Q: I’ve noticed that some natural pesticides come with health warnings. Should I be concerned?
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A: Ding, dong, the cosmetic pesticide industry is dead. At least you’d assume that’s the case now that the province has banned the sale of 85 bug- and weed-killing chems on home lawns and gardens.
But that doesn’t mean a few dodgy substances aren’t still on shelves, including some questionable “natural” pest killers.
Technically, your neighbour should no longer be applying Killex (and other ominously named bug and weed assassins) loaded with chems like 2,4-D. And thank bleepin’ god. That chemical has been linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer – even malignant lymphoma in household pooches.
But if that not-so-green-thumbed gardener of yours cries poison ivy, he or she can still score a Monsanto lab creation like Roundup. Ditto for anyone worried about bees, wasps or West Nile. Truth is, no seller will ask you for proof of your problem. You’ll just be given a little flyer reading: “Attention: you have purchased a controlled-sale pesticide. Certain uses… are prohibited.” Not much of a deterrent.
Still, considering that Home Depot, for instance, doesn’t carry either Killex or Roundup, you’d have to be a serious prick to hunt down a bottle.
What’s more worrisome are the dozens of “natural” pest control products containing banned bug-zapping pyrethrins still being widely promoted in stores.
Pyrethrins might come from chrysanthemum seed cases, but they are also a potent neurotoxin hence the ban. Yet, weirdly, if the product is marketed for “dual use” (i.e., to be used indoors or out), it can stay on shelves for another two years.
Hell, Ontario-based Green Earth makes an indoor/outdoor “botanical” product called Bio-Mist Insect Killer, and the bloody thing comes with a skull-and-crossbones warning, for god’s sake.
Read the fine print and you find a perturbing list of precautions that sounds like a Saturday Night Live infomercial for Happy Fun Ball: “Avoid breathing spray mist. Remove pets and birds and cover fish aquariums before spraying. Remove food and food utensils before spraying indoors. Product is toxic to fish.”
Wait, back up. Did they just say this botanical mist shouldn’t be inhaled? Aren’t mists, by their very nature, sprayed into the air? The irony alone could kill a man.
It’s hard to believe anyone is limiting pyrethrin-based product sales at all. I found the banned substance in a slew of products clearly not intended for indoor use, like Victor Trounce Lawn And Turf Insecticide.
Just like Killex and Roundup, these babies should only be used with a good poison ivy/stinging insect excuse, according to Ontario’s Environment Ministry (MOE), but the sales guy at one Home Depot assured me it came with no restrictions.
If you spot a product you think should be off the shelves, officials say you should call your local district office of the MOE and complain. Lisa Gue of the Suzuki Foundation says you should also call on retailers to step up to the plate and proudly sell only non-restricted pesticides.
Beyond the whole pyrethrin mess, many of the natural pest and weed controllers in home improvement and hardware stores today are ones you can easily duplicate yourself. I mean, come on, why buy insecticidal soap when you can just add a tablespoon of pure liquid soap (like castile) to a litre of water for pennies?
I wouldn’t spend money on acetic acid weed sprays either, when you’ll get the same weed-killing action with the vinegar in your cupboard. Of course, even homemade concoctions can damage good plants if you’re not careful, so test them on a small area first.
FYI, Health Canada’s been warning against certain homemade concoctions. It says recipes that require cooking, like boiling rhubarb leaves and chrysanthemums or extracting nicotine from cigarettes, are bad news. Same goes for recipes that involve gasoline or kerosene (like setting ant hills on fire).
We’re happy for the head’s-up, HC, but you gotta admit it’s a little weird that your website takes the time to encourage the use of registered pesticides over DIY options. Are you telling us that turning to Killex (a registered pesticide now banned in two provinces and dozens of municipalities) is a wiser health choice than misting your plants with garlic water?
Don’t even get me started….
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