What's the Matter With my Lawn?

Pesticides. Runoff. Biodiversity Loss. Silent Springs. Every year across America there are over 4.4 billion pesticide applications made to homes, gardens, and yards. Surveys conducted by the EPA revealed that almost  75% of households apply synthetic chemicals with ⅔ of said homes being repeat applicators. The inherent issue with the contemporary treatments of the lawn care industry and culture is the threats they pose to children, pets, and ecosystem integrity.

Biodiversity Matters

           The term "monocultural" refers to a space which is dominated by one plant cultivar or species. In relation to land management, it could refer to either agricultural spaces for food production or turf spaces, such as lawns, used for recreation. A greater diversity of plant species (multicultural) allows for more animal species to thrive, like pollinators. When this occurs, it creates a more biodiverse space and therefore, a more complete ecological cycle to take place which aids in carbon sequestration, mosquito and tick reduction, decrease of temperature, and other improvements for planet and residences.  As climate change worsens, and an unprecedented number of species are going extinct this year, it's more important than ever to pay attention to and promote the native species diversity present in our natural spaces, and this starts at home, in your lawn! The easiest and most effective way for this to occur is to cut back on mowing, treatment, and spraying. The less you manage, the more room you'll leave for the ancient, normal ecological processes to take hold and the lawn to manage itself.

Your Health Matters 

           Most, if not all, pesticides used by lawn care companies and wholesalers are advertised as "safe" when used within certain guidelines. However, they have never defined what "safe" means. There have been countless studies demonstrating the often incredibly harmful effects on these chemicals on human health, most pertinently to children, newborns, and pregnant and nursing mothers. Look below to see the statistics:

 

Pesticide Use

  • Over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used in the United State (US) each year and approximately 5.6 billion pounds are used worldwide. 
  • Pesticides have been associated with short- and long-term effects on human health, including elevated cancer risks and potential disruption of the body’s metabolic functioning as well as the reproductive, immune, and nervous systems.
  • Overall exposure to pesticides and their contaminants increased the risk of metabolic syndrome by 30%
  • Exposure to pesticides predominantly comes from dermal absorption or through ingestion, particularly through food - either on or within fruits and vegetables or in the tissues of fish and other animals we eat—through contaminated drinking water, or in the air we breathe.
  • Respiratory pathologies may be related to occupational exposure to pesticides, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer.

          Over application of any lawn chemical can result in runoff that carries toxic levels of chemicals or excessive nutrients into lakes, streams and groundwater.Fertilizers usually contain nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (potash). Nitrogen is an important lawn nutrient, but it can contaminate groundwater with nitrates. Phosphorous can promote excess weed growth in lakes and ponds and contaminate ground- water, while the chloride that is often combined with potassium in potash is also harmful. The use of lawn chemicals accounts for the majority of wildlife poisonings reported to the Environmental Protection Agency. Also, several types of cancer, immune response deficiencies, neurological diseases, and birth defects have been associated with exposure to lawn chemicals. By releasing chemical toxins into the environment, air and water quality suffer, ultimately causing health problems for humans, pets, and wild species.

  1. Sturm ET, Castro C, Mendez-Colmenares A, et al. Risk factors for brain health in agricultural work: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(6):3373. doi:3390/ijerph19063373

  2. Fucic A, Duca RC, Galea KS, et al. Reproductive health risks associated with occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(12):6576. doi:3390/ijerph18126576

  3. Tan J, Ma M, Shen X, Xia Y, Qin W. Potential lethality of organochlorine pesticides: inducing fatality through inflammatory responses in the organism. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2024;279:116508. doi:1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116508

  4. Boonupara T, Udomkun P, Khan E, Kajitvichyanukul P. Airborne pesticides from agricultural practices: a critical review of pathways, influencing factors, and human health implications. Toxics. 2023;11(10):858. doi:3390/toxics11100858

  5. Tarmure S, Alexescu TG, Orasan O, et al. Influence of pesticides on respiratory pathology – a literature review. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2020;27(2):194-200. doi:26444/aaem/121899

  6. Lamat H, Sauvant-Rochat MP, Tauveron I, et al. Metabolic syndrome and pesticides: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Pollut. 2022;305:119288. doi:1016/j.envpol.2022.119288

  7. (n.d.). The Facts About Lawn Care. EPA.gov,.  https://cfpub.epa.gov/npstbx/files/marc_lawnchemicals.pdf