Pesticides and herbicides are everywhere.
Gardeners waging chemical warfare against weeds and insects, without regard to the environment are contributing to the increasing amounts of pesticides and herbicides in our drinking water. And it’s not just city water. Rural wells are also being contaminated at alarming rates.
Almost a billion pounds of herbicides and pesticides are used every year in the U.S. alone. It’s not just gardeners. Gardeners account for only 10 percent of that amount. But gardeners generally apply up to six times more chemicals per acre than the average agricultural users.
One common weed killer is 2,4-D. It has already contaminated surface and groundwater. It has also been linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Canada, Europe and the U.S. This herbicide is known to disrupt endocrine production, and can block hormone distribution, and can also cause glandular breakdown. It has been linked to immune system damage, birth defects and reproductive problems.
And not only humans are affected by pesticides and herbicides. Birds and other animals have also been killed, certain species threatened with extinction. See Bird Poisonings in Regina for more information in this area.
As more and more people use these chemicals carelessly, they end up in our water supply, affecting steams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and eventually percolating down into aquifers.
Be extraordinarily careful using chemical (non-organic) pesticides and herbicides. The life you save could be your own.
