What are the potential health effects of common pesticides?
The EPA has identified health effects such as eye, skin, respiratory or throat irritation and muscle spasms in humans and animals. There may be long term health risks from pesticide exposure: • A National Cancer Institute study indicated that children are as much as six times more likely to get childhood leukemia when pesticides are used in the home and garden. • A report from the “Journal of the National Cancer Institute” suggests that non-Hodgkins lymphoma may be linked to pesticide exposure. • According to a report in the “American Journal of Epidemiology,” more children with brain tumors and other cancers were found to have had exposure to insecticides than children without cancer. • As explained in the “Journal of the National Cancer Institute,” heavy and prolonged exposure to DDT may cause pancreatic cancer. According to the NY State Attorney General: • 95% of the pesticides used on residential lawns are considered probable or possible carcinogens by the EPA. • Organophosphates,
