What is a Pesticide?
A pesticide is a
chemical or microbiological substance that is designed to kill pests.
Pesticides are by definition are toxic because they poison the pest.
Pesticides include insecticides, herbicides,
fungicides and rodenticides. Common examples are RoundUp, Killex, Weed
and Feed, and 2,4-D. Lawn pesticides do not prevent pest problems,
they only try to control them once they are present.
Exposure
Pesticides are all
around us. They can be found in our soil, air, food, and even mother’s
breast milk. If a pesticide is being applied to a lawn, it can be
detected 15 metres away. Anyone living in
an urban area in Saskatchewan breathes air with measurable quantities
of 15-19 herbicides in late spring. Pesticides are also found in water.
Drinking water in six Saskatchewan communities was tested and found to
be contaminated with an average of seven pesticides.
Human Health
The Canadian
Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has identified acute health
effects in humans including nausea, eye, skin, respiratory and throat
irritation, muscle spasms, and even death. Repeated
exposure to pesticides has been linked to neurological problems, brain
and lung cancer, immune suppression (which creates environmental
hypersensitivity), leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, kidney damage,
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and reproductive disorders, including
endocrine disruption, low sperm count, and sterility. Children are most
at risk as they typically play in grass and dirt, and put toys and
hands in their mouths, activities that significantly increase their
exposure to pesticides.
How to Protect You and Your Family
· Do not use pesticides
on your lawn and garden.
· Pesticides are
toxic. Be aware when they are being sprayed in your neighbourhood.
· Keep kids and
their toys indoors when pesticides are being applied and afterward, clean exposed surfaces.
· Do not spray
your pets (flea powder).
· Use pesticide-free
insect repellent like citronella.
· Buy local organic
food.
· Wash all produce
with a mild detergent.
· Work with local
school boards, daycares and sporting complexes to go pesticide-free.
· Avoid pressure-treated
wood.
To learn more about alternatives to using pesticides, please visit:
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