" Sevin is one of many products that contain the chemical 1-napthyl methyl- carbamate, more commonly known as carbaryl, which is classified as moderately to very toxic, depending the source of the classification. It is widely used in commercial agriculture, for forest and rangeland protection, and in home and garden pest control products. "

"Like many lawn and garden products, its use is controversial. Sevin?s defenders cite its over 40 years of widespread use as proof of its safety. Critics point out that its ubiquity may be one of the main reasons it can pose problems for humans and the environment. Its defenders also point out that carbaryl breaks down readily and that experience shows it quickly decomposes. "

"But let?s get one thing straight: carbaryl is an insecticide and by definition must be toxic to insects to be effective. And, like other pesticides, carbaryl is also toxic to certain non-target organisms, including humans. According to Extoxnet, a database maintained cooperatively by the University of California-Davis, Oregon State University, Michigan State University, Cornell University and the University of Idaho, carbaryl can produce adverse effects in humans by skin contact, inhalation or ingestion. Direct contact of the skin or eyes with moderate levels of this pesticide can cause burns. It is a cholin- esterase inhibitor, which means that inhalation or ingestion of very large amounts can be toxic to the nervous and respiratory systems. Symptoms include nausea, sweating, blurring of vision, non-coordination, tremors and convulsions. Low doses can also cause minor skin and eye irritation in rabbits. Research has found that carbaryl can affect the immune system in animals and insects. "

"Carbaryl has also been extensively tested for its effect on reproduction and the occurrence of birth effects. Experiments have been conducted on various strains of animals and adverse effects have occurred only in dogs. However, there is some human mutagenic data from studies. We do know, however, that carbaryl is toxic to aquatic organisms, such as rainbow trout and bluegill. Some accumulation of carbaryl can occur in catfish, crawfish and snails, as well as in algae and duckweed. And it is lethal to many non-target beneficial insects such as ladybug beetles and parasitic wasps, some aquatic insects and to some forms of shellfish such as shrimp and crabs. It is acutely toxic to honeybees and can destroy colonies of bees that are foraging in an area where the chemical has been applied. It is also harmful to salmon. "

"Since 2004, Sevin and a variety of other pesticides has been banned from use within protective buffers along salmon streams in Washington, Oregon and California. And in 2005, a federal judge in Seattle, Washington ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to inform consumers about the dangers posed to salmon by these products. There may also be dangers to those workers in factories that manufacture the insecticide products. One manufacturing method uses methyl isocyanate (MIC), the agent responsible for thousands of deaths in Bhopal, India when a Union Carbide Sevin manufacturing plant leaked the deadly gas in 1984. It is estimated that between 3,000 and 16,000 people died and many hundreds of thousands were injured in the surrounding area. The plant is now abandoned but a Greenpeace scientific survey recently found major chemical and heavy metal contamination persists."

"There
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