Think twice, or thrice, before buying the propaganda of the increasingly desperate chemical "lawn care" industry.
U.S. lawn-care industry fighting back against pesticide bans
By JOAN LOWY Scripps Howard News Service
Fearing that a Canadian movement to ban the use of pesticides on lawns
will take root in the United States, the lawn-care industry has thrown
down the gauntlet - literally.
"The gloves are off," declares an industry ad running in trade magazines
under a picture of masculine-looking leather gardening gloves lying atop
a lush green lawn.
"Yes, legislation and regulations have been throwing the green industry
some rough punches," the ad says. "And we're about to start fighting
back."
The ads are underwritten by Project Evergreen, a trade association
formed by pesticide makers, applicators, garden centers and mower
manufacturers that plans to launch a national public-relations campaign
this spring touting the health and lifestyle benefits of thick, green
lawns.
The green industry, as the lawn-products industry calls itself, has
reason to worry. Increasing concern about the impact of pesticides and
synthetic fertilizers on human health and the environment is fueling a
movement to ban or restrict the "cosmetic" or "esthetic" use of
artificial chemicals for lawns and gardens.
In Canada, the province of Quebec and nearly 70 cities and towns -
including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax - have passed laws
banning or restricting the use of pesticides for lawn care.
Some activists are predicting that pesticides will become the next
tobacco. "Pesticides are a bit like secondhand smoke - if you can smell your
neighbor using them on their property, then you're being exposed, too,"
said Michel Gaudet, president of the Coalition for Alternatives to
Pesticides, in St. Bruno, Quebec.
The picture in the United States is more complicated. Over the last
several years, the pesticide industry has successfully lobbied state
legislatures to pass what are known as "pre-emption laws." These give
states responsibility for pesticide regulation and prevent cities and
towns from enacting their own laws. So far, 30 states have adopted
pre-emption laws.
"Local communities generally do not have the expertise on issues about
pesticides to make responsible decisions," said Allen James, president
of RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment), a
pesticide-industry lobbying group. "Decisions are made much more
carefully and the train moves much more slowly" at the state level.
At the same time, however, 20 states have adopted laws requiring signs
or some sort of public notification when pesticides are applied to
lawns.
Dozens of communities have also adopted policies barring or restricting
the use of pesticides on school property, public ball fields and parks.
Beyond Pesticides, an environmental group in Washington, has responded
to Project Evergreen's "gloves are off" ad with a copycat ad that
features a pair of feminine-looking gardening gloves decorated with
daisies over the headline, "Get a Grip."
"The chemical lawn care industry is worried that the word is getting out
on the toxic hazards of lawn pesticides," the ad says. "It is possible
to have a green lawn without toxic pesticides."
A team of medical researchers with the Ontario College of Family
Physicians, a Canadian professional society for family doctors, released
a report last year that analyzed 250 previously published
epidemiological studies from around the world on possible adverse
effects of pesticides on human health.
The report found "consistent positive associations" between popular
pesticides used in lawn care and cancers, reproductive problems,
neurotoxic effects and other serious illnesses.
Pets and wildlife are at risk, too. Another study, by scientists at
Purdue University in Indiana, found that Scottish terriers were four to
seven times more likely to develop bladder cancer if they had been
exposed to lawn chemicals.