Outdoor Pesticides - is it worth the risk?

by Kimberly Monaghan

Now is the time to take a second look at what we decide to pass on to our families, our pets and our environment.

A young boy lies limp in a California hospital bed while his mother and doctors hover anxiously over him. The only movement comes from his arms that twitch convulsively as he fights to desperately hang on to life. In Pennsylvania, seventeen children are plagued with unexplained headaches, diarrhea, leg pains and fever while at school. After several years of work related exposure, Florida employees are stricken with cancer. And across the country over 50 million people develop circulatory, respiratory and nerve disorders within their own homes. All of these illnesses are derived from entirely different sources including clothing, routine school maintenance, lawn care application, and tap water, but they all have one thing in common - pesticides.

For decades outdoor pesticides have been the answer to delivering a nuisance-free lawn and fruitful garden. Farmers have benefited from the use of sprayed herbicides lessening erosion from over-tilled land and the spreading of deadly epidemics like Typhus has been prevented by the use of pesticides. Additionally, countries historically unable to defend against infestation are now able to prevent devastation of crops thanks to the invention of these chemical compounds. But just why do pesticides continue to be a hot issue in environmental circles? To begin with unless you're a toxicologist or chemist, it may be difficult to accurately interpret and comprehend the effects of their chemical ingredients. Furthermore, does the average consumer even bother to read the back of the bag beyond the directions for application? Although we are offered some assurance from governing bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this has not decreased the usage and spread of potentially dangerous chemicals.

What exactly constitutes a pesticide? There are numerous chemical compounds that fall under the heading of pesticides with most commonly utilized types being herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. Simply put, a pesticide is a carefully tested combination of substances that kills, or lessons, the threat from weeds, insects and fungus respectively. To better understand the structure of pesticides a brief history is necessary.

When pesticides were first introduced during in the forties, they seemed the perfect solution for combating agricultural, plant and animal pests. No longer would the farmer or homeowner be plagued with destructive and harmful nuisances thanks to the availability of products such as the familiar dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, more commonly known as DDT. DDT is a very poisonous agent to unwanted intruders designed to interfere with the normal nerve activity of insects and slowly kill them from the inside out. Just one of the indoor/outdoor pesticides widely used during this period, DDT could be easily dusted on clothing and furniture as well as on crops, and therefore was hailed as a miracle pest eradication method. One of the favored characteristics of these synthetic chemical compounds are their stability, or rather the ability to not break down and dissolve easily, therefore providing the advantage of long-term pest control.

Eventually, however, these chemical compounds were discovered to be a fatal source interrupting food chains and resulting in the deaths of many living creatures. Although many pesticides were eventually banned from, or limited in use within the United States their impact had already been made. Thanks to their stability along with soil, plant, water and animal absorption, the presence of these chemicals continued to be passed on. It was at this point in our history when scientists and activists such as Roy Barker and Rachel Carson, author of "Silent Spring" issued warnings provoking manufacturers, food processors, farm bureaus and government officials, laying the foundation for the debate over pesticide usage that continues today.

With such toxic revelations, government agencies have been swamped with testing, approving or eliminating various pesticides that have since emerged on the market. According to Donald Baumgartner, MS Medical Entomologist with the EPA: "the more potent pesticides are gradually being eliminated or phased out of the marketplace because of potential concerns about adverse human and environmental effects." In the meantime we are still fighting the presence of these readily available contaminants and the lingering effects of those historically utilized. The NPIC is a cooperative effort of Oregon State University and the EPA whose staff of qualified pesticide specialists and toxicologists conduct continuous studies on over 50,000 different products still registered for use in the United States since 1947. The NPIC along with other organizations such as the Environmental Protection Bureau, report on the potentially destructive effects that make up the 'active' ingredients of commercial pesticides. In one report it was disclosed that many of these 'active' ingredients utilized today were registered with the EPA prior to the 1978 when Congress passed stronger pesticide-testing requirements. In his report entitled "Poison in the Grass" author Nathan Diegelman expresses concern about the additional ingredients of pesticides, sometimes called 'inert' or 'inactive' that are used as product fillers. These chemicals, he states, "can be just as dangerous…and include components of war-time defoliants like Agent Orange, nerve-gas type insecticides, and artificial hormones."

Lately much concern has developed over children's and pet exposure to pesticides, both within the home and in commercial and educational facilities. Pet flea collars are labeled 'poisoned necklaces', dips and powders used to prevent infestation can often do more harm than help. Whether tracking pesticides indoors, inhaling airborne sprays, playing in a freshly sprayed lawn, or accidental consumption, pets and children are more likely to be at risk. Due to their size, they are not only much physically closer to the distributed pesticides, but their bodies, including children who are not fully developed yet, are unable to eliminate or resist toxins making them much more vulnerable to poisoning. Many organizations are educating parents and pet owners on the alternatives to pesticides along with action plans to avoid attracting pests in and around the home. The Humane Society of the United States, the Federal Citizen Information Center and the EPA provide information on keeping a healthy home along with tips on protecting children from home pesticide poisoning. Thankfully there are many grassroots organizations that have begun to bring issues of pesticide poisoning in children to the attention of government administrators. Even though they are faced with constant political suppression, the Children's Environmental Coalition (CHEC) is working closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fight children's exposure to toxic chemicals in all arenas and call on parents help continue to support this movement.

