Pesticides and You

First, the facts:

Suburban lawns and gardens receive more pesticide applications per acre (3.2-9.8 lbs) than agriculture (2.7 lbs per acre on average).3

Studies find that dogs exposed to herbicide-treated lawns and gardens can double their chance of developing canine lymphoma, and may increase the risk of bladder cancer in certain breeds by four to seven times.1

Scientific studies find pesticide residues, such as the weedkiller 2,4-D, inside homes due to drift and track-in, where they contaminate air, dust, surfaces and carpets and expose children at levels ten times higher than during application.4

Studies show low levels of exposure to actual lawn pesticide products are linked to increased rates of miscarriage and suppression of the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.2

Make no mistake, pesticides are, by their very nature, poisons.  Any aesthetic benefit of using chemical turf care products does not outweigh the health risks associated with exposure to these poisons.  Is an absolutely weed-free lawn worth endangering our children and polluting our environment?  The answer is no.  Especially when there is an alternative that is more effective and 100% natural!

Like second hand smoke, pesticide exposure is not always voluntary.  Run-off from lawns can pollute our water, chemicals can be tracked into our homes, and sprays can contaminate the air we breathe.  Often times it's those who have no choice in the matter who are effected the most: A growing body of evidence suggests that while common lawn and garden weed killers do pose a threat to us all, infants, children, pregnant women, and those with suppressed immune systems are at the highest risk.  Added to this is the fact that pets and other wildlife exposed to chemical turf products are equally vulnerable.  

Luckily, organic lawn care completely abolishes these concerns.  Effective alternatives to pesticides do exist, and they are far more effective than their chemical opposites.  Consider prevention and ecological alternatives over weed killers and insecticides.  Consider safety, heartiness, and longevity over quick fixes, fragility, and fleeting dependency.  Lets give back to nature the natural way.

  1. Glickman, Lawrence, et al. 2004. "Herbicide exposure and the risk of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in Scottish Terriers," Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 224(8):1290-1297; Hayes, H. et al., 1991. "Case-control study of canine malignant lymphoma: positive association with dog owner's use of 2,4-D acid herbicides," Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 83(17):1226.
  2. Greenlee, A. et al. 2004. "Low-Dose Agrochemicals and Lawn-Care Pesticides Induce Developmental Toxicity in Murine Preimplantation Embryos," Environ Health Perspect 112(6): 703-709; Cavieres, M., et al. 2002. "Developmental toxicity of a commercial herbicide mixture in mice: Effects on embryo implantation and litter size." Environ Health Perspect 110:1081-1085
  3. National Research Council. 1980. Urban Pest Management. National Academy of Sciences; Abrams, R., Attorney General of New York. 1991. "Toxic Fairways: Risking Groundwater Contamination from Pesticides on Long Island Golf Courses," Environmental Protection Bureau; Pimentel, D, et al. 1991. "Environmental and Economic Impacts of Reducing U.S. Agricultural Pesticide Use," Handbook of Pest Management in Agriculture, 2nd ed. CRC Press, Florida, p.679
  4. Rudel, Ruthann, et al. 2003. "Phthalates, Alkylphenols, Pesticides, Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, and Other Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds in Indoor Air and Dust," Environmental Science and Technology 37(20): 4543-4553; Nishioka, M., et al. 2001. "Distribution of 2,4-D in Air and on Surfaces Inside Residences After Lawn Applications: Comparing Exposure Estimates from Various Media for Young Children," Environmental Health Perspectives 109(11); Lewis, R., et al. 1991. "Determination of Routes of Exposure of Infants and Toddlers to Household Pesticides: A Pilot Study," EPA, Methods Research Branch.