http://www.beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/?p=1351


New Canadian Regulations Prohibit 85 Lawn and Garden Pesticides
(Beyond Pesticides, March 4, 2009) The Ontario government is set to announce sweeping 
new regulations that will prohibit the use of 85 chemical substances, found in roughly 250 
lawn and garden products, from use on neighborhood lawns. Once approved, products 
containing these chemicals would be barred from sale and use for cosmetic purposes.

On November 7, 2008, the Ontario government released a proposed new regulation 
containing the specifics of the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act, passed last June. Then, 
Ontario joined Quebec in restricting the sale and cosmetic use of pesticides but 
environmental and public health advocates said then that the new law preempted local 
by-laws and actually weakens protections in some municipalities with stronger local 
protections. There are over 55 municipalities in Canada where the residential use, but not 
sale, of pesticides is banned. The prohibition of these 85 substances is the latest step in 
this Act. The proposal contains:

• List of pesticides (ingredients in pesticide products) to be banned for cosmetic use
• List of pesticide products to be banned for sale
• List of domestic pesticide products to be restricted for sale. Restricted sale products 
include those with cosmetic and non-cosmetic uses (i.e., a product that’s allowed to be 
used inside the house but not for exterior cosmetic use), and would not be available self-
serve.

The 85 chemicals to be prohibited are listed under “Proposed Class 9 Pesticides” of the 
Act. Among the 85 pesticides banned for cosmetic use include commonly used lawn 
chemicals: 2,4-D (Later’s Weed-Stop Lawn Weedkiller), clopyralid, glyphosate (Roundup 
Lawn & Weed Control Concentrate), imidacloprid, permethrin (Later’s Multi-Purpose Yard 
& Garden Insect Control), pyrethrins (Raid Caterpillar & Gypsy Moth Killer), and triclopyr.

However, golf courses and sports fields remain exempt. The use of pesticides for public 
health safety (e.g. mosquito control) is also exempt. The proposed regulation would also 
allow for the use of new ‘notice’ signs to make the public aware when low risk 
alternatives to conventional pesticides are used by licensed exterminators, such as the 
use of corn gluten meal to suppress weed germination in lawns.

The prohibition, once passed, would likely take effect in mid-April. Stores would be forced 
to remove banned products from their shelves or inform customers that the use of others 
is restricted to certain purposes. Residents must then dispose of banned products through 
municipal hazardous waste collection, and use restricted products for only prescribed 
purposes. Errant users would first receive a warning, but fines would later be introduced. 
By 2011, stores will be required to limit access to the pesticides, keeping them locked 
behind glass or cages and ensuring that customers are aware of limitations on use before 
taking them home.

In light on impeding legislation to restrict pesticide use, the Canadian division of Home 
Depot announced on April 22, 2008 that it will stop selling traditional pesticides in its 
stores across Canada by the end of 2008 and will increase its selection of environmentally 
friendly alternatives. Other garden supply and grocery stores have already stopped 
selling certain pesticides in Ontario.

This proposed prohibition would have the most impact on 2,4-D, the most popular and 
widely used lawn chemical. 2,4-D, which kills broad leaf weeds like dandelions, is an 
endocrine disruptor with predicted human health risks ranging from changes in estrogen 
and testosterone levels, thyroid problems, prostate cancer and reproductive 
abnormalities. A recent petition filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and 
supported by Beyond Pesticides calls for the cancellation of 2,4-D, its products and its 
tolerances in the U.S.

Other lawn chemicals like glyphosate (Round-up) and permethrin have also been linked to 
serious adverse chronic effects in humans. Imidacloprid, another pesticide growing in 
popularity, has been implicated in bee toxicity and the recent Colony Collapse Disorder 
(CCD) phenomena. The health effects of the 30 most commonly used lawn pesticides 
show that: 14 are probable or possible carcinogens, 15 are linked with birth defects, 21 
with reproductive effects, 24 with neurotoxicity, 22 with liver or kidney damage, and 34 
are sensitizers and/or irritants.

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