Ban pesticide use

Dear Editor:

When I wrote about the human health dangers of 2,4-D use on lawns to kill dandelions in a May letter to the Valley Journal, there was a letter the next week from the company that makes 2,4-D to reassure the public their product is safe. In the spring 2008 issue of Pesticides and You, published by Beyond Pesticides, I learned that Home Depot will no longer sell 2,4-D in Canadian stores by the end of 2008. Nor will Home Depot sell 300 other products and 80 chemicals for garden, park and home use.

The province of Ontario follows Quebec and 55 Canadian municipalities in banning all pesticide use in their jurisdictions for home and park use. (This does not apply to farms or forests.) The Ontario College of Physicians and the Canadian Cancer Society have called for this ban for many years. Why Canada and not here?

It may be that since Canada has universal health care, everyone pays for it, and everyone wants to see good health protected, as prevention is much cheaper than treatment for the serious illnesses and birth defects caused by unnecessary exposure to chemicals.

I ask all property management companies in our valley and all homeowners to seriously consider their actions before they spray chemicals on dandelions and any other garden “pests.” The health of our children, grandchildren and selves means far more to everyone, I am sure, than a dandelion-free lawn. Treat your lawn as part of a diverse planet with many life forms in a small space and treasure the health you safeguard, please.

Illene Pevec

Carbondale