1 beyond pest ic ides • 2 0 1 7 • www.BeyondPesticides.org

Lawn & Garden PesticidesFacts & Figures

i n F o r m at i o n F o r ac t i o n

PESTICIDE USAGE

• 88millionhouseholdsintheU.S.usepesticidesaroundtheirhome.1

• Herbicidesaccountforthehighestusageofpesticidesinthehomeandgardensector,withover28millionpoundsappliedonlawnsand gardensin2012.2

• Suburbanlawnsandgardensreceivemorepesticideapplicationsperacre(3.2-9.8lbs.)thanagriculture(2.7lbs.peracreonaverage).3

• Pesticideexpenditures(orsales)bythechemicalindustryaverage$9billion.Annualsalesofthelandscapeindustryareover$53.9billion.4

• Includedinthemostcommonlyusedpesticidesinpoundsperyearare:2,4-D(7-9million),glyphosate/Roundup(4-6million),MCPP(Meco-prop)(2-4million),pendimethalin(2-4million),carbaryl(2–4million).5

• A2004nationalsurveyrevealsthat5millionhomeownersuseonlyorganiclawnpracticesandproductsand35millionpeopleusebothtoxicandnon-toxicmaterials.6

HEALTH & EXPOSURE RISKS

• Ofthe30commonlyusedlawnpes-ticides,16areprobableorpossiblecarcinogens,12arelinkedwithbirthdefects,21withreproductiveeffects,14areneurotoxic,25causeliverorkidneydamage,26aresensitizersand/orirritants,and17havethe

potentialtodisrupttheendocrine(hormonal)system.7

• Pregnantwomen,infantsandchil-dren,theelderly,andthechronicallyillareatgreatestriskfrompesticideexposure,whichcanincreaseriskofchronicdiseases.8

• Scientificstudiesfindsignificantpesticideresiduesinsidehomesduetodriftthroughtheairandchemicalstrackedin,wheretheycontaminateair,dust,surfaces,andcarpets.Higherlevelsofpesticidesinachild’shomehasbeenassociatedwithhigherlevelsofpesticide residueintheirurine.9

CHILDREN & PESTICIDES

• Childrentakeinmorepesticidesrelativetobodyweightthanadultsandhavedevelopingimmune,nervous,anddigestivesystemsthatmakethemmorevulnerabletoenvironmentaltoxins.10

• ThePresident’sCancerPanelonEnvironmentalCancerRisknotesthatleukemiaratesareconsistentlyelevatedamongchildrenwhoseparentsusedpesticidesintheirhomeandgarden.

• TheNationalAcademyofSciencesestimates50%oflifetimepesticideexposure occursduringthefirst

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fiveyearsof life.11AstudyinCancerCausesandControlsuggeststhatpreconceptionpesticideexposureandpossibleexposureduringpregnancyisassociatedwithanincreasedriskofchildhoodbraintumors.12

• Studiesshowlowlevelsofexposuretolawnpesticideproductsarelinkedtoincreasedratesofmiscarriage,andsuppressionofthenervous,endocrine,andimmunesystems.13

• Researchfindsthatyounginfantsandtoddlersexposedtoherbicides(weedkillers)withintheirfirstyearoflifeare4.5timesmorelikelytodevelopasthmabytheageoffive,andalmost2.5timesmorelikelywhenexposedtoinsecticides.14

• ResearchersatCincinnatiChildren’sHospitalMedicalCenterfoundanassociationbetweenincreasingex-posurestocommonlyusedsyntheticpyrethroidinsecticidesandattentiondeficit/hyperactivitydisorder(ADHD),withahigherassociationinboysthangirls.15

• Childrenages6–11havehigherlevelsoflawnchemicalsintheirbloodthanallotheragecategories.Biomonitoringstudiesfindthatpes-ticidespassfrommothertochildthroughumbilicalcordbloodandbreastmilk.16

WILDLIFE, PETS & PESTICIDES

• AstudypublishedinEnvironmental Researchfoundthatdogswhoseowners’lawnsareprofessionallytreatedwithpesticidesareassociatedwithasignificantlyhigherriskofcaninemalignantlymphoma.17

• Ofthe30commonlyusedlawnpesticides:22aretoxictobirds,14aretoxictomammals,30aretoxictofishandaquaticorganisms,and29aredeadlytobees.18

• Pesticidescanbetoxictowildlifeandcausefoodsourcecontamina-tion,behavioralabnormalitiesthatinterferewithsurvival,anddeath.19

• Lawnandgardenpesticidesaredeadlytonontargetspeciesandcanharmbeneficialinsectsandsoilmicroorganismsessentialtoanatu-rallyhealthylawn.20

