Questions to Ask Your Condo/Home Owners Board wrt Chemical Lawn Safety Concerns

Individual home owners can choose lawn care methods but when it comes to living in a shared space with shared grounds, the picture changes. Condominium/Home Owners Associations have boards that oversee the order, function and maintenance of the property. They are elected by the association members to make choices that best serve that community. Certainly, this is not an easy task which is unpaid and full of subjectivity. But generally, the board finds ways to keep things functioning.

Enter grounds/lawn care choices. For decades, most home/condo associations opted for conventional, synthetic chemical lawn care; it was easy and cheap and no one complained. But, in recent times, many residents are speaking up and requesting a look at known safe alternatives to the toxic and untested lawn chemical mixes. They approach their boards and bring plenty of solid, current reasons for changing from the status quo. Of course, we cannot all be board members and we cannot all have our way. But, we can, as a community have an open discussion and do what we must do to insure the safety of all our residents, young and old, healthy and infirm, people and pets alike.

What we know is that the pesticides being used in lawn care, like most of the over 14,000 pesticides in the US, have never been tested, alone or together for their synergistic effect! We know that babies are being born with pesticides in their blood. We know that pesticides are being connected with cancers, endocrine disruption, neurological disorders...We know that people suffer acute toxic symptoms from exposures and yet their symptoms often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed by doctors.

Fortunately, we can be proactive. We can ask our associations to do the right thing by not using product that has not been vetted and is not guaranteed to be safe for our health. We can apply the Precautionary Principle.

Here are some questions to ask your board:

1. What is the exact name of the lawn chemical mix applied by the contractor? What are the pesticides/herbicides within-- 2,4-D? Dicamba? Both are said to be more damaging to health than even glyphosate (RoundUp). Furthermore, there are other pesticides in the mix that are also known to present health risks. Do you know anything about these?

2. Do you know that the pesticides/herbicides contain inert materials that are manufacturers' trade secrets, and are often more toxic than the listed active ingredients?

3. Do you have proof that the pesticides and other chemicals in the lawn chemical mix have been properly vetted for safety-- tested both individually and together for their synergistic effect?

4. Can your Condo or Home Association board tell you that this product is SAFE?

Sometimes, it is more important to choose what is best for our health over acquiescing to social pressure. Most of us like to think that we make wise choices for how we live and what we purchase; chemical lawn care is not a given even though it has been around for over fifty years. We know that a lawn can look excellent without toxic chemicals and we know that it is easy (we have converted several lawns through the years!) and, it can be less costly especially in the long run. Less costly to our health, and to our wallets.

Why Support the Safe Chemicals Act?

For Starters, The American Academy of Pediatrics endorses Senators Frank Lautenberg's (NJ) and Kristen Gillibrand's (NY) Safe Chemicals Act to finally bring legal oversight to the now over 80,000 chemicals, never tested but permitted by the EPA, to be in our marketplace. The Safe Chemicals Act would replace the Toxic Substances Control Act which is over 40 years old and never gave adequate legal oversight with proper testings of the chemicals contained in every day products. We have been living with a multitude of harmful manufactured products from furniture to shampoos and skin lotions, detergents, weed and feed synthetic lawn chemicals...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/opinion/a-toothless-law-on-toxic-chemicals.html?_r=1&
   

Why to Avoid Lawn and other Untested Synthetic Pesticides in the marketplace:

The Natural Resources Defense Council's most recent findings that we have been using over 10,000 toxic pesticides that have not been tested or have been under-tested:

"The report outlines how the EPA has used what is known as conditional registration—which Congress intended to be used sparingly—to grant approval for the majority of pesticides. It also reveals that the EPA cannot easily track the history of conditionally approved pesticides to determine whether required toxicity data was submitted, whether that caused a dangerous use of a pesticide to be cancelled, or whether the uses or restrictions should be modified based in such data.

“The American public may think all pesticides receive rigorous health and safety testing before they hit the shelves for sale. But our investigation shows their trust is misplaced,” said Jennifer Sass, NRDC senior health scientist and co-author of the report. “The EPA has casually approved more than 10,000 pesticides for use in consumer products and in agriculture through this loophole. They’ve done so without transparency or public comment, and, in some cases, without toxicity tests to determine safety guidelines for public use.”

