FFWD Weekly
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City
by Jack LockePesticides, pesticides, pesticides. They’re everywhere. You can find them in restaurants for bug control, in food on supermarket shelves, and in city parks.
However, city council is going to consider banning the stuff in September. And a ban on the use of pesticides in Calgary will come none too soon for Elda Reddy and her son Nathan.
Nathan is a courageous seven-year-old. He is recovering from six months of chemotherapy treatment to halt the spread of cancer (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) in his body. And he is a survivor. Nathan’s mother suspects that pesticides contributed to her son’s illness, but, of course, that’s hard to prove.
"Showing causation is difficult," says Dr. Tim Lambert, PhD, a risk assessment specialist with the Calgary Regional Health Authority (CRHA), "but we do know that pesticides have harmful effects and can contribute to cancer, endocrine system disruption and healthy child development."
So, how do you protect yourself from pesticide exposure?
In Nathan’s case, his neighbour uses pesticides to control weeds. The applications start in the spring and continue throughout the growing season. There are no laws to stop Nathan’s neighbour from spraying herbicides. Recently, when the neighbour sprayed, Nathan developed severe nausea the following day. Nathan’s doctor attributed the nausea to the flu.
That’s one of the problems with pesticides – doctors are not trained to diagnose the symptoms. It requires specific investigation to discover why a child comes down with nausea, skin rashes, breathing difficulties, lethargy and other maladies which can be caused by pesticide exposure. That’s why avoidance is the safest medicine.
When Nathan’s mother asked the city not to spray pesticides in the park near their southwest home, she was given an assurance that they would not. But the city’s pesticide applicator was given the wrong location and sprayed the park where Nathan plays.
Enter the Sierra Club, which has been involved in the issue nationally for several years. The local chapter has asked the city to stop using pesticides on city-owned lands. The city’s operations and environment committee will consider whether to recommend a ban on the "cosmetic use of pesticides" at a meeting in September.
"We’re asking the city of Calgary to stop using pesticides in their parks and green spaces based on knowledge of the risk and harm. It’s a logical, simple and reasonable step," says Brian Pincott, a Sierra Club of Calgary spokesperson.
The city does not have a great reputation for acting swiftly to control pesticides. In 1996, Lawns for Kids asked city council to create safe parks for kids – parks that are pesticide-free. Despite having the support of a dozen non-profit organizations, the city denied the request.
Recently, the city was given the opportunity to downgrade the status of the dandelion from noxious weed to nuisance weed. This would allow for greater tolerance of the pretty yellow flower. However, city council voted against the reclassification, which in effect encourages the use of pesticides to control the plant.
"It is unthinkable to us that the city sprays large quantities of synthetic pesticides for cosmetic purposes when those pesticides have not been tested on humans for their long-term effects," says Jeniffer Wright, another Sierra Club spokeperson, "especially when much safer alternatives are available."
Another controversial decision by the city involved Dursban, a chemical which is used to reduce the number of mosquitos and other insects. On June 8 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned Dursban because of the clear danger to the health of children.
Ald. Jon Lord asked council to discontinue the use of Dursban this year, however, following the department of Parks and Recrecreation’s adage, "If you’ve got it, use it," city council voted to spray the poison on outlying bodies of water for one more year.
"Parks and Rec is not moving. It’s a great amount of tokenism. They are refusing to take a proactive approach. They are not following the IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach. The ball is in council’s court and they will be judged by their actions in September," insists Pincott.
The addiction to pesticides in Calgary is not unlike other Canadian cities – except for Toronto, Halifax and about 50 other towns that have banned pesticide use. Winnipeg and Edmonton continue to use truckloads of insecticide in a losing war against mosquitoes.
The operations and environtment committee meeting, scheduled September 13 at 9:30 a.m., promises to be the biggest pesticide hearing in recent history, but council’s decision will reflect only the views of those who make presentations.
"We (the CRHA) would support reducing pesticide use in Calgary," says Lambert, "but we have not been asked to participate at this time."
Alternatives to Pesticides
Life Tips
· Appreciate nature in all its diversity
· Preserve life rather than annihilate life
· Be wary of quick-fix solutions
Lawn tips
Grass lawns are unnatural, especially in Calgary’s dry climate. They require regular watering, weed control, and your precious time.
· Don’t fertilize. Weeds love fertilizer.
· Top dress. Sprinkle composted organic material over the lawn. It will break down to feed the grass.
· Keep that thatch. It acts as mulch to preserve moisture and protect the grass roots.
· Healthy soil yields thick lawns which crowd out plants you don’t want.
· Dandelions. Use unsprayed dandelion blossoms for tea or wine, leaves for salad and roasted roots as a snack or coffee substitute. After roots are dug from the ground, sprinkle grass seed over the hole and water till established.
· Celebrate clover --it adds nitrogen to the soil and kids love it.
Indoor tips
· Cleaning regularly will keep the pests and pesticides away.
· Keep all dry foods (cereals, grains, flour and Kraft dinner) in sealed glass or heavy plastic containers.
· Clean those corners and cupboards. A vacuum or wet wash cloth will do wonders.
Web sites that provide alternative solutions to many pest problems
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