30
Mar
Lawsuit Challenges TruGreen Chemical Lawn Care Company for Deceptive Safety Claims; Pesticide Applications Stopped by Some States During COVID-19 Crisis as Nonessential
NOTICE: Beyond Pesticides urges Governors to stop the use of lawn pesticides during the COVID-19 crisis because the toxic chemicals used are typically immune and respiratory system toxicants, elevating key risk factors for those vulnerable to coronavirus hazards. Contact your Governor to classify chemical lawn care as non-essential.
(Beyond Pesticides, March 30, 2020) Last week, Beyond Pesticides sued TruGreen, the national chemical landscaping company, for misrepresenting the safety of the toxic chemicals that it uses to treat lawns. The case is Beyond Pesticides v. TruGreen (DC Superior Court, Case No. 2020CA001973B, March, 20, 2020). At the same time, the organization is urging all states to prohibit toxic chemical spraying in neighborhoods as non-essential and hazardous. Widespread exposure to lawn pesticides, which are immune system and respiratory toxicants, can elevate serious risk factors associated with COVID-19 (coronavirus).
As part of its marketing, TruGreen tells consumers that it offers environmentally friendly, sustainable lawn care services that use no chemicals that may cause cancer, allergic reactions, or other health or environmental harms. These claims, according to Beyond Pesticides’ complaint, are false and deceptive and illegal under the laws of the District of Columbia.
Advocates suggest that during the COVID-19 crisis the cessation of pesticide applications in neighborhoods across the U.S. will reduce involuntary exposure to chemicals that exacerbate respiratory and immune system illness and risk factors associated with coronavirus. Lawn care services have been determined by some states to be non-essential services and are prohibited from applying chemicals and delivering other lawn services. However, TruGreen has notified customers that it will continue to deliver services where permitted. Some companies are reporting cancellations. The litigation is intended to curtail use of hazardous pesticides long-term.
TruGreen makes several claims to consumers that, according to the lawsuit, the company knows to be false. As stated in the complaint, “TruGreen purports to offer environmentally friendly, sustainable lawn care services that use no chemicals that may cause cancer, allergic reactions, or other health or environmental harms.” Beyond Pesticides shows that these claims are false and deceptive.
Quoting from TruGreen’s information to consumers, identified as false and deceptive in the ligitation:
“We will not approve products containing known or probable human carcinogens as defined by the U.S. EPA, the National Toxicology Program, or the International Agency for Research in Cancer [IARC].”
“We do not approve products that are known skin sensitizers or that may produce allergic reactions.”
“We do not approve products known or thought likely to leach to groundwater when applied to lawns.”
In fact, TruGreen uses the weed killer glyphosate (Roundup), which is identified by IARC of the World Health Organization as probably carcinogenic. It uses a chlorophenoxy (Tri-Power) another weed killer whose label warns of “irreversible eye damage” and “allergic reactions.” Another hazardous pesticide identified in the lawsuit is triclorfon (Dylox), a neurotoxic organophosate insecticide.
As stated in the complaint, TruGreen’ s representations are intended to, and do, portray to consumers that its lawn care services are environmentally responsible and free from harmful chemicals.
“It’s time that chemical lawn care companies to stop deceiving the public and their customers with deceptive, misleading, and false information on the real hazards of the pesticide they use,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. “These practices are particularly abhorrent, given the availability of organic compatible products that do not cause harm,” said Mr. Feldman.
Beyond Pesticides advocates for the adoption of organic land management, a systems approach that eliminates toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers and builds organic matter and soil biology as a means of cycling nutrients for plant health. This approach is successfully and economically used in managing lawns, parks, and playing fields across the country.
TruGreen’s false and misleading representations and omissions violate the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act (“DC CPPA”), D.C. Code§§ 28-3901, et seq. Beyond Pesticides is represented by the Richman Law Group in New York City.
For more information on organic land management of lawns, parks, and playing fields, see Beyond Pesticides Lawns and Landscapes page.