Co-author Mae Wu, NRDC attorney, said: “For the sake of our health, the EPA should cancel conditional pesticide registrations with overdue toxicity tests and those that pose a risk to the public. And EPA needs to clean up its abysmal pesticide database to provide more transparency and accountability, and safeguards for public health.”

 http://www.nrdc.org/media/2013/130327.asp

The American Academy of Pediatrics is very concerned about pesticide use in and around the home and they are recommending that people avoid their use, especially near children.

Neonatologist, Paul Winchester at University of Indiana School of Medicine states in a discussion at Beyond Pesticide's 28th National Pesticide Forum in Ohio, April 2010:

" Basically this is what we have learned, just so we do not have to argue whether pesticides are in your body or in your water. That is the "we hold these truths to be self-evident" part... We know from extensive research that pesticides and contaminants are in all of us all the time; We also know that it is not just one pesticide that we are contaminated with, it is a mixture of chemicals. We also know that the contaminants that we are loaded with- and this includes the 247 molecules found in every single newborn baby born in America-each one of them is known to cause biological effects at very low doses; And the final truth is that our regulatory agencies have told us that we are safe."  

He goes on to say that "when the EPA requires testing of a product for safety, tests are performed on a single molecule, never the mixture combinations in your body." "These environmental factors--weed killer, fungicide insecticide, air pollution... -- are the list of things we have to worry about during pregnancy or conception. All of these have now been shown to be capable of imprinting DNA, which means they are potentially capable of altering our adult life, the spectrum of disease, and our descendants' lives. I was thinking of 'inherit the wind' here, but it really should be 'inherit the weed killer." 

From the US National Library of Medicine  and National Institutes of Health:

This report has shown that during the period from 1996 to 2002 women in the United States with LMPs in April–July (i.e. the time of conception) were significantly more likely to have a live birth with a birth defect than in other months. The report further demonstrates, using NAWQA surface water samples that concentrations of atrazine, nitrates and other pesticides also were higher in the months of April–July. The correlation between birth defects, pesticides and nitrates was statistically significant.

Pesticides and nitrates, separately and in combination, have been linked to embryo toxicity and to untoward outcomes of pregnancy (12,13). Women's pesticide exposures through household gardening, professional application or living in close proximity to agricultural crops were associated with increased risks of offspring having neural tube defects and limb anomalies (14). Garry et al. found that in western Minnesota the rate of specific birth defects was elevated in pesticide applicators as well as the general population of western Minnesotans and that this risk was most pronounced for infants conceived in the spring (15). Specific birth defect categories showing significant increased risk in Garry's study were circulatory/respiratory, urogenital and musculoskeletal/integumental which are similar to the categories found in our study. Schreinemachers et al. found that infants in four wheat-producing states conceived in April–June, the time of herbicide application, were more likely to have circulatory/respiratory (excluding heart) malformations compared with births conceived during other months. She also found that counties with high wheat acreage had higher rates of heart malformations, musculoskeletal/integumental anomalies and infant death from congenital anomalies in males (16).

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2667895/

2,4-D, the main herbicide in most synthetic weed and feed products is an Endocrine Disruptor as well as a Reproductive toxin. It is linked with neurotoxicity, and organ damage. It is toxic to animals, fish, worms and insects. It is what the herbicide Atrazine is to Agriculture with similar adverse health effects to humans.
 

The EPA says that 2,4-D is irritating to the eyes, skin and mucous membrane and since it is easily absorbed dermally or by inhalation, can injure liver, kidney, muscle and brain tissues. Acute symptoms of exposure include: chest and abdominal pain, vomiting, dizziness and muscle twitching, tenderness or stiffness (U.S. EPA 1982). Studies in rats have demonstrated that 2,4-D can migrate into nervous tissue and concentrate in certain areas of the brain. Not too surprisingly, behavioral changes have also been observed in treated rats (Evangelista de Duffard 1990). In humans, seemingly minor dermal exposures have been known to cause peripheral neuropathy (irreversible loss of feeling in the extremities). Depression, lethargy and coma have also been documented in animals and humans.     

