---

QUICK LINKS

Pesticide Use:  Is it worth the risk to use pesticide on your Lawn?

What is a Pesticide?

Pesticides are designed to to kill or repel a variety of weeds, harmful plants, insects and rodents. Pesticides may used idoors or outdoors. Pesticides include the following:

Herbicides - control weeds and other harmful plants

Insecticides - control insects such as ants, termites, locust and flying insects

Nematicides - control roundworms

Fungicides - control fungus

Rodenticides - control mice, rats, and other rodents

Am I exposed if my neighbor is using pesticides?

Yes! You are exposed both through drift and evaporation into the air. Pesticide runoff pollutes ground and surface water, which threatens the safety of our drinking water supply.

Exposure to pesticides can lead to serious side effects, including:

Redness, swelling, or blistering of the skin

Stinging or swelling of the eyes, mouth, and nose

Shortness of breath

Nausea and vomiting

Diarrhea

Headache

Fatigue

Numbness

Pesticide poisoning can also have severe effects on both the reproductive system and the endocrine system (system that controls the body's hormones).

Who is most at risk?

Children
Lawn pesticides present special risks for children. Children, because of their immature nervous and immune systems, smaller body size and higher metabolic rates, are more susceptible to the toxic effects of pesticides than are adults. Children may spend more time playing outdoors where they can come in direct contact with pesticides.

Note:  In December 1998, the EPA stated that pesticides now licensed for use have NOT been studied to determine their potential for toxic effects on children

Applicators
Reports indicate that workers with heavy pesticide exposure have higher rates of cancer.

Pets
A case study of malignant lymphoma reports a positive association with an owner's use of the popular crabgrass killer 2, 4-D and their pet dog's chances of getting cancer. An EPA study found that residue tracked in by pets and on people's shoes increased the pesticide loads in carpet dust as much as 400-fold. Pesticides intended for outdoor use persist for years indoors because they are sheltered from sun, rain, and other forces that degrade them outdoors.

Wildlife
67 million birds die each year from exposure to pesticides according to researchers at Cornell. Songbirds are especially at risk because they eat pesticide granules and treated insects. Raptors such as red-tailed hawks and great horned owls often feed on pesticide-poisoned prey. Pesticides kill earthworms and other beneficial organisms, disrupting the ecological balance of your lawn. Many lawn pesticides are toxic to aquatic life.

Tips for a Pesticide-Free Lawn

• Select proper grass seed for your lawn.
  
  
• Mowing - Believe or not, bad mowing causes insect and weed problems.
  
  
• Develop Healthy Soil.
  
  
• Aerate Lawn to help water and nutrients to reach roots.
  
  
• Water Properly. The average soil needs about one inch of water a week.