Spring has sprung again, and one of the first things people like to do is get their lawn into shape. We may want to sit out on it at weekends and breathe some the fresh air. We may want to see our children playing or pets exercising on it. What could be more enjoyable and healthy than that? According to many expert sources, quite a lot if you or your landscaper use chemical pesticides.

There are important reasons why Long Islanders need to be able to make educated decisions about the use of chemical products in homes, gardens and general environment. According to the New York State Registry of Pesticides, Nassau and Suffolk Counties are two of the four highest users of pesticides in New York State. According to data compiled by the NYS Department of Health and the NYS Cancer Registry Suffolk has the third, and Nassau the sixth highest incidence of breast cancer in NY State. In 1998, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reported that 29.4 million pounds and 4.5 million gallons of pesticides were applied by commercial applicators and sold to farmers in New York State. Use of pesticides on residential lawns is a $1.5 billion industry and is four times as high as that used on food crops and is increasing by more than 5 percent each year.

Long Island residents depend on groundwater as their only source of drinking water, a resource which is vulnerable to contamination by pesticides. When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a "National Survey of Agricultural Pesticides in Groundwater" they took only eight samples from Nassau County. Two of those eight contained residues of chlorthaldimethyl, a chemical commonly used in lawn care and classified by the EPA as "a possible carcinogen," a substance that produces cancer.

Pesticides were developed during scientific tests undertaken during World War II to produce nerve gas. In answer to the question "What are pesticides?" the office of New York State Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer wrote in a 1999 report "They are poisons." The same report goes on to say "Pesticides are designed to destroy or control living organisms. All pesticides are associated with some risk of harm to human health or the environment." If you take one of the most commonly used lawn herbicides, "2,4-D" and combine it with its close cousin, "2,4,5-T", which has now been banned, you would produce Agent Orange, the chemical used in Vietnam to defoliate the jungle.

Many scientific studies have linked pesticide exposure to a variety of short and long-term effects. The milder symptoms include nausea, eye, nose and throat irritation, blurred vision, difficulty breathing and muscle spasms. More acute symptoms include nervous system dysfunction, liver and kidney damage, circulatory and respiratory failure and brain damage. Diseases that have been linked to pesticide exposure include Parkinson's disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), asthma and breast and prostate cancer. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is the fastest growing cancer in America with 55,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The Lymphoma Foundation of America has produced a report titled, "Do Pesticides cause Lymphoma?" which analyzed all the scientific studies conducted in this area. Of the 99 human studies available, 75 indicate a connection between exposure to pesticides and lymphomas. The one available study on pet dogs indicates that 2,4-D, doubles a dog's chances of contracting cancer.

Some scientific reports do contradict these findings but the chemical industry is a multi-billion dollar giant which funds scientists and institutions to do research on its products. The Lymphoma Foundation report concluded that scientists employed by pesticide corporations are more likely than independent researchers to suggest that there is no connection between pesticides and lymphoma. People should be wary if a garden supply store or landscape gardener assures them a chemical pesticide is safe. Pesticide manufacturers have the unusual privilege of keeping certain ingredients of their product secret to avoid competitors copying their product. This privilege is not shared by the food, medicine or even the cosmetic industry. The "secret" ingredients are listed as "inert." Many people incorrectly believe this means they are harmless but inert ingredients, which often account for 95 percent or more of a pesticide's ingredients, can be as or more poisonous than the active ingredients. G. Oliver Koppell, former NYS attorney general said, "When we hear pesticide applicators discuss the safety of their products we must remember that they too are in the dark as to the identity of all the chemicals in the products they may apply."

Parents need to pay closest attention to this issue as it is children and unborn babies who are most at risk from the chemical effects of pesticides. Phil Landrigan, M.D., director of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine said, "As a pediatrician I urge all parents to reduce pesticide use as much as possible especially lawn services. Children's health is more important than a few weeds." Children are most dramatically affected by pesticide exposure for several reasons. They are often in closer physical contact with treated areas because they play on lawns, climb trees and lie on carpets, the latter of which can have pesticide residue trampled into them. Children's breathing zone is closer to the ground and pesticide exposure becomes more concentrated closer to the source. Children have incomplete immune systems and developing organs that are more easily affected by pesticides. And children are more likely to put hands and other objects in their mouths and ingest pesticides. For those who are pet owners your pets suffer almost the same risks: increased contact, closer to source and ingestion.

Local people with children in the school district should soon be handed a leaflet from their child entitled "PARENT'S ALERT: Does your child know what this sign means?" The leaflet refers to the flags, which crop up around lawns to show that the area has been treated with chemical pesticides. Patti Wood, executive director of Grassroots Environmental Education who delivers these leaflets to schools by hand, believes it enables local families to make informed choices on their health and environment. She said that "when the leaflets go out the biggest response is from doctors and health care providers"; people who recognize the seriousness of what is being said but surprisingly have not had this information before.

Pesticides are not restricted to lawns. The insect repellent sprayed on humans, flea and tick collars put on dogs and cats, and sprays used indoors to fight ants and other pests are all pesticides. Pesticides contaminate the environment when storm water washes the chemicals into our drinking supplies; in New York State drinking water wells have been closed due to contamination.

There is good news for those who are concerned by this information. Despite claims by some that pesticides pose little or no risk to our health and environment, New York State takes the danger of pesticide use very seriously. New York is the first and only state to have the Neighbor Notification law that requires all licensed applicators to give 48 hours notice to owners of property abutting areas to be treated with chemical pesticides. This does not however stop your neighbor spraying their property and trees while you and your children are in your yard. New York also has the NY State Registry of Pesticide Use, which requires all licensed, and that includes farmers, golf courses and commercial landscapers, to report when, how much and what type of chemical they have used.

For those who want to follow Mahatma Gandhi's advice, "you must be the change you want to see in the world" there are alternatives. Organic products are on the market and are readily available in many of our local stores including Bayle's Garden Center in Port Washington and Hick's Nursery in Westbury and Martin Viette in east Norwich. Many garden services have recognized the interest in organic procedures and are offering organic or at least Integrated Pest Management (IPM) services. Some, such as Earth Works Organics, are members of Long Island Organic Horticulture Association and have passed rigorous testing to be listed as "truly organic" landscapers. There are many things that can be done to avoid the need to use chemical pesticides. In the garden encourage birds and other predators such as ladybugs that eat pest insects. Weeds in gravel areas and drives can be easily removed by pouring boiling water on them and other weeds and insects can be removed by hand. Non-toxic insect repellents for the family are available and include Horse Shoo citronella. In the home or office, removing all cardboard, putting all foodstuffs in sealed containers, repairing water leaks, caulking cracks in foundations, using window screens and vacuuming frequently will all avoid the problem of indoor pests.

Most people would choose to have an attractive garden but they would also put their health and their children's health above a few weeds and insects. By being aware of the risks chemical exposure poses to their health and environment people can make educated decisions to avoid the risks and hopefully lead healthier lives. G. Oliver Koppell said, "What the public does not know now about pesticides may very well hurt them someday."

For more information on local suppliers of organic pesticide alternatives and other environmental questions go to www.grassrootsinfo.org or call Grassroots Environmental Education at 883-0887.