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The problem is just more intense in the Niagara River, Howe said. And in the drinkâ€" ing water of Niagara area residents. And in the fruit and vegetables we eat. It‘s a glimpse of our future if we don‘t act fast. "We will not solve our environmental crisis until people realize that dandelions are the prettiest thing in their lawns," she declared. And Howe ought to know â€" it‘s herbicides that polluted Love Canal, and it‘s pesticides, fungicides and herbicides that environmenâ€" talists are pointing to as a major contributor to drinking water pollution as well as contaâ€" mination streams, rivers and lakes around the world. It was Love Canal, a subdivision of Niagara Falls, New York. A busload of people were on a tour, of all things, during Environment Week. The residents of Love Canal had been forced to evacuate after their neighborhood was declared a disaster area by U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1979. People were dying from the chemicals dumped under their holuses by Hooker Chemicals (now Occidenâ€" tal). Later, we met with Margarita Howe, a grandmother who founded Operation Clean Niagara, an environmental group dedicated to cleaning up the groundwater in the Niagara area. The lawns were meticulously cut, as was the football field around the school. But there was no sign of life. There was an eerie silence, the silence of a dead subdivision, a subdivision without cars, without neighbors talking over the fence, without children running and playing and laughing. lan Kirkby Chronicle Staff It was like a scene from The Andromeda Strain. FREE PARKING Cambringe Featuring Antiques, Furniture, Arts, Crafts, Household Goods, Jewelry, International Cooked Foods, All This & More . . . ONE OF THE LARGEST MARKETS IN ONTARIO A +Y m To save the planet we must learn to love our dandelions 4) AM96 LIVEâ€"REMOTE ON LOCATION FROM 10â€"2 * WEEKLY DRAW FOR BLUE JAYS TICKETS EVERYTHING UNDER ONE ROOF Hlea MHarket 4 BRING YOUR FAMILY, NEIGHBOURS & FRIENDS 4) THERE‘S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE s 264 : c r o § 3t ” ;5‘/%" 3 éfik $ & say . /" C (16 / 3 ;, * 4 \&e':g;\k [ PC #n L* K }&2@ . There are practical reasons. "The chemicals designed to kill weeds or pests are not necessarily specific to that weed. They do kill other things as well, including beneficial plants, insects, bacteria, birds and animals â€" things that can help keep weeds or pests under control." When these chemicals make contact with the skin of some people, they can produce rashes, chemical burns, nausea, headaches and even nightmares, said Symbolic. Then there‘s the health aspect. "Kids play in the grass, pets play in the grass. There have been cases in Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo where pets have been poisoned by things sprayed on lawns." "There‘s a lot of reasons "\s:hy people shouldn‘t be using pesticides and herbicides," said Symbolic. A 1987 study by the Law Reform Commisâ€" sion of Canada found the key federal pesticide law â€" the Pest Control Products Act â€" is inadequate. The study identified gaps in government test procedures, questioned the safety of many existing pesticides and listed an everâ€"growing number of chemical spills, contamination and cases of misuse. ‘:.,- c AZ T > Farmers add most of the fertilizer, pestiâ€" cides, fungicides and herbicides to our enviâ€" ronment. They‘re responding to our demands for unblemished produce. Studies have shown that pesticide residues have increased sharply in area wells, ground water and the Grand River in recent years. But the blame has to be shared, according to Kara Symbolic, a reâ€" searcher with Waterloo Public Interest Reâ€" search Group (WPIRG), for people are adding unnecessary chemical to lawns and in garâ€" dens throughout Waterloo region. But the chemical industry says it‘s getting a LOCATED 2 MILES SOUTH OF THE 401 ON HESPELER RD. (EAST SIDE) DAILY SPECIALS ENTERTAINMENT FEATURING THE BEIRDO BROTHERS LIVEâ€"REMOTE ON LOCATION FROM 10â€"2 PM SAT. 9:30â€"11:30 SUN. 10:00â€"1:00 G FOFR Sybolic points to the cost of spraving â€" approximately $150 a year â€" and suggests people instead seek alternative ways of protecting their lawns and gardens WPIRG last year sponsored a study by University of Waterloo environmental science students that found some commercial lawn care companies were spraying the wrong houses, giving inadequate notification of spraying, or spraying in high winds Such concerns have led the provincial government to consider legislation to more strictly regulate the industry, although the proposed regulations have been watered down by industry pressure. The chemicals break down immediately after spraying, he claimed. ‘"There‘s very few indsutries as highly regulated as we are. There is very difficult licensing to go through to handle and apply pesticides." The health threat is being overestimated, he said. "The degree of toxicity that‘s on a normal city lawn is like having three or four cups of coffee." MacKenzie cites a study by a University of Guelph researcher into the residue left on a lawn after spraying. "The amount of product that can be recovered immediately after a weed spray is between two and six per cent of the product," said MacKenzie. "Once it is dried, it drops to below half a percent." He added, "2â€"4â€"D has never yet been linked to cancer, ever." bum rap. ‘"We‘re getting it from every direction you can imagine," said Bill Macâ€" Kenzie, coowner of the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Weedman franchise. "People aren‘t getting the whole picture." WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 7. 1989 . PAGE 13 "A ‘chemical quick fix‘ does your garden more harm than good. The more you use, the more you need. We have an easy, environmentally friendâ€" "Children are playing on chemicalâ€"treated lawns," said Julia Langer, executive direcâ€" tor of the Ottawaâ€"based group A media release said, in the city, acre for acre, people use 10 times as much chemical fertilizer and pesticides as the farmers do. With every rainâ€" fall, it washes down into our water sources. Published by the environ: mental group Friends of the Earth, the stepâ€"byâ€"step guide will enable people to garden without chemicals. ing may also find they Te in maiican se o having greener lawns during uficouingnuringhns.lt’s all a matter of giving plants what they need. The Loblaws supermarket chain will soon be carrying what is being billed as Canaâ€" da‘s first organic gardening book, "How to Get Your Lawn and Garden Off Drugs." spraying lawns with chemiâ€" cals to get rid of pesky weed plants and insects. the American government in FREE ADMISSION who prattise organic (Continued on page 17) ~ o @c@%