Finally, from the Toxics Action Center which works to keep environmental and human health safe from exposures to toxins, in this case, from lawn chemicals:

 Even though these pesticides are proven to be hazardous to public health and the environment, USEPA’s pesticide regulatory system has put its stamp of approval on the use of these pesticides. Although a growing pool of research links exposure to the pesticides used by TruGreen ChemLawn to nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and headaches and chronic illnesses like lymphoma, leukemia, bladder cancer, and learning disabilities, the USEPA continues to register these pesticides for commercial and residential use.

TruGreen ChemLawn’s standard customer receipt lists 32 pesticides available for use through its residential lawn care program. An analysis of these pesticides by Toxics Action Center based on information from the pesticide manufacturer’s Material Safety Data Sheets reveals:

• 17 of 32 (53%) of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that are possible carcinogens, as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
• All 32 of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that pose threats to the environment including water supplies, aquatic organisms, and non-targeted insects.
• 9 of 32 (28%) of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that are known or suspected reproductive toxins (7/32 known, 22%).
• 11 of 32 (34%) of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that are known or suspected endocrine disruptors (4/32 known, 12.5%).
• 13 of 32 (41%) of TruGreen ChemLawn’s pesticide products include ingredients that are banned or restricted in other countries.

http://www.refusetousechemlawn.org/report

Hospitals are opting to change grounds care to alternative, safe, organic methods. There is great urgency in changing protocol; present and future human health is at great risk from exposures to toxins in lawn and other pesticides. "Homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre on their lawns than farmers use on crops." U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 35 municipalities in New Jersey have bans on synthetic pesticide use on public properties. Connecticut and New York have restrictions at the state level and Maine and Massachusetts look ready to have state restrictions on weed and feed use on school grounds, playing fields and parks. Many people are simply just opting to use what they know is safe. The manufacturers of lawn and garden as well as other synthetic pesticides cannot legally call them "safe". The purveyors of the pesticides cannot legally call them "safe." In New Hampshire, only one person oversees the licensed lawn chemical applicators and often, these businesses "treat" lawns and land in windy conditions which is not in accordance with training and regulations.

Safe-- non-toxic, Cleaning with Basics

AVOID FRAGRANCED/PERFUMED, UNTESTED CLEANING PRODUCTS

"No law requires the disclosure of all ingredients in consumer products, or of any ingredients in a product's "fragrance," which is typically a mixture of several dozen to several hundred chemicals, most synthetic.[iii] Ingredient disclosure requirements depend on the product. For air fresheners, laundry supplies, cleaners, and other products regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, ingredients do not need to be fully listed on either the label or the material safety data sheet (MSDS), not even the presence of a "fragrance." For personal care products, cosmetics, and other products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, ingredients need to be listed on the label, but not the MSDS. For all products, the general term "fragrance" can be listed on the label, or a related term (such as "perfume"), rather than any of the specific ingredients in a fragrance."  Anne Steinemann, PhD.

People have been asking me what I recommend for an all around safe and good household cleaning mix. For kitchen, bathrooms and vinyl or tile flooring, I recommend the following.

ALL AROUND CLEANER:

1/4 Cup Baking Soda (Cleans and lifts stains)
1/2 Cup White Vinegar (Antibacterial and fights germs and molds)
1 Tablespoon Unscented Castile Soap (for dirt removal)
1/2 Gallon of HOT Water.

Note: Take care when cleaning floors with this mix. Sometimes, you will want to use a bit less of the Castile Soap as it can make the floors slippery. Always re-mop floors with either water or a water with a bit of vinegar after the initial mopping with this formula.

Note: This mix is excellent for toilet bowls. I just drop the baking soda, vinegar and Castile Soap directly in the toilet bowl and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before brushing.

Note: For removing grease from pans, this works great; too. I simply add perhaps 1/8 cup of vinegar, 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda and a teaspoon or so of Castile Soap to the pan and let it soak before scrubbing.


FOR WINDOWS AND MIRRORS and some surfaces:

Vinegar and Water   

FOR POLISHING WOOD:

Place a small amount of olive oil on a clean cloth and gently polish surface.

FOR CLEANING MARBLE COUNTERTOPS:

Unscented Castile Soap in Warm Water.

LAUNDRY DETERGENTS:

Ultra Ecos Free and Clear which does not contain Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) but this is quite expensive. It is "ideal for HE machines."

Or, make your own which is very easy and cost effective:

1 cup Baking Soda at the start of the wash cycle.
Add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar with the baking soda for extra dirty loads.

