Lawn care chemicals are often harsh and can be extremely toxic. They do not break down easily or simply degrade. Instead they are most likely washed off of the surface of the plants and allowed to be absorbed deep into the soil. Fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides each serve a different purpose and will affect the environment in a variety of different ways.
Contaminates Ground Water, Streams and Ponds
As toxic lawn care chemicals leach through the soil, they begin to enter the earth's ground water supply. A very small amount, a quart or less, can contaminate millions of gallons of water that are held in aquifers deep below the soil. Large aquifers feed surface wells and city water supplies. Inevitably, some of the lawn care chemicals in water that is piped into city water supplies will pass through the municipal filtering systems. Eventually it will work its way into residential homes, schools and businesses.
Streams and ponds that have an excessive amount of contaminants cannot be used for fishing, swimming or other recreational activities. Many lawn care chemicals are easily absorbed into the skin so they do not have to be consumed orally or inhaled to have a direct effect on the body. A few are so harsh, they can actually burn or damage the skin.
Alters or Kills Aquatic Wildlife in Ponds and Streams
Pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides can have devastating effects on both animal and marine wildlife. Studies have shown that certain types of fish and amphibians are being born without reproductive organs or have genetic defects that prohibit them from procreating or functioning efficiently. In some cases, pond species that are imperative for controlling algae are decimated, allowing the algae to overtake the pond, killing both vegetation and fish. This kind of imbalance can have a disastrous effect on other aspects of the environment.
If chemicals have been found in ponds or lakes, the local Department of Natural Resources may put a no fishing order in place to warn fishermen that whatever is caught must be returned and not used for human consumption. If the level of contamination is severe enough, the may close the area to any type of activity until the number of contaminants falls into safer levels.
Eventually Ends Up In Our Food Supply
Lawn care chemicals do not always end up where they were intended to go. If the chemicals are applied in a heavy wind or land on objects that transported into areas where livestock is kept (or their food supply), the chemicals can eventually end up being consumed by them. What does enter their body from food, will eventually make its way there if the water supply has been contaminated. Because an animals' body does not always metabolize toxins, they end up in the meat.
When the animal is harvested and butchered, the contaminated meat is then packaged and shipped to local grocery stores where you purchase it and feed it to your family, which may have certain health repercussions. Although there is strict testing in place at most meat packing plants, a “safe level” of contaminants is allowed to remain. The FDA allows for a small percentage of toxins to remain in the meat so the entire lot does not have to be wasted or destroyed.
Lawn care chemicals are designed to kill and destroy specific types of plants and other living creatures. The problem is that they do not differentiate between those species and human beings. Inevitably, what happens to the living things in nature will eventually have a direct, and lasting impact on humans and how they live their lives. Learning to use natural alternatives is safer for the environment and will protect both humans and animals alike from unnecessary risks associated with harsh, toxic chemicals.
