This file contains: * A CRITICAL LOOK AT 'LAWN CARE' CHEMICALS, an adaptation from an American Defender Network publication; * Information from the H.E.L.P (Help Eliminate Lawn Pesticides) Brochure. ================================================================= A CRITICAL LOOK AT 'LAWN CARE' CHEMICALS The American Defender Network, July 1987 Q. WHAT ARE 'LAWN CARE' CHEMICALS? A. A lot more than just fertilizer. They include toxic pesticides in "weed & feed" products applied by lawn spraying companies or sold by the bag or bottle in hardware stores, garden shops, etc., to "control" weeds, insects, crabgrass, dandelions or fungus. Q. WHO USES 'LAWN CARE' CHEMICALS? A. If you or your neighbors hire a "lawn care" spraying company or buy any of the pesticides listed above - YOU DO. Q. CAN 'LAWN CARE' CHEMICALS MAKE ME OR MY FAMILY SICK? A. YES! Pesticides used in the name of "controlling" weeds, insects, etc. are toxic - "cide" means kill. Many people mistakenly believe these are "magic bullets" ... harmful only to "pests" or "weeds". Nothing could be further from the truth. These chemicals are called broad-spectrum biocides, which simply means that they are poisonous to many kinds of life including you ... your family ... your pets ... fruit and shade trees ... garden plants as well as birds and other wildlife. These chemicals include components of Agent Orange, nerve-gas type insecticides, artificial hormones and products the Federal Government has been prohibited from using on its own uninhabited property. Some names are: 2,4-D*; Bensulide; Captan*; Dacthal*; Diazinon*; Dicambra*; Dursban*; Mecoprop*; Pendimethalin and Chloroflurenol. So called "inert" ingredients comprising up to 99% of a pesticide formula may be more toxic than the "active" ingredients. Yet, EPA has allowed dangerous "inerts" such as Xylene, Benzene and Dioxin to be kept secret from the public and unlisted on the label. been reclassified as "inert" ingredients and allowed to remain in pesticide formulas without notice to the public. EPA was able to hide the reclassification of DDT for over 12 years. (*indicates a pesticide registered with faked health tests - see below) Q. HOW CAN I OR MY FAMILY BE POISONED BY 'LAWN CARE' CHEMICALS? A. Poison is absorbed through the skin, by mouth, and by breathing sprays, dusts, or vapors. You or your children may be poisoned if you: apply chemicals or are present during application; touch contaminated grasses, shoes, clothing or lawn furniture; or put contaminated toys or fingers in the mouth. Q. ARE 'LAWN CARE' CHEMICALS SAFE WHEN DRY? A. NO! Pesticides may remain active for a month to a year or more, during which they can release toxic vapors. Breathing vapors - even from neighbors' lawns - or playing on or mowing contaminated grass can cause illness. Calling a pesticide biodegradable is misleading. This only means it can change into other chemicals - which can be more toxic than the original. Q. WHY DOESN'T MY DOCTOR DIAGNOSE PESTICIDE POISONING? A. Doctors receive little training in the hazards of pesticides. Many mistakenly believe pesticides are as carefully regulated as drugs. Your doctor may misdiagnose the symptoms of pesticide poisoning as "allergy" or "the flu". Some doctors may even tell you that your symptoms are psychosomatic or "all in your head". Except for industrial accidents, poisoning is rarely considered as a cause of illness. Tests to confirm it are expensive and rarely performed. Q. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF 'LAWN CARE' PESTICIDE POISONING? A. They are deceptively simple. Pesticides attack the central nervous system and other vital body centers. Exposure may produce one or more of the folowing symptoms: sore nose, tongue or throat; burning skin or ears; rash; earaches or infections; excessive sweating or salivation; chest tightness, difficult breathing, asthma-like attacks, coughing; muscle pain, discomfort, twitching, seizures, temporary paralysis; tissue swelling, arthritis-like complaints, headache, eye pain, blurred or dim vision; numbness or tingling in hands or feet; nausea, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, incontinence; anorexia, anxiety, suicidal depression, irritability, angry outbursts, disturbed sleep, hyperactivity, learning disability; fatigue, dizziness, unexplained fever, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, nose bleeds, menstrual irregularity, spontaneous bleeding, stroke, death. People with no apparent symptoms after pesticide exposure may still be harmed. Long-term problems associated with "lawn care" poisons include: lowered male fertility; miscarriages; birth defects; chemical sensitization; immune suppression; cataracts; blindness; liver and kidney dysfunction; heart disturbances and cancer. A recent study by the National Cancer Institute found that farmers exposed just a few times a year to these same chemicals have cancer rates that are up to six times greater than the general population. Q. ARE PEOPLE ACTUALLY GETTING SICK FROM LAWN CHEMICALS? A. Yes. This is a real problem, not