Homeowners use of pesticides and chemicals seen as biggest danger to children
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Turf War Brews Over The Green Grass Of Homes
Date:
Wed, 28 Aug 2002
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
May 17, 2000, Edmonton Journal, Final Edition, p.A1 / FRONT Turf War Brews Over The Green Grass Of Homes: Commons Group Wants To Phase Out Use Of Chemicals by Andy Ogle; Journal Staff.
The House of Commons environment committee has seen the enemy and it is us.
Homeowners seeking that perfect green carpet of a lawn are over-applying all manner of pesticides that are potentially dangerous to their own children, the committee says.
It released a report Tuesday in Ottawa that calls for the phase-out over the next five years of the chemical weapons used to combat weeds, insects and fungi on lawns, in parks and golf courses.
Individual homeowners may be the worst offenders, the committee said, noting two-thirds of Canadian households use pesticides. The committee was particularly concerned about the effect of pesticides on children.
They're more vulnerable because they take in more food, water, air and pollutants per kilogram of body weight than adults. And they're still growing.
They're also more likely to be playing in the grass and tracking pesticide residues into the house, where the chemicals don't break down as fast.
``It cannot be emphasized enough that children at all stages of growth are the primary victims of our overuse of chemicals,'' the report says. ``As many of the effects of exposure to pesticides are chronic, they may well suffer the consequences ... all their lives.'' The future ban on pesticides for ``cosmetic purposes'' was just one of several recommendations the committee made on overhauling Canada's 30-year-old Pest Control Products Act.
But coming on the heels of a widely publicized proposal by Halifax to issue its own lawn pesticide ban, it's the one that has garnered the most attention.
There's no move to follow Halifax's example in Edmonton, but Glyn Williams of the city's pest-management section said there's no question a review of the urban use of pesticides is overdue.
He agreed with the committee's assessment that homeowners represent the biggest problem. The city has been cutting its use of pesticides and using such alternatives as bio-control and hot water on weeds.
Figures from 1998 show that based on pesticide sales, Edmontonians used more than triple the amount of herbicides than the city on a total lawn area that is only about 20 per cent greater than grassy areas the city looks after.
And that figure, said Williams didn't include pesticides used by lawn-care companies.
Those companies, golf-course managers and the association that represents Alberta's landscape industry weren't impressed by Ottawa's recommendation.
They say they've already recognized public concerns over pollution and have dramatically cut use of pesticides. What's more, they argue that what they do use has been approved by the federal Pest Management Regulation Agency.
``As a lawn-care professional, I rely on Health Canada to make rational, objective decisions about these products,'' said Tony Rains of Nutri-Lawn.
``I'm not aware of any new peer-reviewed studies that raise concerns.
``There's no new science.'' Monte Koenig, general manager of The Ranch golf course, said it doesn't make sense to ban a golf course from using the same chemicals neighbouring farms use in much higher volumes.
``If they want to ban chemicals, they're going to have to ban them for everyone, like they did with DDT,'' he said.
Nigel Bowles, executive director of the Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association, said proper lawn care is the key to limiting pesticide use.
``Anyone in the lawn-care industry will tell you that once you've got the weed problem under control and you've got a good mowing program, you've got a good irrigation program and you've got a good fertilizing program, the use of pesticides is cut down dramatically.'' Most people today would likely choose a green lawn over other alternatives, Bowles said.
``I don't think we're ready to have all native plant material around our property,'' Bowles said.
``A vast majority of people probably would want a healthy, well-maintained property and if that involves the proper use of pesticides, they will use them.'' If such products weren't available, he said, neighbourhoods could start to look run down and people would become concerned.
The Commons committee appeared to recognize that fact, suggesting in its report that the public would be unlikely to accept an outright ban immediately.
It proposes an aggressive public education program so that ``the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes will become as frowned-upon as smoking cigarettes in public.'' Adopting a better-safe-than-sorry position, the committee said there should be a moratorium on pesticide use for esthetic purposes until science has proved the pesticides involved are not a health threat.
Some Edmonton homeowners are seeking lawn-care alternatives.
Enviro Masters, a lawn-care company that's been in Canada 20 years and in Edmonton for six, advertises ``lawn care the organic way.'' It offers both pesticide-free applications and ones that use herbicides.
``The organic programs are becoming more and more popular,'' said Carmen Frunchak, office manager of the local franchise.
``A lot of people do want herbicides for weed control but our philosophy is to get people off herbicides as much as we can.''
*
THE ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE LAWN A beautiful lawn can be achieved without chemicals using the following tips
- Ensure soil is well prepared. Good, arable land is essential in order for grass to become deeply rooted and flourish for many years.
The soil must be well turned to 15 or 20 cm in depth, with the organic matter and minerals essential to good growth added.
Unfortunately, most lawns are installed hastily on compacted earth from excavation.
- Plant the right species in the right place. Lawns are made up of plants that require sun and a great deal of water. In shady areas, it is better to plant species that tolerate shade. However, certain species are also more resistant to dry conditions and treading. If conditions are too harsh for grass, ground covers or other treatments should be considered.
- Ensure adequate maintenance. Regular or seasonal care will keep lawns dense and in good condition. This includes fertilization, cutting, watering, aeration and so on. These are all minor tasks that must be performed adequately and at the right time to ensure a vigorously growing lawn. Most people cut their lawns too short, resulting in lawns that are more sensitive to dry conditions and parasites.
- Accept diversity as an integral part of a healthy environment. A lawn is not an artificial carpet. It is a living area which contains a host of inoffensive and even highly useful organisms -- insects and earthworms. Understand that infestations are merely symptoms of an underlying problem. It is not a good idea to apply pesticides, even organic ones, repeatedly in order to solve this kind of problem. It is better to correct it at the source, even if that means replacing the lawn with something more suited to the environment. The best weapon against infestation is prevention and maintenance of a diversified environment in which competition among organisms prevents domination by any single one.
Source: Nature-Action Quebec, Brief to the House of Commons environment committee
BY DEFINITION: What are pest-control products?
- They are intended to control, destroy, attract or repel any pest and include chemicals, devices and even organisms, such as bacteria.
- The word pesticide is more specific and includes herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.
- Two of the best-known pesticides, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, are herbicides. After 50 years of use, products containing 2,4-D still account for one-quarter of all pesticide use in Canada.
Copyright Edmonton Journal 2000 All Rights Reserved.If you would like to be included in our mailing list for continuing information on pesticides, please email us at list@safe2use.com.