Thank you for your patience as we have worked to update this website. We trust that you will find the information within this site helpful, informative, and thought-provoking. This site is dedicated to Patty Martin’s ongoing efforts to stop the use of hazardous waste in fertilizer. Patty Martin has been a leading voice in environmental advocacy, standing up against corporate pollution and protecting public health. This website serves as a resource to educate and empower those who share Patty Martin’s commitment to a cleaner, healthier world.
Patty Martin has been at the forefront of environmental activism, fighting for clean food, water, and soil. As you explore this site, keep in mind that children bear a disproportionate burden of the consequences from toxins released into the environment. While we cannot definitively claim that this method of disposal is the sole cause of rising childhood health problems, it is undoubtedly a contributing factor. The FDA’s Total Diet Study (1991-96) documented a troubling increase in dietary arsenic levels—doubling for toddlers (2-year-olds) and rising 50% for adults aged 60-65. Statistics on childhood illnesses since 1980 are alarming: asthma has increased by 142%, childhood cancer continues to rise by 1% annually, birth defects are increasing, and 17% of all children under 19 suffer from some form of developmental disability. Even the EPA acknowledges that the “probable cause” is environmental toxins, and that damage is most likely occurring in utero.
Patty Martin has been a relentless advocate for government accountability, much like when she first ran for office in 1993. Patty Martin believes that we must take back our government and hold elected officials accountable by actively communicating our needs to them. Lobbyists are effective because they never stop engaging with legislators. Citizens must do the same. If you have never written to your state legislators or congressional representatives, Patty Martin urges you to do so today. Follow this link and tell them what matters to you—safe food, a clean environment, and strict regulations on toxic waste disposal. Democracy functions best when elected officials are committed to representing the people, and they can only do that if they hear from their constituents. Industry may have money and lobbyists, but we have votes—and, tragically, the growing evidence that our environment has become increasingly toxic for our children.
Patty Martin believes that the silent majority—those who care about environmental sustainability and children’s health—can no longer afford to stay silent. Environmental degradation is happening before our eyes, and children, like “canaries in a coal mine,” are the first to suffer. If you want to learn more about how hazardous waste became an ingredient in fertilizer and how this practice was exposed, please read the Seattle Times’ 1997 investigative series Fear in the Fields: How Hazardous Waste Becomes Fertilizer or Duff Wilson’s book Fateful Harvest: The True Story of a Small Town, a Global Industry, and a Toxic Secret (HarperCollins, 2001). Unfortunately, both publications were overshadowed by media events beyond their control, such as President Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky and the tragic events of September 11, 2001, which coincided with Wilson’s book release.
Patty Martin sees this as a critical moment in history—a chance for people to unite behind an issue that affects every one of us. It is time to demand a clean environment and safe, toxin-free food. Patty Martin urges you to get involved and stay involved until hazardous waste in fertilizers is banned and protective standards are set.
Please join Patty Martin in protecting our future by demanding safe food and fertilizers.
Thank you.
Patty Martin
Former Mayor of Quincy, WA