Source: Beyond Pesticides v. TruGreen
Please, Governor DeWine. Poison applied to the earth for any reason are not essential. We are living in a time where what we humans have done is causing a pandemic. I urge you to declare that cosmetic lawn care applications are non essential at this time —or ever.
March 30th, 2020 at 9:38 amPerhaps now we can move towards getting rid of ALL lawns. Lawns are a false-prosperity scam startted after WW-II by the chemical companies and their pet politicians.
March 30th, 2020 at 12:47 pmI work for TruGreen in Michigan and my boss as we speak is trying to say we are starting back up Monday the 20th to do vegetation and mosquito spray. Besides I’ve done vegetation for over 10 years and it has done so much damage to my body and immune system and just because I look like I’m in great shape and people consider me healthy & decent-looking looking people, never believe me when I tell them the pains I experience at different times. I finally was going to get a check up with a doctor before we started back up but as we went back to work we were shut down due to the covid-19 crisis and our governor wants us to wait till May 1st to reserve our non shut down and besides I respect that I worry about my health and I want to make sure my health is good before starting spraying up chemicals. Now am I wrong for telling my boss I want to wait till May 1st to start and I truly feel this is a bad decision right now they make customers feel they need mosquito spray next week when it’s cold in Michigan and there’s no mosquitoes around it is so silly it’s all about money and saying everything is safe.
April 16th, 2020 at 2:20 pmI was just laughed at one of the trugreen employees when I told them NOT to spray in my complex strip. We got no warning that they would be spraying today and I have organic tomatoes I have grown from seed. I asked the trugreen guy if the stuff they were spraying was “natural” and “organic” and he shouts to me it is! OMG the chemical smell is so bad and I have an instant headache and feel like I want to vomit because I had to go out and shout to the employee who found it funny and laughed at me when I told to not spray near my place or plants. No one gave me any heads up so I could cover them! I can taste it since I was outside having to scream at him while he drove around laughing and told me I wont be happy when I have grubs?? OMG.. i’d rather have grubs than cancer! This is out right irresponsible and harmful to my health and I won’t stand it in my living area. How do I stop this?
July 29th, 2020 at 1:16 pmTru Green burned my entire lawn 1 month ago. I have spoken to management and my yard has been thatched and reseeded but I still see very little new growth in a very small area and have not been reimbursed for anything. My entire lawn is burnt and striped. What more can I do to get reimbursed and my lawn repaired? Also I want compensation for the way it looks and I am having to water it constantly and have a pump that I fear is wearing out not to mention the cost and time spent on my “off” hours from my full time job.
August 16th, 2020 at 3:04 pmTrugreen has destroyed our lawn. I keep calling to speak to a manager and they have not called me back. We want them to fix it. It is full of weeds, crab grass and the rest of our lawn that doesn’t have that issue is all burned by what we think the chemicals. Our lawn used to be nice and green last year. We want our money back for this horrible service. We have spent so much money in watering the lawn, we bought so much seeds and soil to try to fix this crap and nothing has worked. So many headaches because of this crap!! We are so upset at tru green cause we’ve tried so many times to have a manager come look at our lawn so they can do something but not once did I get a call. They just keep sending someone to come spray more chemicals but it only gets worse.
September 13th, 2020 at 2:50 pmThey spat poison and I get get headaches and skin irritations. I cannot go outside and stand trapped inside my house. Because the spray drifts this is infringing on my property and my rights as a homeowner. How is it legal for them to get chemicals on my property I don’t want? If someone is blasting music it’s disturbing the peace. How does this sane line of logic not apply to poison chemicals disturbing not only the peace but our health. This must stop!
