CHEM-TOX COMMENT:

The following report on lawn pesticides was written by Nathan Diegelman of the S.T.A.T.E Foundation. This report should be used by any person or organization wishing to make changes in pesticide use policies in schools, government buildings, or even neighborhood spray policies. It is well written and clearly documents how conventional pesticide applications can cause significant illnesses over time. All pesticide health effects statements have been clearly documented, making this a reputable tool for policy change and protection of public health. We highly recommend concerned citizens write "Letters to the Editor" to their local newspapers quoting important points from this report as a "first-step" in generating public concern and understanding.



Poison In The Grass:

The Hazards And Consequences Of Lawn Pesticides



Nathan Diegelman

The S.T.A.T.E. Foundation

bl891@FreeNet.Buffalo.EDU



As the use of lawn chemicals and pesticides has grown, questions have

arisen regarding safety hazards and environmental consequences. This report

gives factual findings to help answer many of these concerns. Some of them

may seem shocking, since the chemical pesticide industry has made every

effort to keep this information from the public. Everything that follows in

this report is documented and supported by the U.S.Federal Government,

private agencies, and other experts.



Contrary to what lawn "care" companies would like people to believe,

herbicides (weed killers) and other pesticides are not "magic bullets".

They are broad spectrum biocides, and by their very nature can harm

organisms other than targeted species. This includes homeowners and their

families, neighbors, pets, and all other forms of life. The pesticide

industry downplays this by claiming their chemicals are heavily diluted,

but doesn't mention the toxins are still extremely dangerous in small

amounts. They also are unwilling to mention all of what is in their

mixtures. Many components are classified as "inert", which allows them to

be kept hidden from the public and not listed on product labels. These are

more than just fillers or solvents. "Inert" does not mean "inactive" -

some, such as benzene and xylene, are more toxic than listed chemicals.(1,2)



Listed chemicals can be just as dangerous. They include components of

war-time defoliants like Agent Orange, nerve-gas type insecticides, and

artificial hormones. Some the Federal Government has even prohibited from

use on it's own property. Many pesticides are not safe when dry. Water

evaporates, but most pesticides remain and continue to release often

odorless and invisible toxic vapors. In areas where lawn spraying is

common, they accumulate in a toxic smog throughout the entire season. Some

pesticides remain active for years after application. DDT is still showing

up in higher rates in women's breast milk than the government permits in

cow's milk.(4) Fat soluble pesticides accumulate over time in our bodies,

then are released at potentially toxic levels when illness or stress

results in our fat reserves being metabolised.A large portion of a woman's

lifetime exposure to such pesticides is released in the breast milk for her

firstborn child.(37)



It is a violation of U.S.Federal law to claim pesticides are "safe when

used as directed" since nothing can assure safety.(2,3,5) (However,

Agriculture Canada, the federal agency responsible until recently for

licensing pesticides in Canada, routinely used this statement, adding for

good measure that "most pesticides are safer than table salt". Fortunately,

pesticides in Canada are now licensed by Health Canada.) Some pesticides

labeled "bio-degradable" degrade into compounds more dangerous than the

original. Examples include Mancozeb, which degrades into a substance that

is an EPA-classified probable carcinogen.(6) The pesticide industry also

implies that "organic" means safe and natural (for example, "Nature's

Lawn"), knowing that the term legally may be applied to any compound

containing carbon and hydrogen. ChemLawn and other lawn "care" companies

and manufacturers have often been sued for fictitious claims.(5-14) Many

applicators are just as conniving and deceitful, using statements like

"absolutely cannot harm children or pets" and "perfectly safe for the

environment" to mislead the public. The New York State Attorney General s

Office sued Dow Elanco chemical company when they claimed that Dursban

shows "no evidence of significant risk to the environment" when right on

the label is stated "this pesticide is toxic to birds and extremely toxic

to fish and aquatic organisms".(15) A few years later on May 2, 1995, the

EPA fined Dow Elanco for "failing to report to the Agency information on

adverse health effects (to humans) over the past decade involving a number

of pesticides, including chlorpyrifos (brand name Dursban)". Most of the

information came from personal injury claims against Dow Elanco which the

company had hidden from the EPA. Now it is even being found that

chlorpyrifos causes multiple sclerosis.(38)



Some companies have even made claims that their products better the

environment. "Funk" lawn care of New York has coined the phrase "Growing A

Better Environment" in order to fool consumers into believing lawn

chemicals pose no ecological harm. Another states "a 50-by-50 foot lawn

produces enough oxygen to sustain a family of four." But this is only true

with a plot of land that has tall grass and no lawn care. Pesticides,

lawnmower fumes and common lawn care practices actually create a net

destruction of oxygen.(16)



The United States General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of

Congress, has also tried to alert the public to lawn chemical dangers.

