Although snow blanketed Vermont last week, a working group of the Burlington Board of Health is about to issue this call: Wanted — two Burlington property owners willing this spring to swear off the stew of manmade chemicals many people feed their lawns to keep them as weed- and pest-free as AstroTurf.
Abandoning pesticides won't mean going it alone. The two property owners will be part of the "Truly Healthy Lawn Lab," a two-year Board of Health project to demonstrate chemical-free routes to growing grass.
The Lawn Lab — along with a recent, abortive attempt to toughen the Burlington's pesticide ordinance — reflects a growing concern in some circles that lawn chemicals, singly or together, can affect human health, particularly children's health.
"There is so much evidence that chemicals in the environment are affecting our long-term health," said Jean Markey-Duncan, a New North End resident and one of those who pressed the Board of Health to address lawn pesticide use. "Pesticides have been linked to cancer, to Parkinson's disease, to autism and attention deficit disorder.
"Do we want to take a chance we are wrong about this?"
Americans spread an estimated 70 million pounds of pesticides on their lawns each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That's 10 times more per acre than farmers use on their crops.
Although the toxic ingredients in weedkillers and pesticides must be registered with the EPA, that stamp does not mean lawn chemicals are safe, critics say. By definition, pesticides are toxic to some forms of life. Fresh concerns about the cumulative effects of environmental chemicals have arisen in recent years.
Critics cite examples like diazinon, once the most widely used lawn pesticide in the country. In 2000 the EPA ordered the phase-out of the insecticide, citing evidence it could affect the nervous system.
Last year, the agency ordered pesticide manufacturers to test 67 chemicals — including glyphosate, imidacloprid, 2,4-d and others used in lawn care — to determine whether they interfere with the action of hormones that regulate metabolism, reproduction and growth in humans and animals.
Pesticide manufacturers and lawn-care companies defend the safety of their products.
"In many cases, our approval standards for lawn-care products we use are even tougher than the government," said Heather Wilson, a spokesperson for TruGreen-ChemLawn, a national lawn-care service that operates in Vermont.
Not all homeowners are reassured.
"There are so many chemicals in our environment, it is just prudent to eliminate unnecessary ones," Markey-Duncan said.
And that's the point, she and others say: Routine use of lawn chemicals isn't necessary.
"You can have a really nice lawn without total reliance on herbicides and insecticides," said Sid Bosworth, University of Vermont Extension agronomist, turf expert and Lawn Lab's technical advisor.
The Board of Health's pesticide education working group believes Lawn Lab will prove Bosworth right.
I recently returned from the granddaddy of all indoor flower shows, the
Philadelphia Flower Show. I was speaking about my new book Vegetable Gardening
for Dummies on behalf of the Gardener's Supply Company. It was a packed house
and the show was amazing. The theme of the show is Passport to the World and it
features more than 30 show gardens from countries such as India, China,
Singapore, Netherlands, Brazil, and South Africa. The artistic expression and
breath of flowers that were forced into bloom was amazing. Just to see colors
and greenery this time of year was a treat!