• Homeandgardeninsecticidesintheneonicotinoidclasshavebeenlinkedtopollinatordecline,withharmtobees’reproductionmobility,naviga-tion,feeding,foraging,memoryandlearning.21

PESTICIDES IN THE WATER

• Ofthe30commonlyusedlawnpesticides,19aredetectedingroundwater,and20havethe potentialtoleach.22

• InaU.S.GeologicalSurveystudyofglyphosatecontaminationin38states,scientistsdetectedthechemi-calinmorethan50%ofsamplesofsediment,ditchesanddrains,precipitation,largerivers,andstreams.23

• HalfofshallowwellswithintheU.S.havedetectablelevelsofpesticides,while20%ofprivatewellscontainatleastonecontaminantatlevelsofpotentialhealthconcern.24

• AftertheCanadianProvinceofOntarioimplementedrestrictionsontheuseofpesticides,agovernmentreportfoundastaggeringdeclineinherbicideconcentrations.Medianconcentrationsforherbicides2,4-D,dicamba,andMCPP,commonlyusedbybothprivateindividualsandlawncarecompanies,declinedby81%,83%,and71%,respectively.25

• Inadditiontoharmingpollinators,neonicotinoidcontaminationhasbeendetectedinrivers,lakes,andstreamsin29states,atlevelsthatcanresultindetrimentaleffectstokeystoneaquaticorganismsandtheentireaquaticfoodweb.26

©JayFeldm

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Lawn and garden pesticides . . . harm beneficial insects and soil microorganisms essential to a naturally healthy lawn.

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• Runofffromsyntheticchemicalfer-tilizerspollutesstreamsandlakesandcausesalgaeblooms,depletedoxygenanddamagetoaquaticlife.

THE REGISTRATION SYSTEM & PESTICIDE REGULATION

• ThehealthdataassessedbytheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)fortheregistrationofpesticidescomesfromthemanufacturerofthepesticide.EPAisnotobligatedundertheFederal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)toreviewpeer-reviewedscientificliterature.

• EPAoftenregisterspesticidesthroughaprogramcalled“conditionalregis-tration.”Inthesecases,theagencypermitsapesticidetogotomarketwithoutallofitsrequireddataonhealthandenvironmentalimpactsbecausetheagencyassumesthatnoharmwillresultasitwaitsforthisdata.TheU.S.GovernmentAccount-abilityOffice(GAO)hascriticizedtheagencyforthisprocess,notingthatEPA“doesnothaveareliablesystem…totrackkeyinformationre-latedtoconditionalregistrations.”27

• EPA’sevaluationofendocrine (hormone)disruptingpesticidesisyearsbehindscheduleandhasbeencriticizedforusingoutdatedmethods.TheNationalAcademyofScienceshasurgedtheagencytoalteritsapproachtoadequatelyaddressthelowdoseimpactsofthesechemicals.28

• EPAonlyteststheactiveingredientinpesticideformulations.Despitethefactthatapesticideproductcancon-tainmultipleingredients,theagencydoesnotlookatsynergisticeffects.Scienceshowsthatcombinationsofactiveingredientscanincreaseordecreasethetoxicityofaproduct,butthisimpactissimplynotevalu-atedbytheagency.29

• Moststateshavepreemptionlawsthatprohibitlocalitiesfrompassingordinancesthatrestrictpesticidesonprivatepropertymorestringentlythanthestatepolicy.30

“INERT” INGREDIENTS

• Pesticideproductsaremadeofanactiveingredientandseveral“inert,”orother,ingredients.“Inert”ingredi-entsarenotchemically,biologically,nortoxicologicallyinert.“Inerts”arenotdisclosedtothepublicduetotheirstatusas“tradesecrets.”

• Activeingredientsusuallycompriseonly5%oftheactualproduct;theotheringredientsmakeupthemajorityofagivenpesticideproductorformulation.31

• “Inert”ingredientscanbemoretoxictohumansthantheactiveingredient.Polyethoxylatedtallowamine,orPOEA,oftenfoundinRoundupfor-mulationswithglyphosate,isanex-ampleofan“inert”ingredientlinkedtodamagetoembryonic,placentalandumbilicalcordcells.32

• Aftera2006proposalbyEPAtodisclose“inert”ingredientsallowedinpesticideformulations,theagencyretracteditsoriginalintentandreleasedinformationaboutonly72ofthe371“inerts”allowedinpesticideproductformulations.EPAfurtherindicatedthedisclosed“inerts”werenolongerinuse.33

E N D N O T E S

1 U.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA).2017.PesticidesIndustrySalesandUsage:2008-2012MarketEstimates.https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-01/documents/pesticides-industry-sales-usage-2016_0.pdf.

