American Academy of Pediatrics on pesticides

Even low levels of exposure to common pesticides and herbicides may cause cancers and adversely affect childhood development, according to a November 26, 2012 policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Many of these "lawn-care" chemicals are already banned in Europe and elsewhere.

While "acute poisoning" has long been recognized as a serious health concern, the Academy now says:

Beyond acute poisoning, the influences of low-level exposures on child health are of increasing concern. (Emphasis ours.)

This finding corroborates those of other scientific studies we have cited in this blog, stating:

Epidemiologic evidence demonstrates associations between early life exposure to pesticides and pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems.

and

The concerning and expanding evidence base of chronic health consequences of pesticide exposure underscores the importance of efforts aimed at decreasing exposure. 

 Where, according to the Academy does this exposure come from?

Children encounter pesticides daily in air, food, dust, and soil and on surfaces through home and public lawn or garden application, household insecticide use, application to pets, and agricultural product residues. (Emphasis ours.)

The herbicides of concern for the Academy include those found in the most commonly used residential products in the US, including those found in "Weed and Feed" products.

The mounting evidence about the dangers of the most commonly used lawn products, including this new report, highlight the concern of blowing these chemicals into our neighbor's yards, our kid's toys (hand-to-mouth intake), and across our neighborhoods.

The policy statement is published in Pediatrics 2012;130:e1757–e1763.

Vote Thursday July 19

Blowing dust from yard to yard

Polls are open 2-8 PM. Click to find your polling location.

When industry doesn't know best

When Congress proposed to control acid rain 20 years ago, the reaction from industry was swift and sure.

• The Edison Electric Institute predicted it would cost power companies $4.5 billion annually to meet the proposed caps on sulfur dioxide, which combines with hydrogen and oxygen to form acid rain.
• Business Roundtable projected $104 billion per year.
• The American Electric Power Company warned of the "potential destruction of the Midwest economy."

Electric rates would skyrocket, they said. And, for nothing.

Dust blows two ways-both illegal

When collecting leaves, blowers typically direct all the leaves to a central location (eg, street or a tarp) where they are all collected and disposed of properly. That is not typically the case in the summer.

Businesses know best

Some, especially those in the landscaping business, repeat the meme that "businesses know best" how to run their own business. Citizens, goes the argument, should stop trying to say anything about how businesses run themselves.

July 19: Two votes in one

Hidden inside the town-wide leaf-blower vote on July 19 is a second vote.

What about lawn mowers, snow blowers or chain saws?

Or string trimmers or lawn aerators or any other motorized items one might use in their yard?

The answer: None of them send toxic pesticides and herbicides onto/into neighbor's property so effectively.

Putting it all together

The previous five posts (see below) laid out the basics about the health threat leaf blowers pose in a densely populated suburban setting like Arlington:

• Pour dangerous chemicals on yards, many of which already have lead contaminated soil,
• Direct hurricane force winds of 250 mph at the soil, raising contaminants into the air,
• Watch as the various health hazards form a dust cloud which spreads beyond your yard, goes through open windows, lands on children's toys, etc.

Pollen, Mold, Feces and Lung-Lodging Particulates

In addition to the various toxic chemicals from herbicides and pesticides, and the lead (Pb) that leaf blowers raise into the air, are a variety of other health concerns.

Lead part two: "There is no safe level of blood lead in children"

Most readers probably already knew before the previous post that lead is a health hazard, especially for young children.

High lead levels are common in Arlington soil

Lead is of serious concern. As lead paint flakes off or is scraped off a home, soil in the surrounding area gets contaminated with lead.

According to the MA Department of Environmental Protection: “Children can become exposed to lead when playing in the dirt or tracking it into the house on their shoes and clothing."”

The Department goes on to say, “During the summer months, when dust is a problem, clean window sills with a damp cloth or sponge once a week.”[1] That’s because it is going THROUGH the window onto the sill.

Leaf-blower election Q&A

Arlington's legislature, Town Meeting, voted this spring to curb leaf blowers. Local lawn-care companies are seeking to repeal these restrictions.

Voters will vote on the repeal in a special town-wide election (a referendum) on Thursday, July 19.

Q: What is on the ballot?

A: According to the Town's web site, the language of the vote is as follows:

Shall the town vote to approve the action of the representative town meeting whereby it was voted to amend the Town Bylaws to prohibit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers on private property between May 15th and October 15th by a vote of 95 in the affirmative to 85 in the negative.

A yes vote is a vote to retain the new bylaw restricting leaf-blower use. A no vote is a vote to repeal the bylaw.

Keep off the grass

The National Academy of Sciences estimates that homeowners utilize 10 times more fertilizer and pesticides per acre than farmers.[1] Ten times more than farmers per acre.

Throughout the summer we see a variety of small placards grow on lawns that say things like “Caution: Pesticide Application. Keep Off!”

The signs are there for good reasons, and I hope you will bear with us as we describe some of the most common safety hazards whipped up by leaf blowers:

Hurricane force winds

Leaf blowers create wind speeds of 150 to 280 mph.

That exceeds the wind speeds of both category-five hurricanes and tornados. Imagine directing that power at the ground beneath your feet.

I would humbly offer that if the slower winds of hurricanes and tornadoes can lift cars and cows, leaf blowers can raise dust and the toxins mixed into the soil.

It's not the noise

A lot of people think the concern with leaf blowers ban is all about noise — it isn't.

Certainly noise is an issue, a big issue, for many people. For some, including the two authors of this blog, the big issue is the toxic dust clouds that leaf blowers put into the air.

Many people aren't aware that the most common pesticides and herbicides are carcinogenic, tied to learning disabilities, known endocrine disruptors, and more. Much more. Lead, a neurotoxin, is also common in soil around Arlington homes.

Leaf blowers throw this toxic brew of chemicals into the air.

1. The most common lawn treatments include pesticides and herbicides, which are listed as toxic chemicals, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, possible carcinogens, etc.
2. Many of these chemicals decay slowly. They have "half-lives" ranging from several months to almost a year.
3. Leaf blowers make airborne those toxic chemicals using winds of up to 280 mph pointed directly at the soil.
4. That toxic dust goes through open windows, settles on porches/patios, on children's lawn toys, etc. where adults and children ingest the chemicals either by breathing or by hand to mouth contact.

Noisy or not, it is the threat to adults and children that concern us most.

Game on

The Board of Selectmen will meet Monday to set the date for a special town-wide vote on the new leaf-blower bylaw, Arlington Patch reports today.

According to Patch, sufficient signatures submitted by lawn-care companies last week have been certified by the Town.

The petition triggers a "special election," a town-wide vote on whether to repeal the bylaw adopted at Town Meeting earlier this month.