Lawn Pesticides Poisoning Our Children?
Subject: Lawn Pesticides Poisoning Our Children?
Date:
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of
California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I
thought you might like to see a transcript of a news story from KOMOTV.com
entitled: Lawn Pesticides Poisoning Our Children? dated
Brian London knew using pesticides on his lawn could be
harmful to his nearly 2-year-old daughter Marissa. But he was surprised to learn
the
"It's pretty scary," says Brian London as he pushes his daughter on the swings at Greenlake.
It makes him think twice.
"Sure yeah. Definitely would like to know like with drinking water you want to know what's in it."
The UW study looked at 96 toddlers in the
Most Popular Are Most Dangerous
"People generally assume that if they can go into a store and find something on the shelf that it's safe. And that isn't necessarily true," says Dave Galvin with the King County Hazardous Waste Management Program.
In fact, the study found the most dangerous pesticides are also the most popular: Weed N' Feed, Dursban and Diazinon.
Diazinon is widely used this time of year to kill crane flies.
"Even one of those granules are enough to kill a bird," Galvin said. "It's ironic because those birds are the best way to deal with adult crane flies cause they'll eat them in thousands off the lawns."
And it's not just on lawns. Trace amounts of the pesticides
have also shown up in several
The amount of pesticides found in the children is considered small and not enough to cause serious problems. But there is still concern about the long-term affects. And more studies need to be done.
Look At Weeds In A Whole New Way
In the meantime
Laurie Gordon agrees.
"Weeds don't look very good but they're not that bad," she said. "I'd put up with them rather than poisoning my kids."
Well Mr. Helliker, I love it when "they" refer to the ongoing/continual contamination of our children with your "registered" POISONS as "traces of pesticides"! To me this is especially onerous because "they" obviously have STILL not studied what long-term harm is being done to our innocent children (that are routinely and chronically) exposed to these "traces" of your "registered" POISON(S), that are "still there even six months after their initial exposure"! Does any of this bother you personally? If it does, I will again ask you this simple question: "When will it be "legal" (in your opinion) to use safe and far more effective (unregistered) alternatives to actually control pest problems without using any "traces" of your "registered" POISONS?" Why kill the birds and other beneficials (and children) in order to "control" some crane flies using your "registered" POISONS?
Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten
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