Canary in the Coal Mine

To the Editor:

A “prairie rose” award to the City of Fargo for another efficiently conducted clean-up week, starting with the free electronics recycling day on the preceding Saturday. And a “leafy spurge” award to the same city for polluting the city’s parks and public lawns with neurotoxic chemicals for the cosmetic control of weeds.
Lawn chemical application companies post signs (sometimes just tiny flags) on sprayed turf, warning people to stay off for 24 hours. (The squirrels and birds, apparently, are on their own.) And yet, I have smelled, and had a reaction to, airborne lawn chemicals for several weeks after application.
This is not with my nose down in the dandelions, but by simply riding a bicycle on a city street or park path. And common sense tells me that if I can smell a chemical, it has already entered my lungs.
I’ve come to realize that I carry the unfortunate distinction of being “the canary in the coal mine,” having become increasingly sensitive to synthetic chemicals of all sorts, as my body has reached its limit to dealing with such chemicals after a lifetime of low-level exposure. The more I discuss this issue with others, the more I discover how many others also have adverse reactions from everyday exposure to such chemicals.
As of Earth Day this year, the two largest Canadian provinces, Ontario and Quebec, have put in place a ban on the cosmetic use of herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, with other provinces expected to follow suit.
This move has been supported by the Canadian Cancer Society. An estimated 140 communities in Canada have already instituted such bans. The same day, Home Depot announced that it will voluntarily stop selling conventional pesticides and herbicides in its stores across Canada by the end of 2008.
Several European countries already severely restrict or ban the used of such chemicals.
Consider whether having weed-free lawns or ocean-fresh smelling laundry is worth the potential long-term damage to your body’s nervous, respiratory, and immune systems. This is one aspect of your health that can be safeguarded by making simple and thoughtful choices in the products you use in your home and yard. And let your neighbors and your city know how you feel about the use of such chemicals in public spaces.

Les Skoropat
Fargo