Herbicides are chemical substances that induce plant death. Farmers use herbicides to kill weeds that compete with their crops. Public health workers use them to kill weeds where insects and rodents live. If you've used Roundup to kill pesky weeds outside of your house then you've also used a herbicide. As more people learn about the environment and "go green", concerns have arisen about the safety of these substances. First, the benefits of herbicides will be discussed on this website, followed by the risks and lastly some words on the herbicide Roundup.

Benefits of Herbicides:

• Increase crop yield by killing weeds that compete with crops for nutrients and water
• Kill weeds where rodents and insects reside
• Kill plants that cause skin irritation such as ragweed and poison ivy
• Help keep your lawn looking good

Risks of Herbicides:

Long Term Risks-

• Increased Risk of Cancer
  • 1986-  It was found that exposure to 2,4-D for more than 20 days out of a year lead to a six times greater risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Kansas farmers
  • 1991- It was published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute that dogs residing in houses where the lawn was treated with herbicides (2,4 D) more than 4 times during the summer, were twice as likely to develop malignant lymphoma as dogs not exposed to any
  • Here is a related article from the New York Times
• Increased Risk of Children with Birth Defects/ Genetic Mutations
  • Exposure to herbicides during the first trimester of pregnancy was found to increase the risk of the child having a type of congenital heart defect
  • An association between ashma among children under the age of one and herbicide exposure was also found
  • Here is another interesting article relating to birth defects

Short Term Risks-

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite

Information About Roundup:

Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the world. It's active ingredient is glyphoshate, which is considered a post-emergent weed killer. Roundup kills weeds after they emerge from the soil, yet it still keeps your grass green. Although this herbicide is useful for eliminating weeds before planting crops, it has been associated with numerous risks. A list of these risks was compiled by Caroline Cox, staff scientist for the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides in the Journal of Pesticide Reform. Some of these risks include:

1. The presence of certain physical aliments such as eye irritation, blurred vision, skin rashes, burning or itchy skin, nausea, sore throat and difficulty breathing

2. Genetic damage to human and animal cells

3. Increased risks of cancer, miscarriages and attention deficit disorder

4. Reduce production of sex hormones

5. Increases the severity of a variety of plant diseases

6. Can easily contaminate streams in both agricultural and urban areas

7. Cause genetic damage and harm to the immune system in fish

8. Cause genetic damage and abnormal development in frogs.

For more information on the risks associated with herbicides, I suggest visiting the following websites:

1. Mother Earth News

2. Glyphosate Information

3. 2,4-D Information