Five Pesticides in Homes, Lawns, and Gardens
There are substances commonly used in the home that make our lives easier.
We use these substances in good faith, seldom questioning the fact that they
could cause peripheral nerve or brain damage. Consumers rely on the
government’s and industries’ judgment on health dangers associated with the
use of chemicals and pesticides.
—Harold L. Volkmer^1Introduction
While we often consider our homes as sanctuaries—places of peace and safety—we
may actually be living in danger zones filled with toxic airborne chemicals. Many of
the building materials and housekeeping substances we use in our homes are air pol-
lutants, capable of causing acute and long-term damage to our health, as well as the
health of our pets. In fact, our animals are even more vulnerable than we are to the
damaging effects of indoor air quality.
Indoor air pollution poses high risks to humans, especially sensitive groups, and
has ranked among the top four environmental risks. Indoor air in homes is, on aver-
age, two to twenty times more polluted than the outdoor environment. Today, we are
seeing new causes and mutations of disease as a result of the rapidly expanding devel-
opment of the synthetic chemical industry. A staggering 900 chemicals are present in
the average home environment. This soup of synthetic chemicals can affect multiple
body systems and contribute to health-damaging effects to the upper respiratory tract,
nose and sinuses, immune system, digestive system, reproductive system, central ner-
vous system, and internal organs.
According to a recent survey, 75 percent of U.S. households used at least one pesti-
cide product indoors during the past year. Products used most often are insecticides
and disinfectants. Another study suggested that 80 percent of most people’s exposure to
pesticides occurs indoors, and that measurable levels of up to a dozen pesticides have