mere theory. Many people throughout the United States are chronically ill for months at a time as a result of the increasing use of lawn pesticides. In some cases, this illness is actually life threatening. Each "lawn care" season, many are forced to leave their homes and jobs, sometimes permanently, in order to escape pesticide induced illness. Q. WOULD THE GOVERNMENT ALLOW CHEMICALS ON THE MARKET IF THEY WEREN'T SAFE? A. Unfortunately yes. Most people mistakenly believe that EPA protects us from harmful pesticides. EPA, itself, makes no such claims. Labelling pesticides "safe", "harmless", or "non-toxic to humans or pets" violates Federal Law. According to Congress, 9 out of 10 pesticides lack minimum health testing. Executives of Industrial Bio-Test Labs were recently given jail terms for faking health and safety tests for 200 of the most common pesticides. Yet, EPA has allowed these poisons to stay on the market. Q. CAN 'LAWN CARE' CHEMICALS CONTAMINATE MY DRINKING WATER? A. Yes. Both pesticides and fertilizers can and do migrate into public and private wells. Unfortunately there is no systematic program or requirement to test drinking water for pesticide contamination. Q. HAVE I THE RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT TOXIC PESTICIDES I AM EXPOSED TO IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD? A. NO. Most spray companies don't tell their cusomers, neiborhood residents or their employees which chemicals they use and the known health effects from them. Neither will they notify you in advance before they spray your neighborhood. Some distribute misleading information about the safety of their products by word of mouth or in "factsheets". The largest applicators have banded together to use the courts and the legislatures to prevent passage of laws that would give you the right to know. Accurate information on the health effects of toxic pesticides is available in the textbooks and government reports listed below. Q. WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES TO TOXIC 'LAWN CARE' CHEMICALS? A. Ask yourself, "What did I or my family do before the mass promotion of lawn chemicals?" For most the answer is little or nothing. Yet, you and your lawn survived. You both still can. The "lawn care" industry is a recent creation by chemical firms to expand the market for aging farm chemicals. Skillful advertising has created an imaginary ideal of the "perfect" green lawn. In truth, there is no such thing as a perfect lawn, no matter how much time or money you spend. The key to a health lawn is rich, healthy soil. Poisons and chemical fertilizers can actually destroy healthy soil. FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO A HEALTHY LAWN WITHOUT UNHEALTHY CHEMICALS MOWING - let it grow! Close, frequent cutting stresses grass plants. Weed seedlings need sun. Grass 2 1/2 to 3 inches tall shades out weeds and holds soil moisture. Mow when dry, at evening or cool of day. Keep blade sharp. Leave nitrogen rich clippings behind to degrade into soil building compost. Scatter or rake up any large clumps of clippings for use as compost or mulch. FERTILIZER - chemical fertilizers add salt to the soil, kill soil building microorganisms, promote soil compaction, shallow roots, thatch and fungus growth. Their quick fix of green creates a dependence for the next quick fix - turning your lawn into a junkie. Grass clippings, compost and manure are better answers, returning needed bacteria and enzymes to the soil along with nutrients. Including clover or other nitrogen fixing plants in your lawn can make it self-fertilizing. PESTICIDES - kill worms, beneficial insects. Healthy lawns don't have insect problems. Weed killers can harm gardens, trees, shrubs and breed resistant weeds. They also kill nitrogen fixing (self-fertilizing) plants in the lawn and can contaminate garden produce. DANDELIONS - cut them out at the root, several inches below ground. Reseed bare spots. Despite the ads, most won't grow back. Or ... live with them. They only look "bad" twice a year. A quick mowing fixes that. In August they may be the only green spot in your lawn. FUNGUS - grows in wet, thatchy, over-fertilized lawns. Drain, dry out, de-thatch, re-add soil bacteria (from compost, manure or Ringer Research - address below) then reseed. Cut-back or eliminate the use of high nitrogen fertilizer. DE-THATCH - but not until late spring or early summer (it stresses the lawn). Reseed bare spots. AERATE - twice a year. Compacted soil promotes weeds. Add soil loosener (compost, gypsum) and reseed. RESEED - bare spots and thinning lawns. Soak seed (mixed with annual rye) in water overnight for quick growth to choke out weeds. WATER - infrequently, deeply, in evening (if no fungus problem) or morning. Allow grass to dry out thoroughly between waterings. TEST - soil for ph, nutrients, composition to determine its condition. SPECIES - choose the right ones. Bluegrass, while popular, is unsuited to most areas. Sod (deliberately grown as thatch, laid on unprepared soil) is a disaster