Or: Borax-- 1 Cup and can mix in Baking Soda for dirtier loads.
Or: Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, 1 Cup but do not add Baking Soda.

This handy advice from: Grandma's Cupboard!



Links From Physicians for Social Responsibility in Support of Safe Cleaning and Personal Care Products:

http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/responses/fragranced-consumer-products.html


 http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/what-are-the-health-hazards-of-fragrances.html

Most Chemicals in Everyday Products Have not Been Tested and the Same Applies to Synthetic Pesticides

 

I whole-heartedly endorse the Safe Chemicals Act mentioned in Ian Urbina's  April 13, 2013 New York Times article, THINK THOSE CHEMICALS HAVE BEEN TESTED. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/sunday-review/think-those-chemicals-have-been-tested.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0  But, I take issue with the statements that pesticides are tested and safe for the marketplace.  If the synthetic pesticides are “safe”, why are they banned or regulated for “cosmetic” lawn care in most of Canada and Europe? Why do various states like New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey have laws regarding their use on school grounds, public parks and playing fields? Why are Harvard and the University of Colorado at Boulder and other colleges as well as various cities, school systems and finally, hospitals not using traditional chemical grounds care?! It can, indeed, be said that like with the majority of chemicals in use today, the same holds true of most pesticides—that they have never been tested independently as well as together! The American Academy of Pediatrics warns about pesticide use: 

Pesticides are a collective term for chemicals intended to kill unwanted insects, plants, molds, and rodents. Children encounter pesticides daily and have unique susceptibilities to their potential toxicity. Acute poisoning risks are clear, and understanding of chronic health implications from both acute and chronic exposure are emerging. Epidemiologic evidence demonstrates associations between early life exposure to pesticides and pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems. Related animal toxicology studies provide supportive biological plausibility for these findings. Recognizing and reducing problematic exposures will require attention to current inadequacies in medical training, public health tracking, and regulatory action on pesticides. Ongoing research describing toxicologic vulnerabilities and exposure factors across the life span are needed to inform regulatory needs and appropriate interventions.http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/6/e1757.full

Public health is at great risk and it is high time we put our heads together to regulate the chemical industry. We have rules for just about every aspect of our  lives and yet we have been permitting toxic pesticides, and chemicals in general, to be manufactured and used despite their huge cost to society.

 

Tried and True, Natural Lawn Care

As home owners, my husband and I always opted out of the use of lawn chemicals. We didn't know much about them and that, precisely, is the point. We instinctively felt that there were too many unknowns. A healthy lawn is the product of healthy soil. There is a symbiotic relationship between the lawn vegetation and the soil that supports it and that it supports.

Through the years, we found that less is best and keeping things simple actually works. Our lawns in general could easily look very presentable, at very low cost, with these few smart cultural practices:

1. Aeration, as needed and very necessary especially for the chemically compacted lawn. Rent an aerating machine or hire someone to do your lawn and get more savings by encouraging neighbors to join in. This is not expensive and it is a great way to improve soil health; and, it assists with over-seeding.

2. Over-seeding with a mix of local grasses and white clover. (Clover is evergreen and drought resistant. Having one grass seed type is not sustainable.) Picture a tree plantation where every tree is the same such as with a fast growing pine. What are the implications? Is it a healthy forest with healthy soil? Now, picture a healthy forest with a variety of trees; oaks, maples, pines, hemlock, birches; this is what you want for a good lawn. More good plant growth crowds out unwanted weeds. Early Fall is best time to seed but when starting out with a needy lawn, spring aeration, compost top-dressing and compost tea along with seeding will be helpful.

3. Mulch-mowing-- leaving the short (1/2 inch) grass clippings which in turn assist with water retention, and microbial and plant health while returning nitrogen to the soil. We use a Fiscar's Reel Push Mower that mulches our small yard.

4. Mowing Height-- Keep the Grass height at 3- 3 1/2 inches.

5. Composting with either or both organic compost topsoil or  organic compost tea (the tea is less expensive and more practical for larger areas). Make sure to get the compost from a reliable source!

6. Soil Testing  If you have a reliable and knowledgeable local organic lawn professional assisting in the beginning, he or she will want the soil test. We did not go with testing with any of our previously chemically treated lawns and we did fine with just these basic practices. Lime may be good at times, but it is very important to have the soil ph tested first. We have rarely used lime and have had good results. Note: Not all lime is equal and it is good to consult with an organic farmer's association for proper type for your area.

