In the US, public policy has focussed on pesticide residues in food from the use of pesticides in agriculture as a risk to human health. But at the same time, some data show that cosmetic use of pesticides is a growing industry. So current practices in urban areas concerning the use of pesticides for cosmetic reasons are posing a serious challenge since they are growing and causing health problems to humans and the environment. Most of the time pesticide users are unaware of the risks posed to themselves, their children, their pets and wildlife when they use such a product. Most of the time when a consumer has been poisoned by a pesticide, the case is not reported.
Cosmetic pesticide spraying is a useless activity.
Gardening and landscaping are technically and economically feasible without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. This has been proven many times around the Great Lakes Basin with very successful chemical free lawn care programs. Moreover, there is a growing organic landscaping industry in Canada and the US that is offering similar lawn care programs without using any toxic chemicals. Some municipalities have taken the issue of pesticides exposure in their own hands. The City of Toronto is one of them.