Lawn Pesticides: The Dangerous Side of Spring

To the Editor:

Spring in Scarsdale is a beautiful season. Yards are dotted with daffodils, tulips....and those ubiquitous yellow “Warning: Pesticides” signs. On my street in Edgewood nearly all of the houses have their lawns sprayed with pesticides, creating a toxic blight on an otherwise joyous season.

According to Beyond Pesticides, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., “Of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides 19 have studies pointing toward carcinogens, 13 are linked with birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 15 with neurotoxicity, 26 with liver or kidney damage, 27 are sensitizers and/or irritants, and 11 have the potential to disrupt the endocrine (hormonal) system.” It is disturbing to see that immediately after these applications, children are walking on the grass and birds and other wildlife are eating from the lawn.

And further, the chemicals that we put on our lawns do not disappear after the 24 hour “danger period.” They are washed away by rainfall, and pollute bodies of water causing algae blooms and depleted oxygen. With an estimated 78 million households using pesticides, that is a significant amount of pollution.

Landscaping companies often repeat the sales pitch of the pesticide companies, and claim these chemicals are safe and there is no other way to achieve a perfect lawn. But we should ask, at what price are we willing to have a "perfect lawn?"

The website beyondpesticides.org contains a wealth of information about the dangers of lawn pesticides and organic alternatives. It is my hope that we can make Scarsdale a healthier place, one lawn at a time.

Kim Gold
Scarsdale