GAO's undercover team noted many fictitious claims by many in the lawn

"care" industry.(35) Many included illegal claims of product safety. Others

were just deceiving, such as the ChemLawn claim that a child would have to

ingest ten cups of treated grass clippings to equal the toxicity of one

baby aspirin. In fact, the real danger is not that people will be grazing

the lawn but that most poisonings come from inhaling pesticide residues or

absorbing them through the skin.(6,7,10)



Most do-it-yourselfers are just as ignorant when it comes to proper

protection and safety precautions. Studies show most don't even look at the

warnings on their toxins. They don't wear gloves, goggles, or protective

clothing to decrease exposure. Worse, many don't keep people off the

contaminated area after chemicals are applied. Homeowners commonly use up

to ten times as much pesticides per acre as farmers.(7,17) A Virginia Tech

study for the state legislature found that most homeowners have no idea how

much nitrogen they use when fertilizing and that they apply chemicals in

ways that damage water supplies.(18)



Pesticides drift and settle during application. In the Antarctic ice pack

alone there are 2.4 million pounds of DDT and its metabolites from years

past.(26) Pesticides engulf the home and are easily tracked inside, readily

inhaled and absorbed through the skin. They do harm by attacking the

central nervous system and other essential organs. Symptoms of pesticide

poisoning are often deceptively simple, commonly mis-diagnosed as flu or

allergies. They include, but are not limited to, headaches, nausea, fever,

breathing difficulties, seizures, eye pains, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea,

sore nose, tongue, or throat; burning skin, rashes, coughing, muscle pain,

tissue swelling, blurred vision, numbness and tingling in hands or feet,

incontinence, anxiety, irritability, sleep disorders, hyperactivity,

fatigue, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, spontaneous

bleeding, and temporary paralysis. Long-term consequences include lowered

fertility, birth defects, miscarriages, blindness, liver and kidney

dysfunction, neurological damage, heart trouble, stroke, immune system

disorders, menstrual problems, memory loss, suicidal depression, cancer,

and death. The National Academy of Sciences reports that at least one out

of seven people are significantly harmed by pesticide exposure each

year.(3) Increasingly, reports from many people around the country are

"beginning to link feeling terrible with the fact the neighbors had the

lawn sprayed the day before", notes Catherine Karr, a toxicologist for the

National Coalition Against The Misuse Of Pesticides.(7) Unfortunately,

except for industrial accidents, tests for pesticide poisoning are rarely

performed, partially because they are expensive. Doctors also attribute

them to stress, allergies, influenza, or an overactive imagination.(3)



Many Americans are developing Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), a

bizarre and extremely disabling condition. In 1979, the Surgeon General

issued a report stating "There is virtually no major chronic disease to

which environmental factors do not contribute, directly or indirectly."

Indeed, people today are exposed to synthetic chemicals at levels unmatched

at any time throughout human history. Washington Post staff writer Michael

Weiskopf noted in a February 10, 1990 article that "hypersensitivity to low

levels of toxic chemicals (MCS) is a serious and growing medical problem,

threatening to cause significant economic consequences by disabling large

numbers of otherwise healthy people." MCS is a result of the destruction of

the body's ability to tolerate and synthesize chemicals after exposure to

toxic substances. Victims develop extreme reactions now not only to lawn

pesticides but also hair sprays, perfumes, soaps, formaldehyde, and many

other common household products.(5,36) Many victims include former lawn

pesticide applicators and users, their families, and children.



Sharon Malhorta, a registered nurse from Pittsburgh, would get so sick from

lawn and tree spraying that she had to leave her home every spring.

Otherwise she would suffer headaches, paralysis in her hands and feet, and

muscle seizures. Repeated exposure caused blurred vision, speech

difficulties, and severe stomach cramps. Her husband, a doctor, suspected

early on her symptoms were the result of nerve damage from

organophosphates, which are widely used nerve-gas type insecticides, like

Diazinon. After questioning lawn companies about their products he was told

they were "practically nontoxic", registered by the EPA, and not harmful to

people or pets. He later discovered that the chemicals his wife was exposed

to were in fact neurotoxins, and was shocked to discover there were

surprisingly few EPA studies on their health effects.(19)



Karen James, a Michigan postal worker, successfully sued ChemLawn in 1988.

