Safe to play on?

Ever wonder if your children’s playground and sports field have been treated with possible dangerous pesticides?  Most of us know that some synthetic chemical pesticides can be especially harmful to children as well as teens.

Maybe you have seen the numbers: almost half of the commonly used lawn fertilizers may cause cancer; many can cause liver and kidney damage as well as affect the hormonal system.

EPA scientists have demonstrated that kids take in more pesticides relative to how much they weigh than adults and since their organs are still developing, they are even more vulnerable to the side effects of these pesticides than adults.

Moreover, use of some common pesticides can cause kids to have a seven times more likely chance of developing childhood leukemia according to a Journal of the National Cancer Institute study.

The point is simple: Some commonly used chemical synthetic pesticides can cause potentially life threatening health problems in our children.

So what about your children’s playground and sports field? How do you know it’s safe for them to play on?

Well, thank heavens for the good work of the Maine Farmers and Growers Association and the Maine Toxics Association. Back in 2002 they convinced the Maine Board of Pesticide Review to require all Maine schools to only apply the lowest risk pesticides and fertilizers.

Moreover, you can find out from your school superintendent when these pesticides and fertilizers are applied. Just call your child’s school superintendent for this notification.

Our children’s health should be our highest priority.

Bill Baker

About Bill Baker

Bill's interest in a clean place to live is rooted in growing up in the country – a cornfield across the road and fields, sandstone cliffs and hundreds of acres of woods where he spent many hours.