Pesticides do not only affect the environment but can also damage human health. 

In the urban setting, we are exposed to pesticides when spending time in spaces that have recently been treated such as parks, or even on our doorsteps once our streets have been sprayed. There is no obligation for councils to tell residents when an area is about to be (or has just been) treated so it is impossible to avoid exposure. 

Children are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of pesticides for a range of reasons, including that their ability to cope with poisoning tends to be less than that of adults. They are also more likely to spend time in public spaces that have been treated, such as parks and playgrounds. 

Pesticide applied to hard surfaces such as pavements tend to run off into water courses, posing a risk to drinking water quality, particularly in towns or cities that sit atop aquifers.  

There is also a major concern regarding the health of council and contractor staff responsible for spraying chemicals in urban spaces. This has led the trade union, GMB, to repeatedly call for glyphosate to be banned in the UK in order to protect the health of its members. 

In March 2015, the UN World Health Organisation declared glyphosate (the pesticide most widely used in UK towns and cities) to be a ‘probable carcinogen’ for humans, meaning that repeated or long-term exposure is linked to cancer. The herbicide 2,4-D is also a probable carcinogen and suspected endocrine disruptor, and MCPA is acutely toxic and a possible carcinogen. These are the three most widely used pesticides by local authorities in public spaces. 

While much of the health debate around glyphosate has focused on whether it causes cancer, independent scientists from around the world largely agree that long-term exposure to the chemical is harmful to human health in a range of ways. It is increasingly being linked to Parkinson’s and can cause conditions such as kidney and liver disease, act as an endocrine and immune system disruptor, and result in reproductive and neurological problems. A recent study found links between glyphosate exposure and reduced sperm count.

For more information on the impacts of pesticides on human health, read our briefing on pesticides and human health.