| Insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and many synthetic | | | | You need to carefully study the ingredients of |
| fertilizers on the market can be harmful to your pets. | | | | anything you apply to your lawn to avoid hurting |
| All an animal has to do is walk through your yard and | | | | your pets. |
| harmful chemicals from pesticides, herbicides and | | | | In one major test of synthetic fertilizers showed that |
| fungicides will adhere to their fur and gets between | | | | of the twenty-nine tested fertilizers twenty-two |
| their toes. When your pet comes inside it will try to | | | | contained toxic heavy metals. These metals are |
| lick their feet and legs clean. This licking causes them | | | | linked to either ecological or human health hazards. |
| to ingest many harmful chemicals. | | | | Most noticeable is the wide array of toxic metals that |
| Let us look at some of the chemicals: | | | | exist in fertilizer: |
| Insecticides - Many insecticides work by interfering | | | | Inert Ingredients - While we know that the active |
| with an insect's nervous system. Even though | | | | ingredients in pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and |
| insecticides kill insects, they usually won't kill your | | | | synthetic fertilizer can do harm to humans and |
| pets, but they can have a detrimental effect on their | | | | animals, we forget about the inert ingredients. Things |
| nervous system. | | | | like cadmium, toluene and hydrocarbons found in |
| The pesticide Dursban (also called chlorpyrifos), | | | | these products can be left off pesticide labels so |
| commonly used in indoor and lawn pest control, is | | | | some people do not know that they are even in the |
| now showing evidence of causing immune system | | | | product. With synthetic fertilizer if you buy a 10-10-10 |
| disorders - Department of Health Science, California | | | | you know what 30% of what is in the package is, |
| State University. | | | | while the other 70% is not regulated and can in |
| The pesticide MCPA, used as an ingredient in some | | | | many cases is the cheapest thing they can buy to fill |
| lawn pesticides, has been found to damage a part of | | | | out the bag. Many of these "inert ingredients" have |
| the brain known as the blood brain barrier Annual | | | | adverse health effects on both animals and humans. |
| Reviews in Public Health. | | | | The New York Times reported how a champion ice |
| The results of another study suggest that | | | | skater, Christina Locek, was sunning herself in her |
| organophosphate, and carbamate pesticides, can | | | | Illinois backyard when a lawn care company began |
| produce behavioral manifestations following accidental | | | | spraying insecticides onto a neighbor's yard. The |
| exposure. The effects of the pesticides on activity | | | | article described how the spray drifted into Ms. |
| support the hypothesis that these agents may | | | | Locek's yard, across her and her cat and dog. The |
| affect the central nervous system. Dept. of | | | | cat died within minutes. The dog died within a few |
| Pharmacology, University of Mississippi. | | | | hours. Ms. Locek collapsed and is now permanently |
| Pet Bladder Cancer Linked to Lawn Pesticide | | | | disabled and no longer able to compete. |
| Applications. Journal of the American Veterinary | | | | A Natural Yard |
| Medicine Association, April 15, 2004. | | | | Pets really need a natural yard with no pesticides or |
| Even using organic pest control products can be very | | | | other dangerous chemicals or metals. If you have to |
| dangerous if handled wrong. It is best never to mix | | | | use these products, make sure you find one that is |
| two different products together in that they can | | | | relatively safe for animals and make sure your pets |
| form deadly compounds. | | | | do not go on the lawn for a few days after you |
| Herbicides - Herbicides kill unwanted plants. 2, 4-D | | | | treat it with any sort of chemical product. You want |
| (used in Agent Orange during the Vietnam War) is a | | | | a nice lush green lawn but you also want healthy |
| frequent ingredient and is believed to be associated | | | | pets so you need to be careful what products you |
| with malignant lymphoma. Fungicides can affect the | | | | use. Synthetic lawn chemicals do not provide essential |
| nervous system and cause digestive problems. | | | | nutrients necessary for healthy lawn and turf grass |
| An article published in Environmental and Molecular | | | | growth. In fact, lawn chemical, including chemical |
| Mutagenesis; found that an unidentified chemical in | | | | fertilizers, can kill soil biomass, deplete the soil and, as |
| Roundup caused genetic damage in the livers and | | | | a result, inhibit healthy grass growth. Conversely, |
| kidneys of animals. | | | | organic fertilizers stimulate soil biomass and promote |
| Deborah Cory-Slechta and colleagues at the | | | | healthy root and grass growth. In addition, organic |
| University of Rochester School of Medicine and | | | | fertilizers Improve soil porosity, drainage and aeration, |
| Dentistry said that some herbicides (paraquat was | | | | reduce compaction and improve the water holding |
| one mentioned) showed clear signs of Parkinson's, a | | | | capacity of the soil thereby helping grass resist |
| progressive and incurable brain illness. | | | | drought. One estimate indicates that a 5% increase in |
| Fungicides - Fungicides can affect the nervous | | | | organic matter quadruples the soils ability to hold and |
| system and cause digestive problems. | | | | store water. |
| Deborah Cory-Slechta and colleagues at the | | | | Organic Pest Control - There are many very good |
| University of Rochester School of Medicine and | | | | organic pest control products on the market these |
| Dentistry said that some fungicides (maneb was one | | | | days that are safe to use if used alone. Mixing very |
| mentioned) showed clear signs of Parkinson's, a | | | | natural chemicals together can create very harmful |
| progressive and incurable brain illness. | | | | compounds. |
| Synthetic Fertilizers: Many synthetic fertilizers use | | | | Recommendation: We are a firm believer in a natural |
| materials as fillers that contain excessive amounts of | | | | environment. Organic products can give you great |
| heavy metals that can cause various type of cancer. | | | | yards that are totally safe for you pets, wildlife and |
| Fertilizers are usually safer than pesticides when it | | | | children while protecting the environment. Changing to |
| comes to your animals. While fertilizers are without | | | | an 'all organic environment' is not easy in many cases, |
| the dangerous chemical ingredients, they do have a | | | | but when natures balance has been restored you will |
| lot of heavy metals such as iron, which can be | | | | find your yard is better than ever. Using products, 'A |
| dangerous for animals. | | | | complete natural ancient humus', such as Turf and |
| Products like "weed and feed" are a combination of | | | | Garden Pro and by Turf Pro USA (turfprousa.con) |
| fertilizers and pesticides. This combination is a major | | | | can quickly bind up some of the harmful chemicals |
| danger to your animals because of the large number | | | | and change them into a much less toxic compound. |
| of dangerous chemicals this type of product contains. | | | | Organics for a cleaner, better environment for all. |