While walking past one of their trucks, a hose ruptured and she was

drenched with chemicals. The employee told her not to worry, that only

fertilizers were in the spray. But soon after she became seriously ill, and

her eyes and skin burned. When her symptoms of fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea,

and reduced vision didn't clear up, her doctor called ChemLawn to find out

what chemicals she had been exposed to. He was told no pesticides had been

involved, but after tests on Karen s body tissue detected high levels of

Dursban, ChemLawn admitted the truck contained pesticides. Many other suits

against lawn companies are settled out of court. Frequently the settlement

restrains the victim from talking about the incident, so the public is not

informed.(19)



For the price of green lawns, children are also being poisoned. In 1985 a

married couple in Sarasota, Florida, felt pressured by their neighbors to

get their lawn treated. They hired a company, never thinking their

2-year-old daughter would be jeopardized. The company declared the yard

would be safe about an hour after the chemicals were applied. However, soon

after playing barefoot on the grass, the couple's daughter developed a rash

all over her body, her urine turned dark brown, and she ran a high fever.

Her doctor prescribed antibiotics, but her condition grew steadily worse.

Her hands and feet swelled to twice normal size, blistered, and peeled. Her

lips turned black and bled. Years later she is still permanently prone to

headaches and has 40% hearing loss in her right ear.(19)



Barry and Jackie Veysey believe lawn chemicals were responsible for the

death of their baby son. Barry was a professional turf master, and the

chemicals he worked with may have mutated his sperm or poisoned the infant

in utero. Every time Jackie washed her husband's uniforms, the chemicals

may have been absorbed through her skin and permeated the placenta. The

child was born with a severe and fatal type of dwarfism. Jackie held her

son only once before he died due to massive failure of his underdeveloped

organs.(19)



Kevin Ryan from Arlington Heights, Illinois, feels like a prisoner in his

home. "I can't even play in my own yard because the neighbors spray their

lawns and trees", he says. Kevin suffered routine chemical exposure as a

toddler from lawn spraying, and now suffers nausea, irritability, fatigue,

and loss of memory whenever pesticides are nearby. His family moves to

Colorado every spring and fall, the peak spraying times of the year, to

keep him safe.(19,20)



In 1986, Robin Dudek of Hamburg, New York pulled the garden hose off her

lawn and used it to fill a wading pool for her daughters Amanda, 3, and

Kristen, 2. Earlier her lawn had been sprayed with chemicals. When Amanda

started drinking from the hose, she began to scream that the water was

burning her. Then Kristen began crying and screaming as well. Robin took

the children inside and noticed burn marks on both of them, as well as the

smell of chemicals on Amanda's breath. The girls later suffered from

fevers, swollen eyes, and blisters the size of grape clusters around their

necks.(19)



Christina Locek was a professional ice skater and pianist before her health

was destroyed in 1985, when her neighbor s lawn was sprayed with

pesticides. Her cat and dog died that same day, and she suffers headaches,

partial paralysis, vision loss, and blood disorders.(21) Former Navy

Lieutenant George Prior developed a fever, headache, and nausea after

playing on a golf course treated with Daconil. It was later discovered he

was suffering from toxicepidermal necrolysis, which causes skin to fall off

in sheets and massive organ failure. Prior died soon after.(6,8)



According to the EPA, 95% of the pesticides used on residential lawns are

possible or probable carcinogens.(3,22) In 1989 the National Cancer

Institute reported children develop leukemia six times more often when

pesticides are used around their homes.(3,22) The American Journal of

Epidemiology found that more children with brain tumors and other cancers

had been exposed to insecticides than children without.(3) Studies by the

National Cancer Society and other medical researchers have discovered a

definite link between fatal non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) and exposure to

triazine herbicides (like Atrazine), phenoxyacetic herbicides (2,4-D),

organophosphate insecticides (Diazinon), fungicides, and fumigants; all of

which have uses as lawn chemicals. This may be an important contributing

factor to the 50% rise in NHL over the past ten years in the American

population. Studies of farmers who once used these pesticides found

alarmingly high numbers of NHL, especially in those who didn't wear

protective clothing. This latest finding also proves the theory that most

danger from pesticides comes through dermal absorption, not ingestion.(23)

