By Lacey Sheppy
Cosmetic spraying of lawns and gardens may pose serious health risks to young children and should be avoided, says Dr. John Malot, a representative from the Ontario College of Family Physicians.
The Ottawa Allergy and Environmental Health Association sponsored a pesticide symposium last week at the McNabb Community Centre on Percy Street in Ottawa. There, Linda Nolan-Leeming described how the pesticides affect her central nervous system.
Nolan-Leeming and her eight-year-old daughter Allison are both very sensitive to chemicals. When pesticides were sprayed on lawns in their neighbourhood this summer, Nolan-Leeming said they had to leave the city to avoid being sick.
“I can’t breathe, my eyelids swell and my hands shake so badly that I look like a Parkinson’s patient,” said Nolan-Leeming. Exposure to even a small amount of pesticides will cause this reaction.
Allison’s symptoms are worse, her mother explained. When exposed to pesticides, she cannot think or focus, becomes angry or moody and throws temper tantrums. Last September, she even started to develop tremors in her hands and feet. She also missed three months of school last year due to her illness.
Nolan-Leeming said that last May and June, she and Allison went door-to-door in their
Centretown neighbourhood to ask that neighbours stop using pesticides, telling them how sick the chemicals made them feel.
Only two agreed to switch. One slammed the door in their faces.
“What will it take to bring out the humanities in these people?” asked Nolan-Leeming.
Nolan-Leeming and her daughter are currently receiving daily treatments to rid their bodies of the chemicals present in their system from pesticide exposure.
Their family doctor administers drops or shots containing vitamin C, magnesium and glutathione.
Glutathione is an antioxidant most people produce that rids the body of toxins. People with chemical sensitivity lack the ability to produce it.
Some scientists have linked pesticides to serious illnesses such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, childhood leukemia, prostate, breast and brain cancer, Parkinson’s disease and Lou Gherig’s disease.
Scientists have also linked pesticides to problems with concentration, short-term memory, sleep, asthma, the nervous system, mood swings, skin irritation and the development of severe chemical sensitivity.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians has been involved in a series of studies that track the effects of long-term exposure to pesticides from childhood.
“Most people [exposed] were fine and then years later, out comes a severely debilitating and potentially fatal disease,” said Malot.
Children are at a greater risk of becoming sick from pesticide exposure because their bodies are still developing, Malot explained.
They cannot handle the same dosage of chemicals that an adult can.
Chemicals used to treat lawns and gardens such as Raid, Weed n’ Feed, Grub Buster and Preen n’ Green are sprayed in the same areas that children normally play in.
David Stewart, owner of Custom Lawn Care, has worked with pesticides for the last 15 years.
“I don’t know if pesticides are harmful or not,” said Stewart. “I haven’t had any problems though.”
The City of Ottawa is currently discussing a bylaw that would ban the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes on private lawns. It will go to a vote before city council Dec. 11.
Over 50 municipalities in Quebec, Halifax and in Cobalt, Ont. have already adopted a bylaw banning the cosmetic use of pesticides on private property.
The City of Ottawa has not used pesticides in any public parks or public spaces for 20 years.