Pesticides, human health and the environment
Pesticides include some of the most hazardous chemicals commonly used in and around the home. Products that kill insects, weeds, bacteria and fungi may be hazardous to children, pets, birds, fish, other wildlife, and also to beneficial insects like bees and lady bugs. Pesticides used in the yard or at the workplace can be carried inside on shoes and work clothes and mix with house dust. Young children, who crawl on the ground and put objects in their mouths, can then ingest the chemicals. Rain and irrigation wash pesticides off of yards and carry them to streams, sometimes in amounts that can harm salmon or the aquatic organisms that are their food.