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/©•V‘‘.' <br />Chamcd lawn "'can*' <br />TheDan&rs <br />Of Lawn Care <br />jOAK JO«D%H*S DOG » deacL <br />The yOMC Lab inigbl have been a <br />chtuQiiiai hac he bved. But unlfte his par* <br />ealB. Vehrec voa’lhaveUiai chance. Nei> <br />thet «1 hm sister. She was puisooed, <br />too. JordM dama her pets were poi- <br />looed whea pesckades sprayed by a lawa <br />service woricinc nearby drifted onto her <br />property. Vkiiesses supfXMt her cbim. <br />and an autopoy report slnws that the pets <br />werc-poisnnec by an organopiiosphaie, a <br />0TOUP of cheiricals many hwn care com* <br />peoiei use. <br />It'ua sUxy ahai in recent years has be- <br />coaae all too hixiiliar. A lawn care com­ <br />pany ootnes around pronaaing chemical <br />nirades. doesa and moves on. A few <br />days ater. a pH is dead or a family <br />the ** hi.“ Fonhe Jordans of ForeaUnJIe. <br />Md.. the deatl of one pet and the flnesa <br />B Y J A Y BUR N I- T T <br />of another brought about a realization that <br />something is bighthifiy wrong when peo­ <br />ple risk s^ty and go^ health (or weed- <br />hee lawns. And as the Jo''dans qukJdy <br />discovered, their experience is no iso- <br />bted iobdeot. Qaims against chemical <br />lawn care companies are on the rise na ­ <br />tionwide. <br />Trouble is brewing wuhio the nation’s <br />$2.8 bdbon lawn care industry. And while <br />many bwn care professionals blatns cm- <br />rent business woes on higher costs <br />(largely a resuh of uicrea.*^d liaknlity cov­ <br />erage). unfavorable weather patterns and <br />increased competition, many expects be­ <br />lieve the companies' biggest concern <br />should be the chemicals they use. <br />Cootroverey surrmmding chemical use <br />has ootored dm business outlook of many <br />in the industry. Now. instead of seeing <br />green, a growing number of lawn service <br />• perators arc seeing red. It's a siiuatioo <br />that ’s forcing many lawn pros to make Ug <br />changes in the way they operate. <br />A recent survey of kmit care profes­ <br />sionals conducted by Lowh Senicing <br />magazine showed 48% of those respond­ <br />ing believe public concern over lawn <br />chemicals is affecting the way they do <br />busineis. Some 64% said customers (or <br />their neighbors) have confronted apphea- <br />tors with concerns about pesticide safely, <br />and 33% have experienced cancellations <br />as a restdl of what they termed "had pub­ <br />licity.'’ Stdl, it’s esiimaled that in some <br />areas one out of every four suburban <br />lawns is serviced by a lawn chenucai com­ <br />pany. <br />CheiaLawn, the nation's largest lawn <br />care a^mpany. saw busuiess drop 8% in <br />Buffalo. N.Y.. during a 1986 lawn pesti­ <br />cide controversy. A local jc Uvim gioup. <br />HELIMKelp Elinunate Lawn fWicxles). <br />was formed in the summer of IU85 to ed­ <br />ucate people about chemical pesticide <br />dangers aid promote safe bwn care alter ­ <br />natives. Vhe group, founded by Builalo <br />housewife Karen Bbke alter biie .md oth­ <br />ers in the comniumiy began sufferuig sc <br />vere allergic reactions to ctx:aucal bwn <br />sprays, pies>ured si,«ie and U«cal 11(00.115 <br />to ifiiroducc legislation requiiin(> lawn <br />care coiiuanK's to give prii.r wainutg aiW, <br />post sigai lielore spray uig. <br />WHh fegisbtioii pendiiig. Cheml iwn <br />voluntarily agreed to comply vith <br />HELP'S demai^. The company als an ­ <br />nounced three new bwn care options tow <br />avaibble rxationwide. These inclu e a <br />"fertilizer only" option, a "Uinited" les- <br />tidde pcogram that involves spraying ms- <br />ticides only when a problem is evs iot, <br />and a "dry option" protp^ using gi m- <br />lar fertiluers and pesticides to re uce <br />tirobfems associated with chemical t ift. <br />tnts^lnwn has also stepped u( ad ­ <br />vance nbUtic.uion and post-appbc *joo <br />posting, and IS redesigning invoices t list <br />chemicals applied and the prroentai 1 at <br />which they were used. Additionally the <br />comiMy ku suspended the use ts the <br />herbicide 2,4-D —a widely used 1 sed <br />kiMer that a National Cancer Inst ute <br />study has Inked to increased inciden sol <br />lymphatic cancer —until huiher testii | of <br />Uie produa is completed. <br />HELP members say they are pie sed <br />with ChemLawn ’s cooperation and V i un- <br />tary nnoves. but, says Bbke. the cha <br />(km’t go (ai enough. Whie dry ap| ca ­ <br />tions and kinited pesticide use may re­ <br />duce human exposure, she argues hat <br />they don’t protect wildlife or rei jce <br />groundwater contamination. Stih. the <br />changes are an encouraging sign hat <br />grassroots activism can make a di I'er- <br />ence. <br />Encouraging, too. is the passag of <br />"right to know’’ legtabtion. whicb re­ <br />quires that bwn service custoroen be <br />told which chemkab aril be used on 1 wir <br />bwns. In addition, right-u>-know leg sb- <br />tioo in some slates provides that infoi na- <br />linn on chemical-rebied health eff cts <br />and precautions br avaibble 00 req esi <br />and appear in clear view on labels, uid <br />that property be posted with war ing <br />signs for 72 hours fodowiiyg chemica' ap- <br />plicalions. <br />Some of the new bws also reqiwe I .at. <br />if requested, customers and their ne gh- <br />bors be warned 4H hours in advanc of <br />sprayings *a» precautions can be take 10 <br />nununize exposure. Lawmakers in M ry- <br />Vifid. Kbide Uliind, Massachusetts, I in- <br />nesota and Iowa luve approved righi to- <br />know legislation, and oflMials in <br />Conncdicui. Now York. Michigan. lUi oi.> <br />IS <br />n <br />IS <br />U1 <br />Cl <br />to <br />9—i <br />sD <br />tu <br />3 <br />0 ‘ <br />0:1 <br />I <br />r-