waiting to happen. Seed planted lawns (by home owners or pro's) are better and cheaper. An 80/20 mix of fescue and rye grows well in most areas. Pick varieties that resist drought and disease, need little mowing or fertilizer, choke out weeds, and are suited to available light and traffic. Switch from heavily manicured lawn to alternate groundcovers, especially in hard to maintain areas. Natural landscaping uses hardier plants, is attractive and easy to maintain, and encourages native wildlife. EXPENSE - at $35-$70 per treatment, chemicals cost you from $150-$300 per year. SEARCH - for lawn companies that use no toxic chemicals. They exist but are harder to find. Be sure ... be specific ... you want NO pesticides or herbicides! Get it in writing! CROSS - the street for better perspective. Look at your neighbor's lawn and back at your own. Yours will look better - theirs worse. THINK - no agency protects you from exposure to dangerous pesticides. Beware of misleading ads ... educate yourself ... then decide. FOR FURTHER READING Pesticides and Human Health, William Hallenbeck and Kathleen Cunningham-Burns, 1985 Pesticides and Neurological Diseases, Donald Ecobichon and Robert Joy, 1982 Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings, Donald Morgan, US EPA, 1982 Non Agricultural Pesticides: Risks and Regulation, US. Congress General Accounting Office, April 1986 A Bitter Fog: Herbicides and Human Health, Carol Van Strum, 1983 "Faking It," Keith Schneider, Amicus Journal, Spring 1983 "Weed Free Lawns," Elaine Mohr, Organic Gardening, May 1985 "Pesticides in Contract Lawn Maintenance," Rachel Carson Council, 8940 Jones Mill Rd., Chevy Chase, MD 20815 "Healthy Lawns Without Toxic Chemicals," Rachel Carson Council "Weed Control Factsheet," Citizens for a Better Environment, 33 E. Congress, Suite 523, Chicago, IL 60605 "Integrated Weed Management for Urban Areas," Bio-Integral Resource Center, Box 7414, Berkeley, CA 94707 "Success with Lawns Starts with Soil," Ringer Research Corp., 6860 Flying Cloud Dr., Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Nature's Design: The Practical Guide to Natural Landscaping, Carol Smyser, Rodale Press, 1982 S O U R C E Adapted from "American Defender Network presents Questions and Answers About 'Lawn Care' Chemicals," American Defender Network, Box 911, Lake Zurich, IL 60047, (312) 381-1975. A non-profit organization of citizens working to protect human health and the environment of the United States of America. ------------------ (Citizlens Organization to Help Eliminate Lawn Pesticides) The application of lawn and yard care pesticides has been growing at an alarming rate. Exposure to these toxic lawn and yard care chemicals is causing a wide range of adverse health effects in humans and animals. Many of these commonly applied pesticides only have an EPA "conditional" registration or are labelled "restricted." These pesticides are not healthy for pets, birds and other wild life or the environment, including the yard and lawn ecosystem. Many people have become ill from exposure. We have to raise the question: How do these pesticides affect our families' health now and in the future? FACTS - LAWN AND YARD CARE PESTICIDES: PESTICIDES are chemicals designed to purposely kill various organisms, including herbicides (weeds), insecticides (insects), fungicides (fungus and mold), and rodenticides (rats and mice). Active ingredients include organophosphates, "nerve gas" type poisons that effect the central nervous system of humans as well as insects. The so-called "inert" ingredients contained in some pesticide formulas (e.g. xylene, benzene, toluene, and formaldehyde) are known carcinogens and sensitizers. According to the American Medical Association, the herbicide 2,4- D, an ingredient in Agent Orange and a mainstay of the lawn "care" industry, has been directly linked to human cancer. 2,4-D is also in 1,500 over-the-counter products sold in garden shops, grocery stores, etc. "Children exposed to regular use of pesticides (indoors and gardens) are more likely to develop cancer specially lukemia", according to the Jounal of the National Cancer Institute. 2.7 billion pounds of pesticides are used in the US every year. Lawn care services have increased 260% in the US and Canada since 1979. On one Western New York street, 55 out of 60 homes used a lawn care service. According to Government Manuals, symptoms of pesticide poisoning include: * flu-like symptoms * headaches * asthma-like attacks * dizziness * blurred vision * sweating * chest tightness * exhaustion * loss of appetite * nausea Long term effects of pesticide exposure may include allergies, cancer, miscarriage, birth defects, sterility, nervous system damage, and immune system dysfunction. Dilution does not make a pesticide safe. The New York State Applicator Training Manual states that inhalation of even small amounts of diluted pesticides can result in poisoning. Environmental Protection Agency registration is not based primarily on health and safety, but on economic benefit. Even when a product