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Community Corner

Beware Of The Little Flags!

Beware Of That Little Flag On The Grass!

We wish somebody had told us this long ago.

 Murphy, our joyful therapy dog, died of lymphoma because a tiny flag regularly went up at the entrance to a neighbor’s driveway. We put Murphy to sleep one day after his sixth birthday, the day he was supposed to begin a program working with autistic children. (Autism also is believed linked to the chemicals in lawn and garden products.) We chose not to subject him to more pain and suffering with chemo just to keep him alive for a few more days or weeks. His suffering was already more than he or we could bear. 

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 All three veterinarians who treated Murphy in his final weeks, including an oncology specialist, told us that lymphoma in younger dogs is increasingly common. They all asked if he had been exposed to lawn or garden treatments and suggested a link, which prompted us to begin researching this on the web. The amount of information supporting this is staggering.

 We have lived here almost thirty years. Neither we nor any of our neighbors had ever used pesticides or herbicides, but a new neighbor did when he moved in a few years ago. (He since has moved away.) We had three other dogs before the flags started appearing on his lawn, and all lived into their teens. We thought we had been vigilant; we never let Murphy walk on that lawn when we passed the house. But we never considered the risks drifting onto our own property month after month. Think of this as “secondary smoke” but in lawn-care products.

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 We all have walked by the little flag on the grass. Maybe you have a little flag on your lawn every month. It is supposed to warn you and others that the lawn has been treated with a pesticide and/or herbicide and/or fertilizer. But that tiny flag represents a very serious health risk to anyone in the vicinity of the toxic lawn application. Children and pets are at a much higher level of risk because of their tendency to play, crawl and roll in the treated grass.

 So you don’t use pesticides or herbicides on your lawn or in your garden, and you feel safe? But can you smell the stuff when it is in the air from next door or a nearby property? Then you are in serious trouble. These toxins are airborne, and even if you do not smell anything yourself (but you can bet asthmatics do), now you have a light, transparent poisonous film not only on your lawn but on the dog dish and dog toys and your kids’ toys in the yard, your fountain (where your dog drinks) and your pool. These poisons work relentlessly over time. You are not so safe.

 We wish someone had warned us of this “acid rain” effect and to bring Murphy in for a day or so, remove his toys and water dish from the yard and wash them to keep him safe. We need to understand that the benign little flags were probably an unfortunate compromise in the ongoing struggle with the lawn care industry over safety standards.

 So what can you do now that you are aware of this pervasive hazard? If you wish to treat your property to have a lush green weed-free lawn, consider alternatives to the traditional poisons. Organic products are out there. A lush, green weed-free lawn gained by poisoning the ground and air should be something to be ashamed of, not proud!

 If you have a neighbor who is spreading toxins on his property, try to steer him to the web. The Internet has countless sites and articles linking pesticides and herbicides with cancer (as well as many other ailments), particularly lymphoma, particularly in children and young dogs.

Just Google:

            • Risk in lawn-care pesticides and herbicides

            • Risks of Roundup, #1 killer of just about everything around it

            • Products containing glyphosate, the deadliest ingredient

            • Organic lawn-care treatments

            • Alternatives to Roundup

 You may have noticed in the news that an aggressive and long-overdue groundswell blowback against Monsanto has sprouted, particularly targeting its signature herbicide Roundup. It markets Roundup as a perfectly safe treatment for homeowners to generate beautiful weed-free lawns and gardens when in fact it is a deadly toxin and a danger to any living creatures around it. This is not an Agent Orange dropped onto a country on the other side of the world. This is more sinister, more like an assault on our homeland by luring us homeowners to poison our own properties. Think the wicked queen offering the luscious-looking poisoned apple to Snow White. There is much information and numerous petitions floating around the Internet right now urging full disclosure of Roundup’s dangers, strict restrictions on its use and, ideally, a boycott of Monsanto’s products at least until enforced regulations are in place. Seek them out (e.g., Environmental Working Group), sign some petitions and send them to your friends.  

 We can’t expect the laws to do the work for us. We have to engage in a “grass roots” action to keep our neighbors and ourselves safe. While many people may recognize that most garden and lawn care products are poisonous and hazardous, they also may feel safe because they don't use those products. Our point is that just living near a property that has those products sprayed on it can be equally hazardous, something that we learned to our sorrow. Spread the word that the little flags, as well as their do-it-yourself kinsmen like Roundup, can mean death to some loved ones in their vicinity, and that lush green weed-free but poisoned lawns and gardens should be a source of shame, not pride.

 Terry and Don Bourret

Main Street, Durham

 

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