Lawn Pesticides and Chemicals
Recently, the use of lawn pesticides and chemicals has grown enormously with home owners and golf course management in hope of attaining "the perfect turf." However, the negative effects that are associated with attaining ones "dream turf" is primarily caused by the direct use of pesticides and chemicals. The chemical pesticide industry fails to address these issues and has made every effort to keep this information from the public.
Herbicides and pesticides are not a natural way to achieve a beautiful lawn, contrary to what lawn care companies would like people to believe. They are broad-spectrum biocides, and by their very nature can harm organisms other than the targeted species (Dieglman, 1996).
…show more content…
Symptoms of pesticide poisoning are often deceptively misdiagnosed as flu or allergies. Other problems associated with the use of chemicals include headaches, nausea, fever, breathing difficulties, high blood pressure, and temporary paralysis. The National Academy of Sciences reports that at least one out of seven people are significantly harmed by pesticide exposure each year (American Defender Network, 1989). Unfortunately, due to the high costs of inspection, tests for pesticide poisoning are rarely performed.
Within the last ten years, the lack of awareness and false guidelines about the toxicity of pesticides has contributed to many tragic events. In 1988, Karen James, a Michigan postal worker, was walking past one of ChemLawn’s "fertilizer" trucks when a hose ruptured and she was drenched with chemicals. She was told by the ChemLawn employee not to worry because only fertilizers were in the spray and she would be fine. However, soon after she became seriously ill, with symptoms that include diarrhea, vomiting, and fatigue. When her doctor called ChemLawn to find out what chemicals she was exposed to, he was told that they do not use chemicals. But later tests on Karen revealed high levels of Dursban, a toxic pesticide, which forced ChemLawn to admit that they had been lying (Dieglman, 1996).
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 95% of the pesticides used on residential lawns are possible or probable
This suggests that the roadsides was once beautiful and bloomed with healthy and lively vegetation; however, they are now destroyed due to the use of pesticides. From these examples, it can be shown that even though pesticide is beneficial, its deadly effects outweigh its benefits; in addition, it is a dangerous substances to the environment, organisms, and even human.
It is also shown that pesticides are partly responsible for the rising cancer rates and birth defects among children (“Pesticides”).
Even if an agricultural worker isn't seriously affected by the effects pesticide losses from hospitalized people, treatment, lost work and fatalities amasses to a total of $1.2 billion annually (Pimentel). Additionally, the development of Parkinson's and people with higher concentrations of pesticides had strong links connecting each other. These links would show that the toxic pesticides would result in a neurodegenerative disease, such Parkinson's (Kamel). Although considered a rare case, the increase in the disease's prevalence would add to the $25 billion that the disease already costs the United States in treatment, social security payments and lost income from inability to work ("Statistics on
Also, of equal importance is the matter of chemicals being allied with affecting the human hormones and much more. “The National Institute of Health Sciences lists it as a suspected endocrine disrupter, and several studies point to its possible contribution to reproductive-health problems and genetic mutations,” Beem, E. A. (2016). Lawn Fertilizer Dangers: Are They Giving You Cancer? | Reader's Digest. We may not realize or distinguish it now, but we need to! We can’t even cipher why we have all of these disabilities forming. We are slowly killing ourselves and the things around us every day without vexing it.
This article is about a dog being able to pick up toxic weed killers from treated lawns. Most people deal with weeds on their lawns like dandelions. To unriddle this situation people use the spray, and weed killers. Most people know it is important to keep children away from this spray. That’s because these toxic chemicals can be dangerous especially around children. If a child touched the lawn and then put their hands into their mouth it would be very harmful to the child. However, dogs are very exposed to weed killers. New reports tell us that herbicides also can end up in dogs.
Pesticides do a lot of good; however, they can also do a lot of harm. Researchers have found that pesticides can cause diseases, such as cancer. There are many issues with the intake of
I selected resources from a government agency, one resources from an academic and government collaboration, and one peer reviewed article on the effects of glyphosate. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is government organization established to protect humans and the environment and has extensive research on pesticides. I found a unique resource in the National Pesticide Information Center, which is a collaborative effort between the Oregon State University and the EPA with the goal of providing scientific-based information on pesticides. The article on the effects of glyphosate provided information that was used to compare to the claims made by one of the largest makers of glyphosate products, Monsanto.
If you have a yard you are most likely using pesticides. However, the traces of what’s left in your lawn after using pesticide treatments make your lawn much less inviting than it may look. Lawn care pesticides and chemicals which are effective at killing weeds and insects are toxic which may cause health issues to you and your family. Poisons are usually absorbed through the skin, by the mouth, vapors or dusts. Application of such harmful chemicals in the lawn area where your children and pets play can severely affect their health and put them at a higher risk.
