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.

Middle School Students SufferToxic Symptoms From Momentum, a Lawn Chemical

How many more incidents like this will it take for parents and businesses (schools, hospitals...) to disallow the use of synthetic pesticides that unnecessarily expose our children to harm? Why do we trust these products that we know so little about? Do we know that the pest control companies understand their product and are exercising extreme caution during the applications?

On Keeping Ticks, Grubs, Slugs... Under Control W/O Chemicals

Here are some tips on how to attack the causes of your backyard pests -- without chemicals or gadgetry -- from Dill, Tukey and Gary Fish, manager of the Pesticide Programs for the Maine Board of Pesticides Control in Augusta.

Imprelis, A New Herbicide that Kills Trees, not just Weeds!

A "safer" herbicide supplement (in place of 2,4-D, a known toxic- to- humans weed killer), used in chemical lawn care, is the suspected culprit for the death of millions of dollars worth of lawn trees. This is a wake up call that we need to question exactly what we are trusting and purchasing for our lawn care. Fortunately, according to Consumer Reports, the manufacturer, Dupont, is suspending sales of this product...

Protect Fireflies-- They Eat Grubs and Slugs!

We all share an affinity for lightning bugs with their magical nocturnal light shows. Aside from their entertainment value, they help keep down pesky grub and slug populations. Sadly, firefly populations can be hampered by lawn chemicals... Raupp believes that any downturn in the population, which became noticeable in 2008, was the result of pressure on the lightning bug habitat. Too many concrete parking lots left less ground for the larvae to inhabit while they develop. Pesticides shrank the food supply of slugs, grubs and worms. And light — from streetlights, houses, parking lots and even baseball stadiums — confused the fireflies, who couldn’t “find” each other. In addition, pesticides on lawns would have crippled the female lightning bug populations, because that’s where they stay.

Fiskar's Eco Friendly Push Reel Mower

Grass clippings will enhance your lawn. If you live at a condo/home association, you can find a land maintenance business that can mulch mow. But, make sure they know the correct mowing heights, etc. See this link for information: http://perfectearthproject.org/

"Grass clippings returned to the lawn provide up to 25 percent of your lawn's total fertilizer needs. Clippings contain about 4 percent nitrogen, 2 percent potassium and 1 percent phosphorus. While decomposing, they also serve indirectly as a food source for the bacteria in the soil, which are doing many beneficial things (such as decomposing thatch) for a healthy turf environment." --University of Missouri Extension. If you have a smaller lawn, this one fits the bill-- it is environmentally friendly and economical!

http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Gardening-and-Yard-Care/Reel-Mowers

Pesticides and Male Endocrine Disruption-- From Scientific American

Time to learn from frogs... Many agricultural pesticides – including some previously untested and commonly found in food – disrupt male hormones, according to new tests conducted by British scientists. The scientists strongly recommended that all pesticides in use today be screened to check if they block testosterone and other androgens, the hormones critical to a healthy reproductive system for men and boys.

Why Not to Use TruGreen/ChemLawn

Why surround ourselves with lawn products which cannot be called "safe"? Population at greatest health risk from exposures to toxic pesticides on lawns: CHILDREN, PREGNANT women, the ELDERLY and people with WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEMS. In the State of NH, only one person oversees the training of close to 2,000  licensed lawn chemical applicators. Once licensed and administering their product, there is almost no oversight. We have seen "trained" contractors putting lawn chemicals down in very windy conditions. Furthermore, the particles are so small that they are easily transported into the tiniest of openings in our houses. Many people have symptoms from exposures and do not realize the cause and effect. 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/health_effects

New "Safe" Insecticides Pose Risk to Neurological Development

From the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York: Effects on IQ appear to be similar to lead exposure. When the EPA phased out the widespread residential use of chlorpyrifos and other organophosphorus (OP) insecticides in 2000-2001 because of risks to child neurodevelopment, these compounds were largely replaced with pyrethroid insecticides. But the safety of these replacement insecticides remained unclear, as they had never been evaluated for long-term neurotoxic effects after low-level exposure.

Mark and Catherine Winkler Assistant Professor of Environmental Exposure Biology

More pesticides are used on lawns, per acre, than on agriculture. Dr. Alex Lu of Harvard's School of Public Health will be speaking at the February 22 hearings in Concord in support of New Hampshire's HB 495, An Act relative to the prevention of the use of pesticides on the grounds of child day care facilities, schools, and state parks. My primary research is to use variety of biomarkers for assessing human exposures to environmental chemicals in order to facilitate the identification of risk factors, as well as the formation of hypotheses for potential health effects. One of my current research projects is to integrate exposure biomarkers, physiologically based pharmacokinetic model and cumulative risk assessment tools for quantifying children’s longitudinal exposure to pesticides via dietary intakes, and its risks by comparing to benchmark doses used by the regulatory agencies.