has known health risks, e.g. birth defects or cancer, it can be registered if the industry can show the economic benefit outweighs the risk! Pets, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with allergies, heart and respiratory problems are even more at risk! QUOTES SISTER MARGEEN HOFFMANN, Executive Director, Ecumenical Task Force: "We are the caretakers of the world around us. Only you and I and the children will be held responsible for our daily and careless use of the unnecassary household products. A green and weed-free lawn is not on the same value scale as our priority for healthy, energetic and responsive citizens." FRANCIS J. PORDUM, Assemblyman, New York State: "At this point, the primary push is to make the public aware that they are using these products at their own risk. We must get greater public awareness on this issue across the state to let our state and federal governments know that we cannot afford to let pesticides be continually used without knowing how they are affecting us. United we must tell the government that people have rights, and it is in our best interests to keep our environment safe for our generation and future generations." According to the UNITED STATES GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE REPORT ON NON-AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDES TO CONGRESS, April 1986: "The general public receives limited and misleading information on pesticide hazards." "Labels do not explain that the extent of EPA's risk assessment varies among pesticides and do not inform users that a pesticide's chronic health risks have not been fully assessed in accordance with current standards." Tests on pesticides and their ingredients are conducted by pesticide manufacturers and merely reviewed by the EPA. "[In] reregistering 50,000 pesticides...the EPA is giving priority to food-use pesticides,...it may take until the 21st century to complete assessments of nonagricultural pesticides." It is unlawful to claim that pesticides are "harmless," "safe," "EPA approved," or "low in toxicity." EPA officials THOMAS AND SCHATZOW, quoted in the NEW YORK TIMES, March 6, 1986: "The Environmental Protection Agency has put pollution by pesticides at the top of its list of most urgent problems...Pesticides dwarf the other environmental risks the agency deals with...virtually everyone is exposed to pesticides." Ground water contaminated by pesticides has been found in 23 states, including New York State. "EPA believes that no pesticide can be considered "safe." NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, 1980: "Suburban gardens and lawns receive heavier pesticide application than most other land areas in the United States." PAUL MacCLENNAN, Environmental Reporter, THE BUFFALO NEWS: "What we are seeing in the lawn-spraying issue is the repeat pattern of two decades ago when some warned that phosphates might make one's clothes whiter, but in the process destroy Lake Erie. Now that's translated that while chemicals may make lawns greener and weed-free, it may take a long-term toll on health and environment and seriously impact upon the delicate ecological balance." ALTERNATIVES There are many new and established products and methods that can be used as alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers. A method called Integrated Pest Management (IPM) uses pesticides as a last resort and only after it has been determined there is a need. "Natural" organic fertilizer mixtures containing kelp, fish, greensand, etc. promote healthy and biologically active soil which in turn makes plants healthy enabling them to crowd out weeds. Grass seed is available that is resistant to weeds, insects, and disease. Insect control can be achieved buy use of beneficial insects (lady bugs), biological controls (milky spore for lawn grubs, Bt for caterpillars, mosquitoes, and gypsy moth), insecticidal soaps as sprays, and citrus oils to repel fleas. Grass mowed 2 1/2 to 3 inches tall shades out weeds and holds moisture in the soil. Keep mower blade sharp. Pesticides kill beneficial insects and increase pest resistance. Chemical fertilizers add salt to the soil, kill soil building bacteria, promore soil compaction, shallow roots, thatch and fungus growth. Fungus grows in wet, thatchy, overfertilized lawns. Concerned citizens throughout the United States and Canada are forming organizations to inform the public of the dangers of pesticide use. HELP ELIMINATE LAWN PESTICIDES was organized in the Western New York area in response to the needs of victims of pesticide exposure and of citizens concerned with the environmental impact. Many companies and organizations provide alternative choices. Some of these are: National Coalition Against Misuse of Pesticides Bio-Integral Resource Center (BIRC) Rachel Carson Council Necessary Trading Company Rodale Press National Resources Defense Council For additonal information and addresses, please contact: H.E.L.P. Help Eliminate Lawn Pesticides c/o 205 Boncroft Drive Buffalo, New York 14224 (716) 592-3728 674-7841 648-4060