Pesticides : Canadian Lung Association

Pollution & air quality

Outdoor air quality

Pesticides

Cosmetic pesticides can hurt the environment and human health. There is good news for people who want to keep their lawn and garden pretty : there are many healthy and safe alternatives to harmful cosmetic pesticides.

What are cosmetic pesticides?

Cosmetic pesticides are chemical or biological substances used to destroy living things such as: insects (insecticides), plants (herbicides), and fungi (fungicides) for the purpose of enhancing the appearance of a lawn or garden. They are sold commonly as sprays, liquids, powders or combined with chemical fertilizers.

How do pesticides get into our bodies?

Cosmetic pesticides can enter our bodies through skin contact, by ingestion (swallowing them, eg. on home-grown vegetables) or by breathing them in (inhalation).

Pesticides can enter your home in a variety of ways:

through people and pets
through objects and toys contaminated with the chemicals
through storage

There is always some drift with spraying of lawn and garden pesticides. Many pesticides linger after they've been applied.

How can cosmetic pesticides hurt human health?

In the short term, cosmetic pesticides can be a problem for people who have multiple chemical sensitivities, or people who have lung diseases. They can set off an immediate physical reaction, such as an asthma attack.

In the long term, pesticides are a concern. They cannot be properly tested for long-term adverse health effects on humans from foetal stage to old age. The mix of chemicals to which we are exposed or the varied responses of humans can't be replicated under laboratory conditions. It stands to reason that if pesticides can kill living things, then pesticides may harm us.

Symptoms of pesticide exposure

Pesticides are a broad category of complex chemicals, which may cause many immediate and long term negative health effects. These range from:

mild symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and shortness of breath
serious reactions like vomiting and loss of consciousness
long term adverse effects on behaviour, and the nervous, immune and endocrine systems
forms of cancer, such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma, leukemia and soft tissue sarcoma.

Use better gardening techniques, so you won't need pesticides

The best way to avoid air pollution from cosmetic pesticides is to not use them at all. The alternative is to implement an integrated pest-management program that promotes healthy plants:

Promote healthy soil

Get your soil's pH and mineral content tested by collecting about 1/4 cup of soil from ten spots around the lawn, mixing it all together, and taking the sample it to your provincial Department of Agriculture for testing.
Use lime to increase your soil's pH for plants like turf grasses that are vulnerable in acidic soil.
Use organic fertilizer (such as compost) to increase the nutrients available to plants, to improve soil structure and water-holding capacity, and to encourage earthworm and microorganism populations. Chemical fertilizer only provides nutrients and can get washed into groundwater, becoming a source of nitrate contamination.
Hire a lawn-care company, rent an aerator or use a garden rake to aerate your compacted lawn soil. A healthy population of earthworms provides this service over the long term.
For healthy lawn turf, mow high (3"), mow often, and leave the clippings, which will provide at least one third of the nitrogen requirements of the grass.
Add a low-growing clover to your lawn to provide nitrogen naturally through microorganisms that live on the roots and procure nitrogen from the air.

Increase biodiversity

Trees, shrubs, and a variety of plant species attract a diversity of birds and insects to act as natural controls on each other, so that no one species gets out of balance. Native plant species are the best adapted to local conditions.
Try substituting alternative ground covers such as creeping or wooly thyme, spreading junipers, creeping jenny, mosses, ferns and wild flowers for lawns.
Add perennial beds to create a garden, rather than a having a large expansive lawn.
Rethink what constitutes a weed on your lawn. Besides providing nitrogen, clover stays green in the dry heat of midsummer. Assorted lawn covers provide a variety of textures and colours, and discourage insect attacks from pests like white grubs or chinch bugs.

Ensure you grow the right plants for your location and conditions

Consult your local garden club or centre for advice on appropriate trees, shrubs, plants, and turf grasses for your climate zone.
Place plants according to whether they thrive in sun, shade, dry and/or wet areas.
Choose plants native to your area.

If you do have a pest infestation: alternatives to chemical pesticides

If you do have an explosion of a particular pest population, use non-toxic or food grade products to remedy the situation. The following are a few simple, non-toxic solutions to combat various pests:

Pest	Control Method	Source
Dandelions	Treat with boiling vinegar Hand weed in moist soil
Pre-emergent Dandelions (before they emerge from the ground)	Corn gluten	Available at some garden centres
Ants	Sprinkle borax mixed with a bit of icing sugar on the hill Pour boiling water over the hill Sprinkle bone meal or cayenne pepper across ants' point of entry into the house	Borax can be found in the laundry section of the grocery store
Aphids	Spray plants with 1Tbs of ordinary dish detergent in 4 litres of garlic water Promote ladybugs through plant diversity Plant nasturtiums, garlic, chives, or petunias beside vulnerable plants to repel aphids	Ladybugs are available commercially
Army Worms Tent Caterpillars	Manually remove nests on trees in spring: use a pole or brush if they are located high in trees Place tape covered with petroleum jelly around uninfected tree trunks
Chinch Bug	Place a wet old sheet or newspapers over the dead patch of grass Chinch bugs will cling to the bottom
Earwigs	Trap them in rolls of damp newspaper
Gypsy Moth	Scrape tan, oval-shaped egg masses off hard surfaces in fall, winter or early spring Wrap a couple of layers of burlap around a tree trunk and fold over the top. This will trap the pupating larvae towards the end of July.
Slugs	Slugs will drown in dishes of beer placed among plants Trap slugs under boards placed in the garden
Spiders on house	Turn off some of the lights that attract flies which attract spiders
White Grub (Japanese beetle larvae)	Treat infected area with predatory nematodes Walk over infected areas several times in shoes with long spikes on the soles (aerator sandals) Plant geraniums to repel them In the early morning, shake them off trees and shrubs onto a sheet	Nematodes and aerator sandals are available at some garden centres.

The Lung Association advises against the use of cosmetic pesticides. If your neighbours are spraying, try educating them in collaboration with the local garden club or centre, by organizing community group, neighbourhood or workplace talks. If you or your family members show immediate health effects, notify your provincial Department of Health or Environment. Some provinces have toll-free lines that you can call to request notification of pesticide treatments in your vicinity.

	Canadian Lung Association>Protect your lungs>Pollution & air quality>Outdoor air quality>Pesticides