Do your kids play at parks and fields in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff? Live near the parks and afraid of neurotoxic impacts of pesticide application? Have pets that enjoy playing in the parks/public spaces?

In Lake Forest Speed Zone (a 2, 4-D broad-leaf chemical) is sprayed on the grass we play and walk on multiple times a year.

We are very concerned about the application of pesticides/herbicides at the parks, playing fields, public gathering places and schools in both towns. Research has linked these lawn care pesticides to cancer, neurotoxicity, hormonal disruption and genetic mutations.

A brief summary from The Citizens Campaign for the Environment states: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Academy of Sciences, and American Public Health Association, among others, recognize the danger that pesticide exposure pose to our children’s health. The growing body of peer reviewed scientific evidence indicates that pesticide exposure can adversely affect a child's neurological, respiratory, immune, and endocrine system, even at low levels. Long-term exposure to pesticides has also been linked to cancer, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma."

Following are additional links:

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/2-4-D.pdf

http://www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/24d-factsheet

http://www.nrdc.org/health/pesticides/2-4-d.asp

Many other communities in the U.S. and countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark have banned the use of these weed-killing pesticides. Please consider the dangers of exposing our children to these pesticides and look into alternative methods of caring for the parks and fields.

I would like to encourage Lake Forest and Lake Bluff to eliminate the use of lawn care pesticides on the playing fields, school fields, parks , public gathering places and other areas children might play. Natural Lawn Care (NLC) practices can be explored instead of using these toxic pesticides.

See link:

http://grassrootsinfo.org/our-programs/healthy-lawn-program/

As you all know, improving the environment is not only important to the sustainability of our planet, but it’s a growing trend. In fact, we could make this positive change and market “going organic” as a selling point and way to differentiate Lake Forest among other North Shore communities.