I wholeheartedly agreed with the Oct. 2 letter, “Using harsh chemicals on lawns leads to tragedy,” which encouraged those using lawn pesticides to consider alternatives.
Most of us would avoid living near a chemical-waste facility, but too few of us hesitate to turn our lawns into little patches of poison. I encourage Duluth to ban cosmetic pesticide use, and, until the city does, I urge homeowners to voluntarily refrain from spreading these toxins.
The indisputable determination of the effects of lawn chemicals on human health is extremely difficult, given the many variables. But evidence continues to mount that lawn pesticide use is linked with cancers and endocrine disruption. The dangers are particularly acute for pets and children whose developing bodies take in more of the pesticides and who have a higher exposure by playing on the floor or in the grass and putting objects in their mouths.
The 95 percent “inert” ingredients in pesticides can be just as dangerous as the active ingredients; yet, unbelievably, pesticide companies aren’t required to list them on their labels. Pesticides contaminate drinking water, poison birds and cause amphibian declines and deformities - with lawn pesticides, all for the aesthetic, unnecessary purpose of a monoculture yard. The “benefit” simply does not come close to outweighing the health and environmental risks.
Libby Bent
Duluth
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