Regardless of the overwhelming amount of case studies, research, reports and statistics relating to the negative effects of pesticides, they continue to be utilized. But what can the consumer do to help prevent pesticide toxicity and environmental destruction? The most obvious answer is to stop utilizing theses chemicals. This however is much easier said than done. After all it is much too convenient to pick up the phone for the monthly lawn spraying service, squirt those annoying dandelions with fertilizers, dust the roses and trees to protect against fungus, and combat those pesky insects and rodents with bait and sprays. But thankfully there are other alternatives to choose from including 'biocontrol.' Selecting pest resistant species of plants, keeping gardens clean from residues and droppings and choosing to use organically accepted insecticides are just a few of the options available. Also there are many beneficial organisms that act as natural deterrents to pests such as purple martins, ladybugs and parasitic wasps that feed on destructive insects. The use of commercially produced "broad spectrum insecticides kill both pests and beneficial insects indiscriminately," explains Philip Dickey with the Washington Toxics Coalition (WTA). When this happens "the pests tend to come back first and are then uncontrolled by predators, so the recurrence is worse than the original problem." Dickey also encourages the consumer to consider less toxic products such as insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and corn gluten herbicides, all of which are part of the Coalition's push towards natural alternatives in pesticides.

Even adopting careful measures to prevent chemical poisoning and unwanted exposure, the fight against pesticide contamination will continue to be a process of education and activism. Donald Baumgartner stresses, "the general public receives no training on the careful use of pesticides and often fails to follow label directions….and applying a product contrary to label directions is illegal." Exposure from use of illegal pesticides and common misuse can be as close as right next door or even within the boundaries of the school playground. And we must not overlook the fact that food, water and air are possible transporters of chemicals back to our homes. But taking the time to read labels, inquire about regulations, and investigating commercial building and educational facility policies can seem overwhelming and time consuming; however the possible alternatives far outweigh the expenditure. Thankfully help is readily available through toll free hotlines and the Internet. And with the overwhelming educational resources, interactive assistance and political push from groups like the CHEC and the WTA, the foundation exists for a healthier future for our families and environment.

Within our modern and technologically advanced society, convenience can often override concern, and important health and environmental issues can get swept under the rug. We must remember that the burden falls on the consumer to become informed and take the steps towards positive change. All too often we can fall into a trap of trusting "experts" without conducting the necessary research that will support a confident choice. Now is the time to take a second look at what we decide to pass on to our families, our pets and our environment. In other words, it's time to do our homework and educate ourselves about what we put on our lawns today that will ensure a greener tomorrow.

The following is a list of resources where more information can be obtained for the education, evaluation and alternatives of pesticides.

Beyond Pesticides: alternatives to chemicals
www.beyondpesticides.org

Chemical Pesticides Health Effects Research
www.chem-tox.com/pesticides

Child Proofing our Communities: Poisoned School Campaign
www.childproofing.org

Children's Health Environmental Coalition
www.CHEC.org

Cleaning Nature Naturally
By Kathlyn Gay

Environmental Protection Agency
www.epa.gov

Federal Citizen Information Center
www.pueblo.gsa.gov

Garbage and Waste: Current Controversies
Charles P. Cozic, Book Editor

Humane Society of the United States
www.hsus.org

National Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org

NPIC
www.npic.orst.edu

Ohio State University Pesticide User's Guide
www.ohioline.ag.oio-state.edu

Pesticides
By Lisa Yount

Resource Guide on Children's Environmental Health
www.cehn.org

SWALCO
What should you do with all those household pesticides? Contact the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County at 847-336-9340 for information on Household Chemical Waste collection days along with additional advice and resources for legal disposal of toxic chemicals.

Washington Toxics Coalition
www.watoxics.org

Authors note: Just after the initial research phase for this article, the consideration of utilizing any chemical pesticides within or outside of my home is unthinkable. At the completion of my investigation I am convinced and overwhelmingly concerned about the use of pesticides in my community and beyond, and disturbed at their direct link to the commercial and political arena. My future actions have been permanently restructured after this educational and eye opening experience; however, as one of the many fortunate citizens of this country in receipt of all of our liberties, I am hard pressed to believe a solution is on the horizon.

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Kimberly Monaghan is a freelance writer living Westerville, Ohio and has authored "Oh No Where Will It Go?" and "Organic Crafts", two children's books that introduce and encourage environmental awareness. She is a member of numerous environmental organizations actively working towards, and writing about, solutions for environmental issues in the workplace, the home, and in the community. Visit her website at www.organic-crafts.com.

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