The True Cost of Green Lawns

Sarabeth Matilsky
July 24, 2002

Pesticides are big business, and companies as large and influential as DuPont, Monsanto and Ciba make enormous amounts of money producing chemicals for agricultural use. Yet many of the pesticides and herbicides used in the U.S. today are known carcinogens and endocrine disrupters, and can cause unpleasant health problems such as cancer, neurological disruption, birth defects, genetic alteration, reproductive harm, immune system dysfunction, endocrine disruption, and acute poisoning (Source: June Russell's Health Facts). These chemicals are, after all, designed to kill.

So what does all this have to do with your backyard? Plenty. Fifty thousand landscape contractors and lawn care companies gross as much as $50 billion annually, according to the Irrigation & Green Industry Network (IGIN). With names like "TruGreen-Chemlawn," these companies send their trucks out to urban and suburban households throughout the U.S. with a seemingly simple goal: make their clients' lawns look as nice as the Jones'.

But at the same time, numerous studies are showing that the green lawns that many landscapers produce may come with a dangerous price tag. Yard pesticides have been linked to a four-fold increase in childhood cancers. One study, in the journal of Environmental Science and Technology, concluded that 3% of "dislodgeable turf residues" (the portion of a pesticide application that does not adhere to the grass), are tracked indoors. And a study led by the National Cancer Institute found that in households where lawns were chemically treated four or more times a year, the risk of canine malignant lymphoma was twice as high as for dogs in households with untreated lawns.

So what's a concerned homeowner to do? For starters, our communities should follow the lead of Hudson, a suburb of Montreal, Quebec. In 2001, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that the city had been within its rights when it became the first Canadian municipality to outlaw the use of pesticides on lawns a decade earlier. Soon after the ruling, Quebec's Environment Minister said he is "seriously considering" a province-wide ban on the use of pesticides for aesthetic purposes.

The Pesticide Action Network of North America, "Advancing Alternatives to Pesticides Worldwide," is helping to pass legislation such as the "Neighbor Notification" law in New York (2001). The law allows counties to adopt ordinances requiring neighbors to be notified when adjacent properties are treated with pesticides. Visit PANNA's excellent website for news, articles, and useful links.

Closer to home, you can check out the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture's downloadable (PDF) booklet, A Homeowner's Guide to Environmentally Sound Lawn Care. If you're not a do-it-yourselfer, try one of the organic lawn care companies that are sprouting up to meet the demand of consumers who want green lawns without the associated dangers of pesticide use. Businesses like The Organic Lawn keep your grass green and healthy by fostering healthy soil and vibrant growth that overwhelms weeds and pests—without toxic chemicals.

Now that really is True Green!