November 10th, 2020 at 11:41 amI worked for Trugreen for about 6 months, there is an incredible amount of immoral and down right illegal practices that i as an employee had to follow in order to do my job. This could include things like spraying on plants that bees later pollinate on (which during my 6 month period i alone wouldn’t be surprised if I was responsible for killing more than 1000 bees), spraying on edible plants, staining peoples yards and driveways with blue weed killer liquid because the hose was always leaking it (they rarely fixed their equipment) and every time me, my colleagues and even my managers got those pesticides on our skin (which was inevitable due to our procedures) we would develop a blistering itchy skin irritation at the parts of the body that came in contact with the liquid. This skin irritation happened every time you came in contact with the liquids we worked with and it would last for weeks, eventually i brought this up to my boss like many others before me and they always say the same thing “no one has ever had any issues with our chemicals”, at the same time they also say to “never let any of the pesticides fall anywhere on your body”, and let me tell ya after trying out cloth, leather, synthetic plastic and the uniform on top the chemicals will always get on your skin and cause blisters and itching like you’ve never experienced before. I can go on for awhile on many other issues but it turns out not only are they lying to the customers about the safety of the chemicals and how we go about spraying them, they outright lie and decieve their employees, as you can check any forum that talks about working at trugreen this is one of the main reasons why the company has such a high turn over rate and customer cancellations.
February 25th, 2021 at 9:06 pmI worked for this company and sold the products to the public ,I know what we were advised to tell customers and the stories from cst that were referred to our safety dept w dead animal complaints and cancer claims and scripts to tell cst how safe the products are. I became ill on the job lost vision after exposure and I worked in an office w chemical tanks on premises . Trugreen down played and specifically urged u to say non toxic and pet friendly . I’ve since left the company and now have lymphatic issues and am being watched for non Hodgkin lymphoma . Company knows it dangers .
March 17th, 2021 at 11:19 pmI am really happy that the pesticides advocate are looking into the adoption of organic land management. This is really have a huge impact on not only to the environment but also the humanity.
April 7th, 2021 at 11:17 pmBAN PARAQUAT, CHLORPYRIFOS, AND TRICHLOROETHYLENE – THESE CHEMICALS ALL INCREASE THE RISK OF PARKINSON’S! We are approaching an epidemic in Parkinson’s!
April 20th, 2021 at 11:37 amIt’s a really great article, thanks for sharing such informative knowledge with us.
May 11th, 2021 at 3:09 amI can confirm that walking past houses treated in Boyds, MD, consistently causes an allergic reaction. Throat closes off, intense itching and difficulty breathing.
May 18th, 2021 at 6:53 pmHoping this case is still active and proves successful.
We are against all forms of poison. We have children, pets, CHICKENS who free range and an organic garden. Just this morning TruGreen “mistakenly” sprayed our entire yard, including entering our privacy fence and spraying all around the back yard while I’m sure our 15 chickens were following him around free ranging. Our garden is right in the middle of the yard. I’m livid and not sure what to do. We’ve called and they claim someone will call us back. I have my chickens in the run now but they were out for at least 2 hours. How is this mistake made? Why would they spray with animals actively in the yard? The address wasn’t even in this area. Any advice is welcome. I’m so upset. The garden and chickens were as organic as they come and we were trying to make a homestead here and be more self reliant. Now there is a blanket of poison on all of it I’m sure. It was very windy.
May 21st, 2021 at 12:04 pmTrugreen sprayed our lawn today. They meant to spray our next door neighbor’s yard. I literally cried. We have not used any chemicals in our yard nor our vegetable and herb garden for 10 years. My husband is a cancer survivor, stem cell transplant survivor, and we do not use any chemicals in our house stronger than vinegar. Our garden is the same. I am devastated. Apparently I have no recourse, here in Michigan there are no punitive damages that will be able to be levied.
Ihad just finished putting down 17 yards of organic mulch last week, two truckloads worth. I am still sore. And now it is all tainted, with this poison that Trugreen put down.
Yes, I know that my neighbor uses this company on their lawn, and yes there will be some spray that will reach my yard. But our vegetable and herb garden are on the other side, we have a half acre. We have been so diligent to not use any chemicals, we don’t even use plastic if we can avoid it. I am beside myself, and true Green has not been responsive. They have said that someone will call me back, maybe even by next week. I am not hopeful, and I do not have any recourse. All of our vegetables, plants, mulch, have been tainted, not to even mention the soil. A decade of diligence, gone.