The common methods used to manage weeds include prevention and cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical means. Herbicides can be defined as crop- protecting chemicals used to kill weedy plants or interrupt normal plant growth. Herbicides provide a convenient, economical, and effective way to help manage weeds. They allow fields to be planted with less tillage, allow earlier planting dates, and provide additional time to perform the other tasks that farm or personal life require. Due to reduced tillage, soil erosion has been reduced from about 3.5 billion tons in 1938 to one billion tons in 1997, thus reducing soil from entering waterways and decreasing the quality of the nation’s surface water. Without herbicide use, no-till agriculture becomes impossible. However, herbicide use also carries risks that include environmental, ecological, and human health effects. It is important to understand both the benefits and disadvantages associated with chemical weed control before selecting the appropriate
Pesticides are chemicals that are used to control crops from weeds, insects, and more (1). Pests are plants, animals, and organisms that could become a threat to the food supply and health (5). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for the regulation of pesticides in the United States. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), all manufacturers of pesticides must register their products with the EPA (1). The EPA has set strict rules regarding the use and availability of pesticides. Pesticide manufacturers must provide test data to the EPA about the toxicity, and the EPA will then approve the pesticide for specific use, such as controlling a specific species of insect on a type of plant (1). Pesticides are evaluated for many risk-factors including potential danger to humans and wildlife (3). Before pesticides are approved for use, the manufacturer must prove that the pesticide is not too toxic to be used on crops that will eventually be consumed by humans (3). They must also prove
As a Restricted Use Pesticide, the sale and use of atrazine can only be used for professional purposes, but not for residential use. Therefore, products containing atrazine are being purchased over the counter and used without supervision. This puts adults at risk of inhalation and possible absorption of atrazine’s chemicals into the bloodstream after oral and/or dermal exposure to the pesticide during application and as they do yard work. Farm workers are also at risk because they are performing farm work that includes applying atrazine to crops. Atrazine has been studied for decades to determine both its agricultural benefits as well as its human health impacts. Researchers and regulators performed meta-analyses to support policy decisions and drive the debate on whether the US should reduce/ban the use of
No. Arias-Estevez (2008) states that pesticides, which are used in zero tillage practices, are the most cost effective way of controlling weed and insect population in crops. Although using these chemicals is cost effective the pesticides can cause contamination of water, air and even food. The chemicals can be moved by run off and leaching which in turn causes contamination. This contamination causes negative health effects on humans and the environment in both long and short term. Although these chemicals are advantageous in s enhancing soil properties the fact that they occur in non-agricultural environments presents major environmental concerns.
One concern about pesticides and herbicide usage is the amount of residues left on the end product of crops sprayed with the chemicals, and their effects on human health. (Williamson, 2007, p. 184). However, these effects are closely tested and levels are strictly regulated to ensure there is no danger from possible pesticide residues. Since 1910, many rules, regulations, and agencies have been formed to monitor the safety of the pesticides and herbicides used in conventional farming. These chemicals must meet specific safety standards in order to be registered for use, and regulations on levels of each product safe for use are also put in place. (Tafel et al.,2007, p.184). All pesticides are rigorously examined to ensure they have no significant effects on human health, or the environment. The residues in the food chain are closely monitored, and regularly tested, to ensure they are below legal limits. In a recent survey of residues
Pesticides are prevalent in many societies, they are used on crops to ward off insects and other nuisances, in homes to kill rodents, and in gardens to remove weeds. It is interesting that humans are continuously exposed to chemicals that are literally used to kill other living things. Despite the fact that many studies have shown that certain chemicals in pesticides have adverse side effects, pesticide use remains so common place that most people are exposed to pesticides on an almost daily basis. There are many classes of pesticides, like organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids, and each class of pesticides effects humans differently. In the empirical article “Organophosphorous pesticide exposures and sperm quality,” Melissa Perry, et al. look at the association between urinary organophospophorous (OP) pesticide metabolites and the concentration and motility of sperm.
Over two-thirds of the plant (planet I assume?) is covered by it, and humans will die within 3 to 7 days without it. Water is the most precious resource on the planet, but can also be taken for granted especially in first-world countries where it is always available at the faucet. This modern marvel of having clean water so easily accessible is threatened by another modern invention, the application of pesticides. While pesticides have narrowed the gap between actual yield and yield potential in our conventional crops, they are also a source of nontarget poisoning responsible for fish kills, reproductive failures in birds, and human illnesses (Arias-Estevez et al, 2007). In fact, only about 0.1% of pesticides actually reach their targeted pest (Pimentel, 1995). Most pesticide ends up in the environment where it is transported or degraded through volatilization, runoff into surface water and groundwater, or taken up by nontarget organisms (van der Werf, 1996). The movement of pesticides into groundwater poses a grave threat to the health of our communities. According to a 1999 USGS survey, around 50% of water samples collected from wells contained at least one pesticide (Arias-Estevez et al, 2007). In Ohio, a well testing program started by the Water Quality Laboratory of Heidelberg College found that wells were contaminated most frequently by atrazine and alachlor, albeit at very low levels and in less than 5% of wells (Baker, 1990). There is a need to identify pesticide