A University of Iowa study of golf course superintendents found abnormally

high rates of death due to cancer of the brain, large intestine, and

prostate.(4) Other experts are beginning to link golfers, and non-golfers

who live near fairways, with these same problems.(8,24)



Documented cases of pesticides in groundwater wells are suspect for cancer

clusters showing in many towns. In 1989, drinking water in at least 38

states was known to be contaminated.(3) After the herbicide Dacthal was

applied to Long Island golf courses, it was detected in drinking water

wells at levels twenty times the State's safety limits. The water also

contained a dioxin that is a highly toxic by-product of Dacthal(8,19). The

New York State Attorney General sued the manufacturer in 1989 to

investigate the contamination and develop a treatment program, since ground

water is the main source of drinking water for Long Island. Twenty-two

other pesticides have been found in the water so far. However, there is

still no requirement or systematic program designed to test for drinking

water contamination.(3,25) As Michael Surgan, Ph.D., Chief Environmental

Scientist for the New York State Attorney General, and an advocate for

responsible pesticide use, puts it, "If you buy the notion that we have to

accept a certain amount of risk from pesticides to safeguard the food

supply, that's one thing, he notes. But with lawns, people are applying

carcinogens simply for the sake of aesthetics. That's got to change".(4)



Pesticides and chemical fertilizers are becoming some of the worst water

pollutants in America. Discharges into San Francisco Bay from the central

valley of California are estimated at almost two tons per year.(26)

Phosphorous levels in some Maryland streams have doubled since 1986. And an

EPA study found potentially harmful levels of nitrate from chemical

fertilizers in drinking water wells nationwide. This can cause blue-baby

syndrome , an oxygen-depriving condition in infants that can be fatal.(18)

Environmental impacts are also devastating. Ward Stone, a DEC wildlife

pathologist, has long studied bird kills from pesticides that were used

according to regulation. Documented cases of owls, mourning doves,

sparrows, blue birds, and many other songbirds killed by lawn chemicals are

on the rise. Waterfowl like Canadian geese, mallards, wood ducks, and

others have suffered even worse. In 1984 there were 700 brant found dead on

a Long Island country club after it was sprayed with Diazinon.(8,27)

Pesticide exposure causes shivering, excessive salivating, grand mal

seizures, wild flapping, and sometimes screaming according to U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service volunteer Diana Conger. Ward Stone likens these birds to

miners' canaries, foreshadowing serious harm to humans from chemical

build-up in the environment.(28)



Most people seriously overestimate the amount of protection given them by

governments regarding pesticide safety. Congress found that 90% of the

pesticides on the market lack even minimal required safety screening.(3) Of

the 34 most used lawn pesticides, 33 have not been fully tested for human

health hazards.(4) If any tests are done, they are performed by the

chemical manufacturers, not the EPA. "If a chemical company wanted to, they

could start with a desired conclusion, and skew the data, and the EPA would

never know", notes David Welch, an entomologist with the EPA's Office of

Pesticide Programs. Welch did a random sampling of 15 pesticide files and

found 13 without proper reviews.(19) One third of the most commonly used

lawn pesticides were illegally registered for use. Despite the fact

executives of Industrial Bio- Test labs were given jail terms for faking

pesticides tests, the chemicals are still on the market.(3) Shortages in

funding, personnel, and interference from business has slowed re-evaluation

of these chemicals.(25) Even when the EPA does refuse a pesticide

registration, the manufacturer often files a lawsuit, which keeps the

chemical on the market.(19) Jay Feldman, coordinator of the National

Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, is well aware of this. "The EPA

should be called the IPA- the Industry Protection Agency", he charges. The

chemical industry is extremely powerful, and wraps the EPA in red tape. It

is also essential to understand that by law pesticide registration in the

U.S.A. is not a consumer safety program.(9) According to Congress, the EPA

does not have testing and assessment guidelines specifically for lawn

use.(25) EPA has admitted in court that pesticide registration does not

ensure product safety. Rather, it is a balancing act of costs and

risks.(1-5,7-9,15,22) Most lawn pesticides were registered before 1972,

when more stringent restrictions took effect under the revised Federal

Rodenticide and Fungicide Act. They were never tested for many human health

hazards like carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, and environmental dangers.

Most, as previously stated, have yet to be re-evaluated, yet remain on the

market.



