Thank you to the following sites for providing a wealth of health information:

HealthyLawns.net:
Information on reduced risk pest management and pest prevention strategies for lawn.

FoodNews from The Environmental Workings Group:
How to reduce your exposure to toxic food chemicals
Some facts that aren't so cool

Before the 1940's few if any pesticides were used on crops. By 1992, more than 800 million pounds were used yearly in the US, yet the percentage of crops lost to pests had increased nearly 20%.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, 64% of imported produce sampled in 1990 showed detectable residues of pesticides including the banned chemicals DDT, Hexachlor, dieldrin, aldrin, chlordane, and chlorobenzilate.

Nitrate runoff from farms invades groundwater supplies and has been linked to cancers of the throat, stomach, liver and digestive system.