Two new reports out this week provide two more good reasons to avoid using pesticides whenever possible.
The first found that pesticides linger in living spaces long after they've been used to kill roaches, ants, wasps, fleas and ticks or other pests in the home, lawn and garden. The Environmental Protection Agency study was published in Environmental Science & Technology (and summarized nicely by Environmental Health News).
About 165 pesticide compounds are probable or possible carcinogens, according to the EPA, and a recent study linked pesticide exposure during pregnancy to leukemia. Other pesticides may mimic hormones and affect early childhood development, reproduction and other diseases. Pesticides have been linked to everything from Parkinson's disease to obesity, and they often stay on the market long after independent scientists raise serious concerns about their safety.
The results were sobering: Most U.S. kitchen floors are laced with pesticides -- several known to be toxic and several that were banned decades ago.
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Even If You Don't Use Pesticides, Your Home May Harbor Them
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Study: Pesticides used to kill ants, cockroaches, fleas, ticks, lice and other lawn, garden and home pests can still be found in U.S. kitchens decades after they were used.
Children and pets are the most likely to be exposed.
By Dan Shapley
The Daily Green, June 17, 2009
Straight to the Source