7. Leave some dandelions as they actually help with soil health; same with plantains ( a broadleaf). To keep the dandelion population down, dig out most but leave some and just clip off the yellow flowers before they go to seed! If your lawn is loaded with dandelions, the soil is telling you something and more work will be required.  Know that moss grows for a reason-- probably best to just let it be but if you must get rid of it, you can get the soil more bacterial and less fungal with the right type of organic compost top-dress and compost tea. Our source here in NH is reliable but buyer beware; know what you need and good advice may be found by speaking with someone who is NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmer's Association), certified. Of course, when living outside of New England, find someone in your area who is trained in organic lawn care.)

8. Apply Organic fertilizer such as soybean meal (after aeration and before applying organic compost top-dress or compost tea), in the spring and fall, especially when converting the lawn from years of chemicals.

Our current lawn has been off lawn chemicals for 8 years and it had only 1 1/2 seasons with compost and compost tea. It has had several years of aeration and over-seeding and two seasons with mulch-mowing. We have never applied any fertilizers on the lawn and are still very pleased that it looks better than most lawns. We rely on rain and snow melt for water because with good soil, there is good water retention and with a mix of local grasses that are properly mown, there are deeper plant roots. This spring, we will be mowing only since the lawn is working well on its own.

The link below from Toxics Action Center is quite good at explaining things in more depth. Plus, it contains facts for why we should not use weed and feed products for our lawn care. I found it interesting that they say that lawns rarely need lime.  Note: Save time and money by planting more trees, bushes, and rock gardens with herbs and flowers, not to mention vegetables for bees and other pollinators.
http://www.refusetousechemlawn.org/alternatives_to_pesticides

Even though these pesticides are proven to be hazardous to public health and the environment, USEPA’s pesticide regulatory system has put its stamp of approval on the use of these pesticides. Although a growing pool of research links exposure to the pesticides used by TruGreen ChemLawn to nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and headaches and chronic illnesses like lymphoma, leukemia, bladder cancer, and learning disabilities, the USEPA continues to register these pesticides for commercial and residential use.
http://www.refusetousechemlawn.org/report

Ditch Conventional, Unhealthy Chemical Shampoos and Conditioners!

Ditch your toxic, chemical- loaded conventional shampoos and conditioners for this basic and very safe formula that also happens to be very very low cost! Furthermore, this shampoo happens to be so good at what it does that a conditioner is no longer necessary unless perhaps you have ultra-chemically treated hair. Here it is and please, tell me what you think! We love the Basic Shampoo in this household and a little goes a long way! Note: you will notice immediate favorable results and the rest of your skin will be healthier, too.

Basic Shampoo (For most hair types):

1/4 Cup Filtered (Brita works well) Water
1/4 Cup Organic Unscented Liquid Castile Soap
1/2 Teaspoon Organic Canola Oil or other mild, light Vegetable Oil.

PLACE SHAMPOO MIX IN A SMALL BOTTLE AND SHAKE WELL BEFORE EACH USE

Dry Hair Shampoo:

6 oz Unscented Organic Castile Soap
1/2 tsp Avocado Oil
1 tsp Coconut Oil

Oily Hair Shampoo:

Unscented Organic Castile Soap in bar or liquid form. This soap lathers nicely!

FOR VERY SENSITIVE SKIN TYPES:

Coconut Oil Soap, Unscented is an excellent shampoo. It is very pure and non-drying.

The Safe Chemicals Act Could Influence Safe Lawn Care

There is no shortage of information and concern regarding the need for change in the permitting of chemical substances in our every day products. From lawn chemicals to furniture and detergents, cosmetics, soaps and even toothpastes, we are exposed to many toxins. It is time to stop accepting the status quo and to get legal oversight to end this unnecessary production of chemicals that we do not need for survival; chemicals that support the manufacturers but destroy our health. Please show your support forThe Safe Chemicals Act, sponsored by Sen Frank Lautenberg of NJ by contacting your state senators. Ask that they co-sponsor  The Safe Chemicals Act to overhaul how our nation regulates chemicals. The bill does not cover all chemical regulations but it will establish a  regulatory framework for cleaning products, packaging, toys and upholstery. Cosmetics and pesticides will not be covered but ultimately, the newest of these formulations would come under scrutiny. BUYER BEWARE! For now, it is safest to avoid all chemical lawn care products, all perfumed/fragranced personal and home care products.  Go for "unscented" and get back to basics-- back to clover. For more information,  go to: http://www.saferchemicals.org/safe-chemicals-act/   http://depts.washington.edu/exposure/

