Protecting Your Kids from Their NJ Backyard

As parents, we go to great lengths to safeguard our children from stranger danger, online predators and substance abuse. Unfortunately, many New Jersey families don’t realize that their kids face grave peril in the midst of their beautiful, green backyard.

Here are the FRIGHTENING FACTS:

1. Children are more vulnerable than adults to the dangerous pesticides used in New Jersey lawncare. Their internal organs are still developing and their small bodies are growing—so they’re less able to detox the poisons they’ve inadvertently absorbed. ¹ The National Academy of Sciences warns that 50 percent of lifetime pesticide exposure happens before kids turn five years old—so early protection is KEY.

2. While adults may experience slight breathing problems from pesticides and chemicals, these pollutants can cause serious breathing problems in children!

3. Studies have linked the pesticides common in NJ lawn care to child asthma, hyperactivity, developmental delays, behavioral conditions, immune suppression and motor disorders.²

4. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that residential pesticide use may increase childhood leukemia risk SEVENFOLD. ³

5. Developing cells are more sensitive to the synthetic poisons used by New Jersey lawn maintenance companies. As childhood cells divide quickly, mutations can spread—and increase cancer and disease risk. ⁴

In addition to environmental exposure, research indicates that NJ pesticides can pass from mother to child through breast milk and shared umbilical cord blood. It’s scary stuff—and the reason that neurologist and CNN correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta says: “Babies in this country are born pre-polluted.”

Heed the wake-up call! Your kids trust you to protect them, and you can start by exchanging poisonous pesticides for organic New Jersey lawn care. Using safe, natural products like corn gluten meal, Hi-Cal lime and organic fertilizers, Natural Turf works to make your backyard a safe place for kids, pets and adults, alike. Learn more about Natural Turf’s 100% organic lawncare program today by calling 1-866-558-LAWN today!

Natural Turf blog references:

¹ EPA. 1996. Environmental Health Threats to Children. Office of the Administrator. 175-F-96-001. ² http://www.beyondpesticides.org/lawn/factsheets/facts&figures.htm#xiii. ³ Lowengart, R. et al., 1987. “Childhood Leukemia and Parent’s Occupational and Home Exposures, “ Journal of the National Cancer Institute 79:39. ⁴ http://www.cehi.org/pesticides.html

What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You: Four Dangerous Things Your Lawn Care Company Is Hiding

Contrary to what mega-lawn care companies would have you believe, a lush, green lawn is not necessarily a healthy lawn. The truth is, 78 million U.S. households use chemicals to eliminate pests and beautify their lawn*--and studies show that most of those chemicals are MAKING US SICK.

So, before you hire that lawn company to coat your yard in herbicides and chemicals, check out the dangers they won’t bothering sharing:

1. Over 100 million pounds of pesticides are used EVERY YEAR on American homes and lawns. According to a U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study, 100 percent of 9,282 people tested positive for pesticide exposure. The average study subject carried at least 13 of 23 tested pesticides!

2. Most traditional lawn care companies use a toxic soup of fertilizers, weed killers and broad-spectrum biocides to green your lawn and kill off pests. What’s in the soup? Of 30 tested chemicals:

· 19 are carcinogens

· 21 are linked to reproductive effects

· 26 are tied to liver and kidney damage

· 15 are linked to neurotoxicity, and

· 11 are believed to disrupt human endocrine systems.**

3. While your children and pets aren’t actively “grazing” on your lawn, they’re absorbing pesticide poisons through the skin—or by breathing in pesticide vapors. Kids and house pets have a much greater rate of exposure than adults—since they’re frequently found sitting in the grass or playing in “pesticide drift” from neighboring lawns.

4. Many lawn care chemicals contain “inert” substances that aren’t listed on the active ingredients list. Federal law doesn’t require manufacturers to list these inert ingredients, but it’s important to understand that “inert” does NOT mean non-toxic. Some inert ingredients are toxins, and are hazardous to water supplies and to your nervous system.

It’s impossible to prevent exposure to pesticides due to their heavy use on golf courses, school campuses and other public spaces, but you can START WITH YOUR OWN BACKYARD. Here at Natural Turf, we believe that you shouldn’t have to sacrifice safety to enjoy a beautiful lawn and garden. Protect your family!

Call the natural lawn care experts to schedule your free consultation or inquire about CHEMICAL-FREE lawn maintenance.

*Info courtesy Beyond Pesticides (www.beyondpesticides.org).

**Info courtesy National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides.