We are grateful to the Great Neck Park District Commissioners for inviting Chip Osborne, an organic turf management expert, as keynote speaker at a recent Park District meeting. Through his presentation, Mr. Osborne taught the audience that there is a safer way to manage lawn care without the use of toxic pesticides.
For decades the breast cancer community, both local and nationwide, has been concerned about the growing body of evidence linking cancer risk with pesticide exposure. A 2007 Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project study determined that lawn and garden pesticide use is associated with breast cancer risk. Certain lawn and garden pesticides have been classified by the EPA as probable or possible carcinogens. Pesticides that are endocrine disruptors are suspected of increasing breast cancer risk by mimicking estrogen, interacting with hormone receptors and altering the balance of cellular responses.
As Mr. Osborne demonstrated in his slide presentation, acres of turf can be managed organically. Many thanks to the Park District for considering an organic systems approach for our parks.
—Laura Weinberg
President, Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition
