On Friday, July 25th CBS News reported
on the risks associated with pesticide exposure. Below is a link to the clip and text from the news story.
The pesticides you use on your
lawn to get rid of weeds and insects are part of a $10 billion-a-year industry.
But some doctors are becoming more concerned about your exposure to those
chemicals, CBS News correspondent Vinita Nair reports.
Joe
Holland has been in the lawn care business for 30 years. His work requires him
to be around a variety of chemicals, which is why he always tells his workers
to take precautions.
"You
always have to protect yourself when you're using any chemicals, no matter the
grade," Holland said. "You have to wear a long sleeve shirt, long
pants."
The
chemicals his workers are using are known as herbicides and insecticides,
designed to kill invasive plants and ward off bugs like mosquitoes. The most
common chemicals used are glyphosate 2, 4-D, and permethrin.
Dr. Phil
Landrigan, professor of pediatrics at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital, studies
the effects of these chemicals on humans, in particular children and pregnant
women.
"I
think the fact that they have been around for a long time engenders a false
sense of security," Landrigan said.
This week,
he presented his findings at a congressional briefing on the health risks of
overexposure.
"There
is also concern that pesticides of all kinds can damage the developing nervous
system and can result in learning disabilities in children, behavioral problems
and possibly chronic diseases like Parkinson's," Landrigan said.
The doctor
insists that some pesticides can stay in your system for years.
"Older
pesticides like DDT can stay in the human body for years, even decades,"
Landrigan said.
But Dr.
Josh Bloom of the American Council of Science and Health says these chemicals
have been used in the U.S. for at least 60 years and pose no risk.
"There
are so many hundreds of things more dangerous in everyday life than this that
it is not even worth thinking about," Bloom said.
New York
is one of many states that requires landscapers to put down flags, warning
residents that a lawn has been freshly treated.
Joe
Holland says his landscaping clients regularly ask about the chemicals he's
using.
"The
questions I get the most are 'when can my kids and my dog go out on the lawn'
and my answer is usually 24 hours," Holland said. "If it doesn't get
watered for two days, we recommend you don't go out there for two days."
There is
no scientific standard about how long to stay off the lawn after it's treated.
Landrigan wants to see that change. Joe Holland says he and his workers mark
each lawn with flags and instruct homeowners when it's safe to venture out into
their yards.
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