Don't smell the flowers
Kids and pesticides don't mix
Put your garden in rehab
Get out of town! Banning pesticides in your community

Kids and pesticides don't mix

In many Canadian homes, toxic pesticides pose an unnecessary risk to the most vulnerable population – children and pets. Tykes can’t read those ubiquitous warning labels that tell the rest of us that drinking 2,4-D weed control is poisonous.

Acute pesticide poisoning refers to the inhalation, eating, drinking or direct contact of a toxic pesticide. The immediate exposure can cause a world of hurt – from skin rashes and headaches, to vomiting, paralysis and cardiac arrhythmias.

More than 6,000 cases of pesticide poisonings are reported in Canada each year, and nearly half involve children under age six. Picture it: 50 bus loads of young pre-schoolers sick from pesticides. It’s real. It’s unfortunate. It’s also preventable.

Learn more:

• We recently released a report on acute pesticide poisonings in Canada: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/health/food/poisoning.asp
• Keep the number for your local poison information centre near the phone. For a list of poison control centers: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7584
  

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