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By Laurel Hopwood, NEO Human Health & Environment Chair
It's that time of year. We're receiving phone calls and mailings from lawn
care companies. We're reading advertisements in newspapers selling lawn chemicals.
What are they really trying to sell us?
Lawn chemicals, commonly known as pesticides, which eradicate weeds
and insects. Here's the scoop: The companies manufacturing these chemicals
do the testing. The pesticide manufacturers then choose which studies
to submit to the regulators, which rubber stamp their commercial use.
The fox is guarding the henhouse.
People aren't keeling over dead from exposure to pesticides, so
what's the problem? The potential harm from exposure is usually at the
cellular level, which is invisible to the human eye. Medical problems
can show up years later, when it's impossible to connect cause and effect.
Unfortunately, it's our children who are the most susceptible.
Children's bodies are immature and unable to detoxify toxins. I find this
to be the most intriguing - the "window of vulnerability." Scientists
recognize that a one time exposure (just one time!) at a certain level
of organ development can cause irreversible changes. Years later, symptoms
of attention deficit, behavioral problems or learning difficulty can be
observed. Decades later, Parkinson's or certain cancers might be diagnosed.
Please be wary of false safety claims. It is illegal for lawn care
companies which apply synthetic lawn chemicals to claim that their products
are "safe." These artificial pesticides are merely "registered" with
the government agencies.
When pesticides are applied, the toxins don't all end up in the
soil. They can join dust particles, fly in the wind and enter our homes.
Pesticide residues have even been quantified on carpeting! What goes around,
comes around.
How about the dandelions that are being eradicated? Dandelions
are highly nutritious. Peter Gail, PhD, wrote A Celebration of Dandelions,
which describes ways to use these creatures of nature. How about the clover
which is being eradicated? Clover is a food for pollinators. We need pollinators,
such as birds and bees!
Some lawn care companies claim to offer an organic lawn service. Sounds
good, yet most of these companies use "biosolids." This is a euphemistic
term for recycled sewage sludge, which contains a slew of toxic chemicals,
such as heavy metals and dioxins. Sierra Club opposes the use of these chemicals
because of their harmful effects on living things.
There is good news! Fortunately, there's a lawn care company in Northeast
Ohio that offers true organics! It's Good Nature Organic Lawn Care Company,
which uses products from the earth, such as corn gluten and kelp. According
to Barry Zucker, Director of the Ohio Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides,
Good Nature has been very well received by customers. Zucker reports, "This
organic lawn care business is doing great. More and more people are signing
up. The feedback I hear is that people are impressed with how lush their
lawns are."
On a personal note, I love to take walks outside. I don't believe
it's fair that my breathing space is filled with toxic pesticides. It's
a win-win to do the right thing. Protect our families, protect the birds
and beneficial bugs, and use only products that cause no harm.
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