Environmental Health in the Yard and Garden

Safe Use of Toxins/Pesticides

What are Biopesticides? - Different from conventional pesticides, biopesticides are a group of pesticides that are sometimes controversial and make their way into the media. This web page helps to educate the public on this class of pesticides.

Office of Pesticide Programs Concerned Citizens: Home and Garden - Link to online documents to help you learn how to control pests in and around your home and find alternatives to chemical pesticides.

National Pesticide Telecommunications Network (NPTN) - This site provides a wide variety of pesticide-related information as well as a toll-free number for further information.

Ten Tips to Protect Children from Pesticide and Lead Poisonings around the Home - These simple steps can help you save children from environmental hazards around the home.
* Spanish Version

Chromated Copper Arsenicals (CCA) and Its Use as a Wood Preservative - CCA, also known as Wolmanized wood, is used to prevent wood decay. It is used on decks, fences and playground equipment. The EPA recommends precautions to be taken when working with CCA treated wood.

Insects on you!

The Insect Repellent DEET - DEET is an ingredient used in many insect repellents. This page discusses EPA's actions concerning DEET, as well as tips on how to use DEET products safely.

Mosquitos: How to Control Them - Mosquito bites can cause allergic reactions, as well as diseases such as malaria or encephalitis. They can also cause heart worm in animals. Learn how you can control mosquitos around your home.

The Pesticides and Mosquito Control fact sheet answers common questions on health and environmental concerns for pesticides used in mosquito control.

Using Insect Repellents Safely - This resource suggests ways of choosing insect repellents, safely applying the repellent, reading the label for pesticide safety information, and avoiding ticks and Lyme disease.

Lawn Care

Healthy Lawn, Healthy Environment : Caring for Your Lawn in an Environmentally Friendly Way - This small EPA brochure gives tips on working with nature to grow a lawn that is healthy while minimizing the use of pesticides. It also gives tips on the safe use of pesticides, when necessary, on choosing a lawn care service, and where to find more information on this subject. (1.7 MB, in PDF format )

Environmental Fact Sheet: Yard Waste Composting
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Explains how composting is sensible from an environmental perspective and effectively converts yard wastes into a useful soil additive or mulch.

Green Landscaping with Native Plants - This site provides a wizard that answers commonly asked questions about landscaping with native wild flowers and grasses in the Great Lakes region .

RotWeb :
A number of pages designed to make basic information about home composting available to many people. Maintained by Eric S. Johnson .

Backyard Composting of Yard Waste :
The "what, why, and how" of composting grass clippings, leaves, and garden wastes. Provided by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida .

Composting For Home Gardens : (November 1990)
Some general information for composting at home, from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service .

Reducing Your Exposure

Sun Protection for Kids - This document discusses precautions that can help you assist children to avoid ultraviolet (UV)-related health problems.

Ultraviolet Index : An Overview - Do you know that a few simple precautions can help protect you and your children from skin cancer and serious eye injury?

Sunwise Schools Program - This program provides materials to help teachers educate students in K-6 about protecting themselves from overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

Local Drinking Water Information - This page gives consumers an easy way to find information about their drinking water supplier, their sources of drinking water, and what their state drinking water program is doing.

Private Drinking Water Wells - Learn how to test and protect your private well water.

Water on Tap - How safe is my drinking water? Where does my drinking water come from, and how does it get to my home? What can I do to help protect my drinking water? This publication examines these questions and offers information on protecting your drinking water.