They trespass on my property, caused property damage in my opinion, and yet I can do nothing. This is so wrong.
June 2nd, 2021 at 5:40 pmTruGreen sprayed on my neighbor’s lawn and on a windy day! It just rained and as the sprayer was used I felt the wind. Note dandelions are not harmful compared to the pesticide. Its a waste! Im growing organic wildflowers and trying to save the planet and now this? TruGreen left as soon as I said No pesticide! The employee knew it was windy and bad outside but he still did it, carelessly stepping on the chemical treated lawn. Not even trying to be precise with the sprayer he allowed it to drift. If its fertilizer I doubt its not with pesticide. Its going to rain again and my lake will be in trouble! TruGreen did this to too many! We were not warned, and TruGreen is careless. Please to all future readers please go organic!
June 21st, 2021 at 9:39 amI have just had a spraying TG. The suit was newas news to me. I think I’m going to stop.
July 2nd, 2021 at 2:57 amI just started a lawn service with True Green for the first time this season. The guy used a hand spreader in my backyard and he got sooooo much chemicals in my built in pool I’ve been scooping them out off the bottom for days. I took a sample of water to my pool store and they told me there is soooooo much cyanide in my pool it’s unsafe to swim in. He told me to take 80% of my water out. I believe it was the negligence of TruGreen that has messed all my chemicals in my pool and now it’s unsafe to swim. I’m soooooo upset I have one service left with them and that’s airation and seeding and then I’m done forever with this company. They have lied to my face about the chemical that could have been released in my pool aren’t harmful. BS. Wish there was a class action lawsuit against them. Bad enough we have a pandemic in 2021 now my pool season is over because of them idiots. Lori
August 28th, 2021 at 12:00 pmTruGreen sprayed my yard when my dog was out, multiple times. My dog just died yesterday of lymphoma, a cancer caused by pesticides.
August 29th, 2021 at 10:36 pmI worked for trugreen back in 2019 through most of a season before one day I had enough and quit in the the middle of my route. We worked ays in light rain,windy conditions even treated partially flooded lawns (all things on the labels saying not to do) when I’d mention it was just played off as only applying to heavy rains/winds the more I learned as worked/and studied for the “restricted use Pesticide certificate” you must get within your first 60 or 90 days the less I dealt comfortable working there having children at home and pets…we were provided very decent PPE but it was more often than not i would come home with pant legs,socks And shoes soaked ..im only just now hearing of lawsuits and that is a little unnerving to read about especially when over the last year I’ve been battling massive headaches which I just attributed to my ADHD and schizoaffective disorder but I think i may have to talk with my doctor now. Because I never would have considered a possible connection due to my short time with the company …
September 10th, 2021 at 5:12 amGovernor Dewine – Step into the 21st century and look at how we are damaging this planet. If you want your grandkids to inherit a healthy earth, now is the time for change. Don’t “leave it ot the next guy”. Take action. Prohibit the use of these carcinogenic and deadly chemicals . Do people really need to brag to their neighbors that their lawn is greener?
September 17th, 2021 at 2:55 pmMany of us know these liquid chemicals are dangerous to our health, drifting in the air. Granulated fertilizer is less apt to cause human disabilities because it does not drift in the air and become breathable.
I believe it will take a huge amount of public outrage and millions of dollars get legislators do their job on this and protect the American public.
September 21st, 2021 at 7:58 amI live in a apartment, no notice, did’nt see signs first time I took my little dog out. Second time I saw signs immediately took my dog in washed his feet. Called tru-green, they would not tell me what chemicals are usef. Got the same story as everyone else. Don’t worry about it out chefs are safe. Well this little dog is all I have in this world, I would like to join a class action suit against TRU-GREEN!!! Just tell me how.
