > “ Bill Moyers is a talented journalist who has proven himself time and again with resourceful, thought-provoking pieces focused on some of today’s toughest environmental issues,” says Eric Chivian, MD, Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment, and a former co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. “His work on the environment successfully makes strong connections between human health and the well being of the Earth’s ecosystems.” Source: [http://www.med.harvard.edu/chge/april.html#bill](http://www.med.harvard.edu/chge/april.html#bill) Full text of acceptance speech: [http://www.med.harvard.edu/chge/Moyerstranscript.pdf](http://www.med.harvard.edu/chge/Moyerstranscript.pdf)