2 Ibid.

3 NationalResearchCouncil.1980.UrbanPestManagement.NationalAcademyofSciences;Abrams,R.,AttorneyGeneralofNewYork.1991.“ToxicFairways:Risk-ingGroundwaterContaminationfromPesticidesonLongIslandGolfCourses,”EnvironmentalProtectionBureau;Pimentel,D,etal.1991.“EnvironmentalandEconomicImpactsofReducingU.S.AgriculturalPesticideUse,”HandbookofPestManagementinAgriculture, 2nded.CRCPress,Florida,p.679.

4 UnitedStatesCensusBureau.2016.2012EconomicCensus-LandscapingServices.https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk.

5 Ibid.

6 TheNationalGardeningAssociationandOrganic Gardening Magazine. 2004July.EnvironmentalLawnandGardenSurvey.

7 BeyondPesticidesFactsheet.2015.Health Effects of 30 Commonly Used Lawn Pesticides. http://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/factsheets/30health.pdf.

8 EPA.2003.TacklingaSuspectedHazardofAging.http://www.epa.gov/ord/archives/2003/september/htm/article1.htm(accessed3/4/05);U.S.EPA.2002Oct31.“EPAAnnouncesNewAgingInitiativetoProtectOlderPersonsFromEnvironmentalHealthThreats.”AmericanAcademyofPediatrics.2012.PesticideExposureinChildren.Pediatrics. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/6/e1757.

9 Rudel,Ruthann,etal.2003.“Phthalates,Alkylphenols,Pesticides,PolybrominatedDiphenylEthers,andOtherEndocrine-DisruptingCompoundsinIndoorAirandDust,”Environmental Science and Technology 37(20):4543–4553;Nishioka,M.,etal.2001.“Distributionof2,4-DinAirandonSurfacesInsideResidencesAfterLawnApplications:ComparingExposure

EstimatesfromVariousMediaforYoungChildren,”Environmental Health Perspec-tives 109(11);Trunnelle,KJetal.2014.UrinaryPyrethroidandChlorpyrifosMeta-boliteConcentrationsinNorthernCaliforniaFamiliesandTheirRelationshiptoIndoorResidentialInsecticideLevels,PartoftheStudyofUseofProductsandExposureRelatedBehavior(SUPERB).http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es403661a.

10EPA.2015.PesticidesandtheirImpactonChildren:KeyFactsandTalkingPoints.https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-12/documents/pest-impact-hsstaff.pdf.

11NationalInstitutesofHealth.2008.President’sCancerPanel-Reports.ReducingEnvironmentalCancerRisk:WhatWeCanDoNow.https://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports.

12GreenKR,PetersS,BaileyHD.2013.Exposuretopesticidesandtheriskofchildhoodbraintumors.CancerCausesandControl.Jul;24(7):1269–78https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23558445.

The National Academy of Sciences has urged the agency to . . . address the low dose impacts of these chemicals.

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13Greenlee,A.etal.2004.“Low-DoseAgrochemicalsandLawn-CarePesticidesInduceDevelopmentalToxicityinMurinePreimplantationEmbryos,”Environ Health Perspect 112(6):703–709;Cavieres,M.,etal.2002.“Developmentaltoxicityofacommercialherbicidemixtureinmice:Effectsonembryoimplantationandlittersize.”Environ Health Perspect 110:1081–1085.

14Salam,M.T.,etal.2004.“EarlyLifeEnvironmentalRiskFactorsforAsthma:FindingsfromtheChildren’sHealthStudy,”Environ Health Perspectives 112(6):760.

15Wagner-Schuman,M,Richardson,J,Auinger,Petal.2015.Associationofpyrethroidpesticideexposurewithattention-deficit/hyperactivitydisorderinanationallyrepresentativesampleofU.S.children.EnvironmentalHealth.14:44.

16CentersforDiseaseControlandPreven-tion.2003Jan.SecondNationalReportonHumanExposuretoEnvironmentalChemicals;Pohl,HR.,etal.2000.“Breast-feedingexposureofinfantstoselectedpesticides,”Toxicol Ind Health 16:65-77;Sturtz,N.,etal.2000.“Detectionof2,4-Dichlorophenoxyaceticacidresiduesinneonatesbreast-fedby2,4-Dexposeddams,”Neurotoxicology 21(1–2):147–54;Houlihan,J.,etal.2005.Body Burden, The Pollution in Newborns.EnvironmentalWorkingGroup,Washington,D.C.

