This is part one of a two part series on the safety of pesticides and herbicides commonly used by homeowners. Next month, Dr.
McInnes will discuss how the government monitors and controls the manufacture and use of these chemical products.
It seems every week there’s a new report of something previously thought benign threatening our health or environment. Vinyl purses, kids’ bouncy houses and lipstick can contain unsafe levels of lead. Lake Wateree fish contain PCBs. Lake Murray fish can contain high levels of mercury. Perfume, make-up, shampoo and other personal care products often contain known carcinogens and toxins (sometimes hidden in the ingredients list as “fragrance”).
Some of the scariest reports involve the pesticides we use in the home and garden. After all, these chemicals were designed to kill living things. According to Beyond Pesticides, out of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 17 may cause cancer, 13 can cause birth defects, 21 can affect reproduction, 11 can affect the endocrine system, 15 are nervous system poisons, and 26 can cause liver or kidney damage. And all of them are approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency.
2,4-D is a synthetic plant hormone widely used as a broadleaf herbicide. It’s probably been applied to your lawn. It’s the most used herbicide in the world, and the third-most in the U.S. It’s been around since WW II and is a component of Agent Orange. 2,4-D is also an endocrine disruptor and has been linked to prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, thyroid problems and reproductive abnormalities. It’s been banned or restricted in several European countries, Kuwait, Belize and parts of Canada.
You probably know atrazine as well. It’s the second-most used herbicide in the U.S., applied primarily as a pre-emergent weed preventer, although it can kill very young plants as well. Atrazine is an endocrine disruptor. At concentrations in water the EPA would label safe to drink, it turns male frogs buy viagra online into functional females. Studies of its links to prostate and breast cancer have been inconclusive. In 2004, the European Union banned atrazine, citing its prevalence as a water pollutant and a lack of evidence showing that it’s safe. Recent research done in Croatia showed the active ingredient of atrazine alone did not cause cancer, but could cause cancer in combination with the so-called “inert” ingredients with which it is usually formulated.
You know glyphosate too. It’s the active ingredient in RoundUp and several other non-selective herbicides and is the most used herbicide in the country. I’d always thought glyphosate was safe because I read it binds quickly to soil particles and becomes inactive. Glyphosate has been linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and birth defects. A recent study has shown that exposures very much less than the application rate cause developmental abnormalities in chicken and frog embryos.
These three examples are some of the most used and most studied pesticides in the world, and we still don’t really know how dangerous they are. Terms such as “linked to” and qualifiers like “may” or “can cause” are used because some studies show they are dangerous and others show they are benign. Each of these three chemicals has been the subject of scores or even hundreds of studies. Newer and lesser used chemicals have not been tested nearly as much.
When asked how to control weeds or insect pests, I’m not sure, in good conscience, I can recommend these products to clients … at least not without explaining some of the risks and encouraging a consideration of safer alternatives. I encourage you to do the same. A good place to start is beyondpesticides.org. There you can find factsheets on the safety of commonly used pesticides and articles on safer alternatives.