Read the labels on many lawn pesticide products, sprayed by lawn companies

or sold in stores, and you will find one or more of the following: 2,4-D,

Captan, Diazinon, Dursban, Dacthal, Dicamba, and Mecocrop. Each was

registered without full safety screening. 2,4-D is an artificial hormone

that has become a synonym for "dangerous pesticide", but dermal absorption

of mecoprop is far more dangerous, and dicamba is much more persistent in

the environment - a mixture of these three is usually used, not 2,4-D

alone. Diazinon has been banned for use on golf courses and sod farms due

to massive waterfowl deaths but is still widely used on lawns and gardens.

It is an organophosphate which disables the nervous system by blocking

enzymes essential for nerve impulse transmission.



People can protect themselves and their families by knowing the facts. If

having grass that looks more like Astroturf than living plants still seems

essential, it doesn't have to come with pesticides but is possible with

products or programs that are organic and natural. This list of

alternatives continues to grow, and they are safer, cheaper, and often work

better than pesticides.(3,5) Ringer Corporation vice president Fred Hunt

markets natural fertilizers and microbes that kill pests. "We just don't

think a lot of these chemicals are necessary for aesthetic use on

homeowners' lawns", he reveals.(7) Chemicals add salt to the soil and kill

beneficial nitrogen-fixing microorganisms that provide necessary nutrients

for grass, turning a lawn into a junkie.(29) Each quick fix of green

creates a dependence for the next. Synthetic fertilizers kill earthworms

and other organisms that aerate soil, causing it to compact and kill grass

plants. Inorganic nitrogen-based fertilizers also promote the sprouting of

weeds.(30) Compounds in chemical fertilizers also acidify the soil and aid

in breeding of some insects. Lawns need a soil pH between 5.6 and 7 or else

they turn pale and thin out. Additional doses of chemicals will only make

matters worse.(31,32) Recycling grass clippings saves money, reduces waste,

and according to Lawn Institute Director Eliot C. Roberts is equivalent to

three applications of fertilizer a year without unhealthy chemicals and

their side-effects. Natural fertilizers are also better because they are

time released, allowing grass to grow slower and tougher, requiring much

less care.



Insects have been best controlled by other insects for millions of years,

and the lawn is no exception. Insecticides often kill more beneficial

insects than problem ones. Once the natural balance is destroyed, continued

reliance on insecticides will occur. This is also true of weed killers.

When a crabgrass stand is killed with an herbicide, there will still be

thousands of seeds ready to start anew.(31) In the long run, pesticides can

actually help the very pests they target by also killing their predators,

and their use becomes self-perpetuating. Until a natural balance is

restored, more and more will have to be spent each year on chemicals, and

resistant pests may also invade. Using alternative strategies will bring

better results and be kinder to the environment. Integrated Pest Management

gives simple, long-lasting solutions which require no chemicals, much less

money, and much less time and effort. Many alternatives not explored here

can be found in the books and articles listed at the end of this report.



What makes a plant a "weed" is often only a matter of opinion. For

instance, it was once a sign of prestige to have clover in a lawn. Their

flowers and silky green leaves were once prized by homeowners, as was their

natural production of nitrogen fertiliser, and clover seed was sold by the

bushels, alone or mixed with grass seed. It wasn't until a chemical company

discovered a pesticide that killed clover but not always grass and launched

an enormous advertising campaign that clover became no longer fashionable.

As a result, people today ignore its fine qualities, even though throughout

the 1950s it was "common as bluegrass".(33)



A growing list of over 9,000 Americans are participating in the National

Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat program. By growing tall

grasses, they attract a dazzling array of wildflowers, butterflies, and

birds, creating habitats that are the aesthetic match of any manicured

lawn. Suggestions on what to plant to best attract wildlife can be obtained

from the Fish & Game Department of any state in the country.(34)



The lawn pesticide industry is a very recent creation by chemical firms to

expand the market for aging farm chemicals. These products are not

necessary for use on lawns and pose serious ecological and human health

risks that outweigh any benefits they offer. Integrated Pest Management

strategies offer alternatives that work better and have less harmful

effects. Proper legislation to protect the public regarding pesticide use

is still seriously insufficient.(35) Therefore, the responsibility rests on

the public to be the ultimate judge of what the acceptable levels of risk

will be for their families and environment.(4)



References:



1.New York State Attorney General's Office. "The Secret Hazards Of Lawn

Pesticides: Inert Ingredients." New York State Department Of Law, 1994.

2.New York State Attorney General's Office. "Pesticides In The Schools: Reducing The Risks."

