Lawncare Providers Must Post Warning

By Allan B. Colombo

The issue of lawncare pesticides has recently surfaced out of concern for the health of those who apply it and those who live with it in their yards or a neighbor's yard. Everyone should view this issue as important because, as an industry, there are more than 5,000 lawncare proviers that generate in excess of $700 Million a year. The amount of pesticides that these applicators provide is enormous. In fact, on a manufacturing level, the sale of pesticide products generate more than $1.5 Billion a year (1991 figures).

Just how lawn pesticide chemicals effect the health of homeowners that live with it, their neighbors, and the 5,000+ lawncare companies that apply it, was the object of scrutiny by Congress and the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) in 1991. At the time, Congress ordered the GAO to do research on this regard and to report their findings.

The GAO's research indicated that lawn "pesticides used [in today's] lawn care [products] are generally chemical substances designed to kill or control unwanted species of plants, insects, and animals" (GAO/RCED- 91-208). According to the GAO, both groups are at risk, especially young children who often play in yards treated with a pesticide. Family pets and other animals that frequent these yards are also placed at risk, according to the GAO study.

The GAO also looked at how lawncare chemicals enter the surrounding ground water. Their findings indicated that pesticides often enter ground water by seaping through the soil, entering the underground acquifier. Yet, "each year, more than 67 million pounds of active ingredients [pesticides] are applied to private lawns across the country" (GAO/RCED-91-208).

In response to Congress' growing concern over the use of lawn pesticides, Senate bill S.849 was introduced in April, 1991. The bill requires lawncare companies to notify customers, neighbors and the parents of young children in the vicinity, at least 72 hours in advance of spraying. Notification will consist of either a phone call, a written notice, or a posted sign.

      +------------------------------------------------------------+
      |               Pesticide Requirements By State              |
      +----------------------------+-------------------------------+
      |          In Advance        |        When Applied           |
      +-------+----------+---------+----------+----------+---------+
      | State | Customer | Neighbor| Customer | Neighbor | Posting |
      +-------+----------+---------+----------+----------+---------+
      |       |          |         |          |          |         |
      |  Ari. |          |         |      X   |          |         |
      |  Col. |          |         |      X   |          |   X     |
      |  Con. |      X   |    *    |          |          |   X     |
      |  Del. |      *   |    *    |      *   |          |   *     |
      |  Fla| |      *   |         |      *   |          |   X     |
      |  ILL| |          |    *    |      X   |    *     |   X     |
      |  Ind. |          |         |      X   |          |   X     |
      |  Iowa |      *   |    *    |      *   |    *     |   X     |
      |  Kans.|          |         |      X   |          |         |
      |  Ky.  |      X   |    *    |      X   |    *     |   X     |
      |  Maine|          |    *    |          |          |   X     |
      |  Md.  |      *   |         |      X   |          |   X     |
      |  Mass.|      *   |         |      X   |          |   X     |
      |  Minn.|          |         |      X   |          |         |
      |  N.H. |      X   |         |          |          |         |
      |  N.J. |      X   |    *    |          |          |   X     |
      |  N.M. |          |         |      *   |          |         |
      |  Ohio |          |    *    |      X   |    *     |   X     |
      |  Pa.  |          |    *    |          |          |         |
      |  R.I. |      X   |    *    |      X   |    *     |   X     |
      |  Vt.  |      *   |    *    |      X   |    *     |   X     |
      |  Wis. |      *   |         |      X   |          |   !     |
      +-------+----------+---------+----------+----------+---------+
      | Key:                                                       |
      | X = listing as is                                          |
      | * = notification provided on request                       |
      | ! = When pesticide label prescribes time interval for      |
      |     safe return into treated area.                         |
      +------------------------------------------------------------+
      +------------------------------------------------------------+
      |In 1992, there were 23 states with legislation governing the|
      |way lawncare providers notified their customers and their   |
      |customers' neighbors when they administered pesticides. The |
      |chart above provides information on all 23.                 |
      +------------------------------------------------------------+

By the time that S.849 was introduced in April, 1991, 23 states had already enacted legislation requiring lawncare companies to notify customers and neighbors. Twenty one of them required lawncare companies to notify customers when they intend to apply the pesticide on their lawns. In some states, it's necessary for the customer to request notification, while in other's it's mandatory.

Neighbors, in every case, however, must call the lawncare company involved and ask them to notify them ahead of time, even when the state they reside in requires lawncare providers to notify them.

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