17Takashima-Uebelhoer,BBetal.2012.Householdchemicalexposuresandtheriskofcaninemalignantlymphoma,amodelforhumannon-Hodgkin’slymphoma.Environmental Research. 112(171–176).

18BeyondPesticidesFactsheet.2015. Environmental Effects of 30 Commonly Used Lawn Pesticides. http://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/factsheets/30enviro.pdf.

19DefendersofWildlife.The Dangers of Pesticides to Wildlife [whitepaper].2005April.www.pesticidefreelawns.org/resources.

20Restmeyer,S.J.2003.Ecological Pest Management: Embracing the Organic Approach to Landscape Management. Pesticides and You 23(1):11–12.BeyondPesticides,Washington,D.C.

21Toheretal.2014.NoLongeraBigMystery.Pesticides and You. (34)(1) 9-12. BeyondPesticides,Washington,D.C. http://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/pollinators/nolongeraBIGmystery.pdf.

22PesticidesFactsheet.2005.Environmental Effects of 30 Commonly Used Lawn Pesticides. http://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/factsheets/30enviro.pdf.

23Battaglinetal.2014.GlyphosateanditsDegradationProductAMPAOccurFre-quentlyandWidelyinU.S.Soils,SurfaceWater,Groundwater,andPrecipitation.Journal of the American Water Resources Association. (50)(2)275-290.

24Ryberg,K.R.,Vecchia,A.V.,Martin,J.D.,andGilliom,R.J.,2010,TrendsinpesticideconcentrationsinurbanstreamsintheUnitedStates,1992–2008:U.S.GeologicalSurveyScientificInvestigationsReport2010–5139,101;DeSimone,Leslie.2009.UnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey.“QualityofWaterfromDomesticWellsinPrincipalAquifersoftheUnitedStates,1991–2004.”http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5227/includes/sir2008-5227.pdf.

25OntarioMinistryoftheEnvironment.2011.PesticideConcentrationsinOntario’sUrbanStreamsOneYearAftertheCosmeticPes-ticidesBan.http://www.landscapeontario.com/attach/1295274330.MOE_Update_-_Aaron_Todd.pdf.

26Harriott,NichelleandShistar,Terry.2017.PoisonedWaterways:Thesamepesticidethatiskillingbeesisdestroyinglifeinthenation’sstreams,rivers,andlakes.Pesticides and You. (40)(1).9–18.BeyondPesticides,Washington,D.C.

27U.S.GovernmentAccountabilityOffice.2013.EPAShouldTakeStepstoImproveItsOversightofConditionalRegistrations.GAO-13-145.http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-145.

28Colborn,Theo.2009.EPA’snewpesticidetestingisoutdated,crude. Environmental Health News. http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/editorial/epa2019s-new-pesticide-testing-is-outdated-crude;NationalAcademiesofSciences,Engi-neering,andMedicine.2017.ApplicationofSystemicReviewMethodsinanOverallStrategyforEvaluatingLow-DoseToxicityfromEndocrineActiveChemicals.https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24758/application-of-systematic-review-methods-in-an-overall-strategy-for-evaluating-low-dose-toxicity-from-endocrine-active-chemicals.

29CenterforBiologicalDiversity.2016.ToxicConcoctions:HowtheEPAIgnorestheDangersofPesticideCocktails.http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/pesticides_reduction/pdfs/Toxic_concoctions.pdf.

30Porter,Matt.2013.StatePreemptionLaw:Thebattleforcontrolofdemocracy.Pesticides and You. (33)(3). BeyondPesticides,WashingtonD.C.

31Spitzer,E.,AttorneyGeneralofNY.2000.The Secret Ingredients in Pesticides: Reducing Risk. Abrams,R.,1991.AttorneyGeneralofNY.“The Secret Hazards of Pesticides: Inert Ingredients.”

32Benachour,NandSeralini,G.E.2009.GlyphosateFormulationsInduceApoptosisandNecrosisinHumanUmbilical,Embryonic,andPlacentalCells.Chemical Research and Toxicology. 22(1),97–105.http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx800218n.

33EPA.2014.EPAProposestoRemove72ChemicalsfromApprovedPesticideInertIngredientList.https://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/3397554fa65588d685257d7a0061a300?OpenDocument;BeyondPesticides.2014.DailyNewsBlog.GroupsCallforLabelingof300InertIngredientsasEPADelists72AlreadyDiscontinued.http://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2014/10/epa-delisting-of-72-inert-ingredients-no-longer-used-called-inadequate-response-to-problem.

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