No. The fact that a pesticide is registered by the EPA does not mean that it is safe; it simply means that standards have been established to minimize the risks associated with its use. Many widely-used pesticides were registered many years ago under less stringent standards than are used today. They can pose health risks, even when used and applied in full compliance with manufacturers’ recommendations and legal requirements. 

Several pesticides commonly used in lawn care are classified as probable or possible carcinogens by the EPA. Some of these and other pesticides are associated with a variety of other health problems including damage to the liver, kidneys, and nervous and endocrine systems, and acute skin irritation and respiratory distress (1). Infants and young children, whose body systems are still developing, are particularly susceptible to these risks, as are pregnant women and the elderly and infirm. Inadvertent exposure to pesticides can occur when they are applied without notice on neighboring properties, or in apartment buildings, schools or daycare centers. To limit the likelihood of inadvertent exposure and the resulting health risks, a number of state laws now require that individuals be notified when pesticides are being applied in these areas(1). 

The prevailing regulatory approach in the United States is reactionary rather than precautionary. Instead of requiring industry to prove their safety.

The cornerstone of pesticide regulation is a fundamentally flawed process of “risk assessment” that cannot begin to capture the realities of pesticide exposure and the health hazards they pose. EPA officials remain reliant on research data submitted by pesticide manufacturers. Before a pesticide is registered for use on a particular commodity or site, it must be approved for that use by the EPA. Tests are performed by the manufacturers to determine whether the product or its residues on foods presents unreasonable risks to people, wildlife, fish, and plants. U.S. EPA reviews the data submitted by the manufacturers and either approves or disapproves the studies. A summary of rejection rates for these studies shows that historically 20-50% of the manufacturers’ studies submitted for evaluation of pesticides are rejected as inadequate (4). During the delay while the studies are being re-done, the pesticide can be sold as before, even without knowing what the health effects of exposure might be.

A second patent was filed in 1974 by Monsanto as an herbicide (United States Patent 3,799,758). Monsanto claims that glyphosate, which kills plants by disrupting the shikimate pathway, has no effect on humans because the shikimate pathway is not present in mammals. However, several studies now suggest harm to mammals from glyphosate based herbicides through a variety of different mechanisms (Myers 2016, Ibrahim 2016a).