RISE Responds to New Beyond Pesticides Campaign

Industry associations including Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE) have come out against a new campaign organized by Beyond Pesticides and 19 other members of the newly formed National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns. The Coalition kicked off their campaign yesterday by lobbying big-box stores Lowe’s and Home Depot to add full lines of organic lawn care products to their shelves and reconsider stocking weed-and-feed products.

In a conference call yesterday, Beyond Pesticides invited speakers including environmental toxicologists, pediatricians and lawn care business owners to share information on the potential dangers of pesticides used for aesthetic purposes. “The debate is no longer about using pesticides safely – it’s about not having to use pesticides at all,” said Shawnee Hoover, special projects director for Beyond Pesticides. The full discussion included pesticides’ affects on children, pets and the environment, suggesting that such products are not adequately regulated and pose more risks than they do rewards.

 

RISE and made a statement Thursday outlining its disagreement.

 

“Using scare tactics, Beyond Pesticides is pressuring industry giants Home Depot and Lowe’s to reduce consumer choice, which is unfortunate and misleading at best,” said Allen James, president of RISE. “The majority of lawn fertilizers are of the ‘weed-and-feed’ variety, which means they contain both fertilizers and herbicides. As such, they are regulated as pesticides by state and federal law. Pesticides are among the most highly regulated consumer products in the United States.”

 

Information from RISE went onto explain U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) procedures for registering pesticides, including having manufacturers complete as many as 120 tests on their products before consideration is given for product label and marketing approval. “In order for a product to be registered, the agency must conclude there are no unreasonable or unacceptable risks to humans, animals, or the environment when the product is used according to label directions,” a RISE news release said, suggesting that organic products advocated by the coalition are untested for safety and may not work well.

Moreover, RISE suggested that proper use of pesticides creates well-maintained turf, which provides a poor habitat for other health danger, such as rodents, snakes and bees.

 

“The American consumer has the right to protect the value of their property with safe products that work,” James said. “Scientific studies have shown that healthy turf traps dust and other allergens, prevents erosion, and provides the foundation for a neighborhood’s ecosystem. The proper use of weed and feed products makes healthy lawns possible.”

Citing the American Council on Science and Health, RISE noted that there is “no scientific evidence supporting a link between the proper use of pesticides and any ill-health effects in humans. Moreover, there is no evidence that the approved use of pesticides contributes in any way to human cancer.”

“American consumers today are well informed and attentive,” James said. “They are capable of making decisions regarding their outdoor lifestyle and should be provided every option available to them. By limiting their product choices, the consumer will miss out on the health, safety, and economic benefits a healthy lawn offers.”