An overwhelming majority of Albertans said they would support at least a partial ban on cosmetic pesticides, a new poll by the Canadian Cancer Society shows.
The study, released Thursday, said 87 per cent of Albertans would support some form of a ban limiting the kinds of chemicals used on lawns and gardens.
Lori Boychuk, public issues analyst for the Canadian Cancer Society, said the government needs to be proactive against the chemicals.
"So what we want to do is act now to prevent any illness disease, or potentially deaths that could have been prevented just because we want our parks and gardens and lawns to be green," she said.
Jim Hole, co-owner of Hole's Greenhouse, said the general attitude of the province has adapted to new research showing the negative affects of pesticides.
"At one time it was I see a bug, I want to kill the bug," he said. "Now its, 'Is that a bad bug? Do I have to spray for that? If I spray it, what's the right product to use to control the pest and not cause any problem with the good bugs or other wildlife in the backyard."
The study, conducted by CheckMate, polled 800 people living in Alberta.
The province is currently doing a mandatory review on the use of pesticides and how it is sold, handled, used and disposed of in regular households and businesses.
Officials from Alberta Environment said they are not looking at any form of law that restricts or outright bans the chemicals.
The Canadian Cancer society says pesticide exposure is linking to a broad range of cancers, including leukemia, lung cancer, brain cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Other disease like Parkinson's, respiratory illnesses, and some learning disorders are also considered to have a link.
According to a June 2007 David Suzuki Foundation report, Alberta's number of pesticide poisonings outranks any other province in Canada.
Hole said an outright ban may not be necessary, but rather more education is needed.
"Every pesticide is different," he said. "Some shouldn't be around, some should not be used by homeowners, some still can be used by homeowners."
Other gardeners said they have mixed feelings about using pesticides on their greenery.
"I really don't know much about pesticides," Mary McCartney said. "I grew up in the age where 2-4D was used and nobody thought anything of it. I'd need more information."
"Oh, my yard's clean so I use pesticides," Vance Carter said.
With files from Marni Kuhlmann
