Why Consumers Should Turn Their Back’s on
Pesticide Companies And Their Poisons
By
Applewood Acres Gardening & Landscaping
Introduction
Many homeowners realize that their lawns are the most visible and important landscape area surrounding their residential properties. What many don’t realize and unfortunately have unwittingly been duped (by chemical lawn companies) into believing is that homeowners cannot attain a beautiful pest free lawn without the use of artificial chemical pesticide and fertilizing substances.
Many of these substances are highly toxic to the environment and in many instances serve no more then a deceptively cosmetic purpose to the turf they are applied to.
Deceptive Advertising
Chemical companies routinely downplay the dangers and health risks associated with the use and exposure of the chemicals the use on consumers lawns.
Many try to distort the truth by shifting the responsibility of risk from themselves onto the consumers by making incredulous statements that claim the dangers and risks associated with these chemicals is somehow reduced if a “trained professional “ applies them in your garden.
Regardless of how much training a person receives in holding a hose and spraying these poisons on a lawn, or whether they have a doctorate in chemical engineering, the fact remains that the danger does not diminish because a “trained professional” is applying the substances, nor is the risk to the public and environment in any way reduced because it is a “trained professional”.
Many of the services and chemical cocktails that are presently used by chemical companies are toxic and pose an unnecessary health risk to the public and the environment.
Many of the companies that regularly advertise and pump up their ad campaigns this time of year have been sued for endangering the health of the public or for falsifying and deceptively marketing their products as “environmentally safe” and/or “natural” and “organic”.
Chemical Culprits
Still some companies like Dr.Green argue that there is no substantive evidence to validate the need to outlaw pesticides. Dr.Green goes so far as to say “you can be rest assured that they are being applied properly by the people that understand them and know how to use them or that that they care about the environment and human health” Ironically enough it also companies like Chem Lawn who are fervently opposed to and demonstrate their opposition to any type of ban or restrictions on pesticide use.
In many circumstances many of these products have unsubstantiated safety claims, because many of their ingredients have never been fully tested or validated to be truly safe and risk free to either the environment or human’s. Yet they continued to be sold as safe and disguised in “green” packaging labels with limited guarantee’s to their safety (see Chemlawn’s “Guarantee” )
When applied to residential lawns the toxins in the spray mist’s drift when they're dusted or sprayed, and they can be tracked indoors onto floors where children and pets play. Research shows pesticide residues may remain for up to a year.
Irrefutable Evidence Of The Dangers
A growing body of scientific evidence links pesticide exposure with a vast array of medical problems, including asthma, childhood leukemia, birth defects, brain cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, behavioral and learning disorders and delayed motor development.
Children are particularly vulnerable because they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults, creating greater lung exposure to fumes and vapors. And, because children are small, they absorb pesticides at a higher concentration. Their brains and nervous systems are less able to repair damage caused by these toxins.
Even when the toxins exist at low levels, they are dangerous, University of Wisconsin researcher Warren Porter said. "Ultra-low doses at the right point in time can have devastating effects on the future development of embryos, as many top-notch scientists have demonstrated."
Turning The Tide
“Many of the chemical companies who disguise themselves as ‘green’ lawn care service providers are in it purely for the money and possess little in the way of any environmental conscience, let alone demonstrate little in the way of environmental responsibility, unless like Scotts they are forced to forced to spend some of their profits on adopting new ‘environmentally conscious’ and green business lines to offset any more damaging publicity against them
In June 2005, Scotts Canada met the gaping hole in its market by introducing EcoSense, a line of organic lawn and gardening products, including weed-control sprays, insect dusts and a lawn fertilizer. The company is a subsidiary of Scotts, which is based in Marysville, OH.
While there are no plans to sell the EcoSense line in the United States, the U.S. division plans to renew its efforts to develop a line of organic lawn and gardening products, spokesman Jim King said.
Scotts' news comes as numerous U.S. environmental groups are stepping up their campaigns to ban or restrict the use of lawn chemicals. Americans use pesticides lavishly--an estimated 90 million pounds each year on lawns and gardens, not including products used by lawn-care and pest-control professionals, according to the Audubon Society.” (Windstar Wildlife Garden Weekly EMagazine 09/05/05)fe Garden Weekly e-Magazine
The Ontario College of Family Physicians released a lengthy report on the health effects of pesticides in April 2004. The study suggested that many commercial and house-hold pesticides threaten the health of children. It reviewed studies that have taken place since 1992 and amalgamated the findings on the following topics:
- Solid tumours, including brain cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer, among others
- Leukemia
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Genotoxic effects
- Skin diseases
- Neurological diseases
- Reproductive effects
- Effects on vulnerable patient groups, including children
Conclusion & Hope
The threat has always been there and is increasing at an unprecedented pace. What differs today from yesterday is the greater awareness on the part of consumers and environmental groups. Apathy and indifference were rife a few years ago. Gone are the days when multinationals can get away with anything and the poisoning of communities. Environmental responsibility has begun to spread as more and more communities are adopting a zero tolerance with regards to the use of pesticides. Peoples perception of their world has in recent years also changed. Its no longer just their problem, its everyone’s problem. More and more people are realizing that their environment goes well beyond the confines of their backyard, communities, towns, cities and countries.
Ultimately, its everyone’s responsibility to educate themselves and be proactive in not allowing chemical companies to manipulate the media and take advantage of loopholes in legislation. The health of our children and our communities are at stake.
Many homeowners have it within their control to change the dangerous pattern of behaviour and eliminating the need for pesticides by practising natural gardening and responsible horticulture one backyard at a time. Multiplied a dozen, a hundred or even a thousand households at a time will make a world of difference, a safer and healthier world. |
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