Many homeowners want to know what precautions should be taken to protect their pets from exposure to pesticide used in lawn care. In a release prepared by the Urban Pest Management Council of Canada, questions of 2,4-D exposure and dogs were answered. “A herbicide commonly used around the house and garden, 2,4-D has been the focus of numerous regulatory reviews. Almost 200 studies have been catalogued by the Interdepartmental Executive Committee on Pest Management in a report completed in 1994. In acute and sub-chronic studies done on 2,4-D exposure on dogs, no observable toxicity has been observed, except with high, experimental doses. Also, in the long-term studies conducted on 2,4-D exposure, there has been no observable adverse effects on the health of dogs.” As well, the report goes on to say “many studies have reviewed the possibility of a link between 2,4-D and malignant lymphomas in dogs and most studies have concluded that no link exists. Overall, scientific literature has not shown a plausible relationship between 2,4-D exposure and malignant lymphoma in dogs.”

Yet despite all the evidence showing pesticide use in lawn care poses very minimal risk, Wagner believes we must still be cautious and have health and safety as a priority. This is why we agree with posting a property when spraying; abiding by the Ministry of the Environment regulations; training our technicians properly; respecting the products and the label instructions; use only the amount of pesticide needed to do the job; and desire to have “retail” sales of pesticides stopped.

It is also why we applaud the Federal government and the PMRA (Pest Management Regulatory Agency) and their “Action Plan on Urban Use Pesticides.”

• Industry Task Force II On 2,4-D Research Data
• Landscape Ontario's Lawn Facts (Discover the facts about the pesticide registration process in Canada, and have some specific questions answered on this informative, authoritative web site.)