Dear “Earth Talk”: Are there any
environmentally friendly alternatives to using chemical weed killers such
as Roundup? — Wyatt Walley, Needham, Mass.
The active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup,
glyphosate, is a known toxin. This is, of course, why it is so successful
in eradicating weeds. In fact, glyphosate is the most commonly used
pesticide in the United States, and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency estimates that more than 5 million pounds of it are used in American
yards and gardens annually. Caroline Cox, staff scientist at the Northwest
Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, says that gardeners
wouldn’t use Roundup if they knew about all of the problems
attributed to its use. For instance, ingesting about three-fourths of a cup
can be lethal. Symptoms of casual contact can include eye and skin
irritation, lung congestion, and erosion of the intestinal tract. Roundup
has also been linked to cancer, miscarriages, and genetic damage in human
beings, so it’s no wonder that NCAP and other organizations are
pushing for safer alternatives. Environmentally, the product is thought to
be implicated in immune-system damage in fish and reproductive disruption
in amphibians. Over a recent eight-year study period in California,
glyphosate was the third most frequently reported cause of illness related
to agricultural pesticide use. And scientists from the National Cancer
Institute and three prominent medical centers have shown the use of
glyphosate herbicides by Midwestern farmers to be associated with many
cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Roundup contains other nonactive
ingredients, contact with which can cause nausea, diarrhea, chemical
pneumonia, laryngitis, and severe headaches. Luckily, reports Cox, “there are effective
pesticide-free solutions to the weed problems in our yards and
gardens.” For instance, mulches made from wood chips, straw, grass
clippings or shredded bark can be used to keep weed seeds from germinating.
Quite simply, by keeping light from reaching weeds, a thick mulch layer
naturally inhibits the growth of the chlorophyll that is the lifeblood of
fast-growing weeds. Cox also says that maintaining healthy, well-aerated
soil is essential to a program of chemical-free weed control and suggests
using organic fertilizer where needed. Longer grass, between 2 and 3 inches
tall, also helps keep weeds in check without chemicals. When weeds do
appear anyway, Cox recommends nonchemical weeding tools such as hoes,
string trimmers, weed-pullers, flame weeders, or radiant-heat weeders.
Local organic nurseries can help you determine which techniques will work
best in your area. One added benefit of giving up the Roundup habit is
the blossoming of beneficial plants, fungi and creepy crawlies in your
yard. Because Roundup is toxic to a wide range of important ecological
builders such as ladybugs, beetles, earthworms, and fungi, going without
can help bring these species back to work aerating your soil and keeping
virulent pests in check naturally.
For more information: Northwest Coalition for
Alternatives to Pesticides Healthier Homes and Gardens Program,
www.pesticide.org/HHG.html.
Send questions to “Earth Talk” in care of E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; or e-mail
earthtalk@emagazine.com.
This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2006.