New York State Department Of Law, 1994.

3."Lawn Chemical Dangers." American Defender Network, 1989.

4.Davidson, Osha Gray. "Pesticides: The Killing Fields." Woman s Day 20 September 1994.

5.The S.T.A.T.E. Foundation (Sensitive To A Toxic Environment), 4 Hazel Court, West Seneca, NY 14224.

6.Begley, Sharon & Hager, Mary. "Please Don't Eat The Daisies." Newsweek 16 May 1988.

7.Stevens, William K. "Public Said To Disregard Dangers Of Manicuring The Greensward." The New York Times 17

September 1990.

8.New York State Attorney General's Office. "Toxic Fairways: Risking Groundwater Contamination From Long Island Golf Courses." New York State Department Of Law, 1990.

9.New York State Attorney General's Office. "Lawn Care Pesticides And Safety: What You Should Know". New York

State Department Of Law, 1994.

10.Meier, Barry. "Lawn Care Concern Says It Will Limit Safety Claims." The New York Times 30 June 1990.

11.United States Environmental Protection Agency Pesticide Information Network.

12.gopher@earth1. The United States Environmental Protection Agency Internet Server. EPA WAIS Gateway.

13.fedworld.gov. The United States Government Internet Database.

14.www.whitehouse.gov. The White House WWW

Server. Executive Branch.

15.Raver, Anne. "Fertilizing Your Lawn? Look Before You Leap." The New York Times 24 April 1994.

16.Fischer, Aldeheid. "Grass Is Not Always Greener: Reasons Not To Love Lawns." Utne Reader

September/October 1990.

17.New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation, Pest Control.

18.Cohn, D Vera. "The Chemical Quest For The Perfect Lawn: Pesticide, Fertilizer Runoff Ending Up In Area's Water

Supply." The Washington Post 28 April 1991.

19.Sayan, Kathyrne. "The Pesticide Scandal." Family Circle 2 April 1991.

20.Associated Press. "Lawn Care Chemicals Raise Health Concerns: GAO Faults EPA On Commercial Regulation." The Washington Post 31 May 1990.

21.Skow, John. "Can Lawns Be Justified?" TIME Magazine 3 June 1991.

22."Warning: The Use Of Pesticides May Be Hazardous To Your Health". American Cancer Society, Erie County Branch.

23.Zahm, Sheila and Aaron Blair. "Pesticides and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma." Cancer Research 1 October 1992.

24.Associated Press. "Lawn Herbicide Called Cancer Risk For Dogs." The New York Times 4 September, 1991.

25.United States Congress General Accounting Office. "Lawn Care Pesticides: Reregistration Falls Further Behind and Exposure Effects Are Uncertain." GAO/RCED-93-80, Washington, DC: April 1993.

26.Rudd, Robert C. "Pesticides." Encyclopedia Americana 1990.

27.Hershenson, Roberta. "Study Finds Use of Some 'Safe' Pesticides Harmful." The New York Times 14 April, 1985.

28.Levy, Claudia. "Pretty Lawns May Be Lethal For Songbirds: Pesticides Blamed For Toll On Wildlife." The Washington Post 28 April 1991.

29.Polk, Nancy. "The Perfect Lawn Isn't Always Green." The New York Times 17 October 1990.

30.Findlay, Steven & Terry Thompson. "Watch That Weed Killer." US News & World Report 16 September 1991.

31.Henkenius, Merle & Eugene Thompson. "Natural Lawn Care." Popular Mechanics July 1993.

32."The Green Way To A Green Lawn." Consumer Reports June 1990.

33.Schultz, W. "The Chemical Free Lawn." Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1989.

34.Glastris, Kukula. "Letting The Lawn Run Wild." US News & World Report 27 August 1990.

35.United States General Accounting Office. "Lawn Care Pesticides: Risks

Remain Uncertain While Prohibited Safety Claims Continue." GAO/RCED-90-134. Washington, DC: March 1990.

36.Bartle, Hazel. "Quiet Sufferers of the Silent Spring". New Scientist 18 May 1991.

37.International Joint Commission on the Great Lakes. "Selected Persistent Toxic Substances in Human Breast Milk in the Great Lakes Basin". March 1990.

38.Arch.Env.Health, 48:89 (1993)

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Joyce Shepard, CSW

Citizens' Action Committee for Change

E-Mail: CactionC@jps.net

Telephone: 718-279-2069

Facsimile: 718-279-3281