No law requires the disclosure of all ingredients in consumer products, or of any ingredients in a product's "fragrance," which is typically a mixture of several dozen to several hundred chemicals, most synthetic.[iii] Ingredient disclosure requirements depend on the product. For air fresheners, laundry supplies, cleaners, and other products regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, ingredients do not need to be fully listed on either the label or the material safety data sheet (MSDS), not even the presence of a "fragrance." For personal care products, cosmetics, and other products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, ingredients need to be listed on the label, but not the MSDS. For all products, the general term "fragrance" can be listed on the label, or a related term (such as "perfume"), rather than any of the specific ingredients in a fragrance.

http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/responses/fragranced-consumer-products.html

·        

Roundup, Killer of Weeds and Destroyer of Human Health

http://naturalsociety.com/monsantos-roundup-glyphosate-parkinsons-neurodegenerative/

Roundup sounds like a smart, efficient and safe product. It is made to kill "weeds" but it is being proven to kill more than those horrible plants in your garden and yard-- you know, the dandelions and plantains. Oh, and clover which some call a "weed" but really, all three are quite good for soil health. Agreed that crab grass is not lovely but it can be pulled by hand or crowded out by over-seeding with a mix of grasses and clover-- yes, there's that nasty word again. But, this isn't about clover; I write about the fact that exposures to Roundup are being connected with a terrible terrible disease-- Parkinson's-- far worse than any "weeds"! Please, read the above link. New research, published in the journal Neurotoxicology and Teratology, indicates a connection between a component in Monsanto’s Roundup and Parkinson’s disease. Glyphosate is said to induce cell death, with frightening repercussions.

More on Endocrine Disruption and Pesticides From the author of Time to Learn From Frogs

This is for real; not science fiction-- certain chemicals in our every day lives, such as those found in our perfumed or fragranced home care and personal care products, and in pesticides used in chemical lawn care and agriculture are known Endocrine Disruptors. Everyone of all ages can be adversely affected. Men can have reproductive and other sexual problems. Children can be born with certain deformities of their genitalia; there can be problems with the nervous system and and and... . A widely used herbicide acts as a female hormone and feminizes male animals in the wild. Thus male frogs can have female organs, and some male fish actually produce eggs. In a Florida lake contaminated by these chemicals, male alligators have tiny penises.

These days there is also growing evidence linking this class of chemicals to problems in humans. These include breast cancer, infertility, low sperm counts, genital deformities, early menstruation and even diabetes and obesity.  But the scientists who know endocrine disruptors best overwhelmingly are already taking steps to protect their families. John Peterson Myers, chief scientist at Environmental Health Sciences and a co-author of the new analysis, said that his family had stopped buying canned food.

“We don’t microwave in plastic,” he added. “We don’t use pesticides in our house. Click the link below to read Kristof's latest piece in the New York Times on the subject. Thank you.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/opinion/kristof-how-chemicals-change-us.html?_r=1

Children At Risk From Pesticides, School Bans Debated

While pesticides are by nature designed to be poisonous, different chemicals seek different living targets. Humans, especially children, are particularly vulnerable to some commonly used products, including organophosphates, which belong to the same chemical family as sarin, a nerve gas classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

The most common herbicide Gilden found was Monsanto's controversial flagship weed-killer, Roundup, which is powerful enough to irritate the skin and respiratory system and provoke the kind of acute illness the Gorkins experienced. More seriously, chronic exposure to Roundup, among other pesticides, is associated with higher rates of birth defects, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder, as well as errors in DNA transcription, which can lead to a host of other dysfunctions, disease or even death. This article is from the Huffington Post which is an excellent resource for well-researched current issues. We have been enabling big business to grow and plunder; to destroy our basic, natural environment at great cost to human and environmental health. Time to say "no" to Weed and Feed products unless we know that they do not pose risk.