Pesticides and Health
Volumes of research have documented the health hazards of pesticides.
Lawn chemicals don't stay put; they are airborne; they are tracked into other yards and homes. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 95% of the pesticides used on residential lawns are considered possible or probable carcinogens. This includes pesticides applied by lawn care companies, as well as pesticides that are sold over the counter. In a 1999 study of a North Carolina residential suburb, 14 pesticides were found in house dust.[1] Chemicals that might biodegrade or dissipate when exposed to sun, rain and soil microorganisms remain for much longer periods of time in carpets. Data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found low levels of the herbicide 2,4-D in 12% of a sample of 1000 adults. The same study found levels of an insecticide chlorpyrifos metabolite, in 82% of the sample and concluded that exposure to chlorpyrifos was apparently increasing .[2] Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (at one time the second fastest-growing cancer in the U.S.) has repeatedly been associated with use of the weedkiller 2,4-D in studies in the U.S., Canada and Sweden. 2,4-D is a common ingredient in many lawncare products. It is linked to many other health problems including birth defects, reproductive problems and immune system damage. [3] [1] Science News, 138:86. |