“The US Department of Agriculture has estimated that 50 million people in the United States obtain their drinking water from groundwater that is potentially contaminated by pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.”
Figure 1.1
Children
Children are especially susceptible to the threats posed by synthetic lawn chemicals. The liver and kidneys are the mechanisms to filter harmful chemicals from our bloodstream. However, with children since their bodies are still developing, they do not have the ability to filter out the poisonous chemicals found in common lawn care pesticides. Children spend more time on the grass than adults [3]. They roll, crawl, and play on the very surfaces treated with these chemicals and touch their faces constantly. For them, exposure is not just a risk—it’s an everyday reality.
Exposure is not only a concern outdoors, cross contamination is constantly posing a threat to our health. From residue on our shoes, clothes and skin to wind and water runoff, these chemicals are presented almost every where. When synthetic chemicals enter the home they decompose significantly slower due to the environment which has led to dangerous level of chemicals within the home [4]. Cross-contamination is nearly impossible to mitigate and while aerosolized chemicals do dry quickly, they can still wash away with heavy water. These chemicals then wind up in waterways used for recreation and drinking only furthering the impacts on loved ones.
While it is almost impossible to highlight a direct link between the chemicals found in pesticides and the uptick in non-Hodgkins lymphoma in children, many believe there is a link [5]. To reduce exposure for the most susceptible people, transitioning care methods to organic and holistic methods helps to decrease risk.
Pets
Pets similarly to children are significantly smaller than a full grown adult human and have much smaller internal organs ill-equipped to deal with the chemicals we relentlessly spray on our lawns. Walking on, sniffing, eating, laying, rolling, playing are all apart of a dogs daily existence on a lawn. They spend more time on manicured lawns than perhaps any other creature but not without consequence. From losing eyes to noses, dogs have suffered greatly from the chemicals we lay down.
While most issues rise from general pesticides which kill any living matter on contact, there are similar but less apparent implications with more sophisticated selective pesticides. Selective pesticides are sprayed more liberally than general variants due to their ability to ‘select’ certain weeds and unwanted vegetation. However, while the consequences are not immediately visible or as grotesque, that does not mean they do not exist.
Chemicals found in common pesticides can lead to a host of underlying conditions which will not appear until much further down the line. Various cancers, especially Canine Malignant Lymphoma and Transitional Cell Carcinoma (Bladder Cancer) have been associated with exposure to common pesticides [6].
Epidemiology and the lawn care industry
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution, determinants, and control of health-related states and events in populations. It is a branch of public health that aims to understand the patterns and causes of diseases and other health outcomes, and to use this knowledge to prevent and control them. This can range from the common flu to global pandemics and everything in between. In regard to the lawn care industry, most epidemiological studies done in the industry revolve around respiratory diseases and cancers due to the spraying of pesticides.
Finding concrete linkages of carcinogens is incredibly difficult due to our countless exposures in our life time. Regarding pesticides there have been many studies looking for a linkage especially with applicators. The EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) often disagree and have chemicals listed as different danger levels based on the studies at hand. With limited research available on even the most common pesticides, it does not appear as if any consensus will be achieved any time soon.
Figure 1.2
2,4-D is one of the most commonly applied pesticide especially in the United States. Around 46 million pounds of 2,4-D are sprayed annually in the United States alone with 66% being applied in agricultural setting according to the National Pesticide Information Center [7]. It is used to kill broadleaf weeds and they believe it works by causing uncontrolled cell division in vascular tissue.
2,4-D was created in the 1940’s to be used in both terrestrial and aquatic settings as an herbicide. It has been one of the most widely used pesticides globally since its inception. Notably, it was one of the active ingredients in Agent Orange, a form of chemical warfare used by the United States during the Vietnam War in an effort to cut back on the thick canopy of the rainforest [8].
The IARC has 2,4-D listed as a possibly a human carcinogenic, animal testing has shown an increase of liver and kidney tumors at high dosages, but the studies were conducted at much higher exposure levels than humans typically experience [9]. Because of these reasons the EPA believes there is not enough evidence to support the claim that it is carcinogenic to humans which is why it is not listed as such in their pesticide risk assessment although they do advise caution with use [10].
2,4-D is just one example of a common pesticide which can be found in most settings. It is by no means the problem or a scapegoat, it is a signifier in this case of a much larger problem that the globe faces. This is not a health crisis in the United States, or even the Western world as a whole, it is an issue that globalization has introduce to every corner of the globe. A problem which will not be dealt with easily.
Figure 1.3
While the linkage may not be proven, they are possible. 2,4-D and many synthetic chemicals just like it cover our planet in an invisible blanket. In our air, our waterways, our soils, our food, our homes, and our bodies; all exposed to chemicals created by mega-corporations trying to dictate how we ought to maintain our homes. Lawns are not true evil here, it is capitalistic entities trying to profit off of people at any means necessary. Lawns are not the issue, lawn management is.
International Pesticide use
While the lawn care industry is most pervasive in the United States, the spraying of pesticides happens all over the globe. China by a significant margin applies the most pesticides. The primary difference in the two countries is what the pesticides are applied to. China sprays the vast majority of their pesticides on agricultural crops in hopes of producing a better yield. The United States similarly sprays the majority of its pesticides for agricultural purposes. However, they also spray a far more significant amount on residential properties for turf management which is not nearly as common in China. Every year 5.6 billion pounds of pesticides are sprayed around the globe with 1 billion pounds sprayed in the United States alone [11].
Looking at Brazil, similarly to China, nearly all of its pesticide usage is for agricultural purposes. Even in countries like Canada who have similar residential property management styles as the United States they are able to do so with far less synthetic chemicals. Given the proper time and effort, lawns can be a reality without our over reliance on pesticides.
Figure 1.4