Pesticides in Soil

Your yard and garden may be a source of pesticide regardless of the age of the house. It depends upon whether you use pesticides in gardening or as lawn treatments. Even if you don’t apply the pesticide yourself and have a lawn company do it, you and your family will still receive some exposure. Even though today’s pesticides are much less persistent, they can last several days to a week or more. This leaves you plenty of time for contact with the chemical and for tracking it in to the house. The pesticide spray can also drift into the home.

HOW TOXIC ARE MODERN PESTICIDES?

It is difficult to generalize because there are so many different kinds - from insecticides (pyrethroids, organophosophates, methoxychlor, carbaryl) to herbicides (glyphosate, phenoxy acids such as 2,4-D) and fungicides (chlorothalonil, captan). These all have varying problems and concerns. In general they are safer than the old wave of persistent pesticides but risks still remain. Some studies have associated home pesticide use with developmental effects and cancer while others have not.

For more information on  LAWN PESTICIDES click here

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Prudent avoidance is a good goal. Minimize your use of yard and garden pesticides and decrease your family’s exposure. The following steps will help you accomplish this goal:

1) Use integrated pest management (IPM) techniques to decrease your need for pesticides. This includes improving the health of your plantings through proper water, nutrition, and rotation - monitoring the degree of pest infestation and non-chemical controls such as hand picking insects and pesticidal oils and soaps.

2) Keep children and pets our of the area being applied with pesticide for several days.

3) If you do walk on treated areas, take shoes off at the door to avoid contamination of the home.

4) Keep doors and windows of house closed to prevent pesticide from drifting into your home. Do not spray on a windy day.

5) Properly dispose of any unneeded pesticides. Storage in the garage can lead to fumes and accidental spills.