October 1st, 2021 at 2:38 pmMy neighbors constantly spray and we have absolutely no recourse. I get headaches and my skin itches. We have to close windows and are essentially living in a prison. There has to be a way we can fight back. Do we not have rights?
October 5th, 2021 at 11:48 amWe have used Tru Green for the last year or so and we have had nothing but sickness this whole year Allergy Symptom’s /Stuffiness/Eyes Burning and headaches. When I would plant something I would break out. What is it we need to do.
December 21st, 2021 at 11:51 amThank you for sharing. I literally just got off the phone with the TruGreen manager in the VA area. He called me from
April 26th, 2022 at 9:05 pm(757) 327-7444. He was upset because I call/report every time they say the completed a job but my security cameras prove otherwise. I’ve been with TruGreen for 2yrs. I’ve had at least 5 no-shows but provided a completion report and a bill. They burned my lawn last year and said it was grub worms. I paid for grub worm treatment and very few grubs surfaced. I knew it was not due to grubs. The chemicals burned my lawn.
I have noticed an increase in respiratory issues but had no idea it could potentially be due to TruGreen’s unsafe chemicals. The chemical smell is strong. I’m often out there when they treat because I do not trust them.
Thank you once again for sharing your comments and experiences. I may need to find a new lawn care company.
is there any conclusive evidence that TruGreen (formerly Chemlawn) chemical applications can cause Parkinsons. I worked for Chemlawn in the late 70’s and have recently been diagnosed with PD. I left the company due to the affects of the chemicals on my skin and breathing
May 16th, 2022 at 11:33 amEither TruGreen dislikes family pets or they are just too lazy to carry a magic marker and fill in the date and time on the signs that they put in the lawns that they use chemicals on.
July 27th, 2022 at 3:42 pmYes I believe that my pet dog has contracted some kind of tumors on her bottom of her abdomen from this true Green lawn chemicals and the results of another lady besides myself and her dog had gotten some type of tumorous or sometimes it loves on the bottom of the dog’s stomach it was a little chihuahua and my dog is a lowrider Pitbull and she had nothing like this on her before we lived here at Oakdale estates and the true Green lawn service has been putting their chemicals down for years now I’ll have to take my dog and have an operation to find out if these tumors are cancerous or not I am very upset and I’ve even seen children playing on the lawn less than 24 hours after they’ve applied that type of stuff on TruGreen lawn service on Oakdale estate property I said something to the manager they said that their company millennium managed to use this on all their property
August 29th, 2022 at 8:56 pmWow !
March 26th, 2023 at 1:03 amThanks you ! ,
For this information,
Can you tell me, is there any Lawn care company .
That doesn’t use Roundup in the state of Detroit, Ml.
I will be cancelling my yard service tomorrow.
My neighbor and I use True Green on our lawn in 2019, 2011 and 2022.
I know we use them and the yards way beautiful but, i am not willing to put all of my neighbors, my family and my life in ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️.
These are all practices that are archaic and were lethal and damaging then; still are today. When will people see how much this harms health & our environment? When will these old practices be challenged?
May 9th, 2023 at 10:54 amWell, they are being challenged now-but, it will take a long time to deprogram a population that was told that these things were necessary. Why did having a totally green carpet like yard become the fashion? Well, it was sold to them years ago as the ‘thing’ to do to prevent your yard from ruin from bugs and weeds.( ALL things that help to keep the eco-system in balance.) These people that allow the chemical spraying to continue are clueless. Then wonder why themselves and their family members come down with disease and cancer. Not to mention the worker who’s spraying it. Poor bloke probably just wants a job. So these evil companies pay a small wage and the worker exposes himself to known cancer causing chems. Then there’s people who have to live nearby. Admittedly it’s not the only thing causing us cancer and a myriad of diseases; but, it’s in the environment where we all live. Your neighbor; is at home where they like to lay in the yard with their child, or their pet; and here comes the “lawncare” company with their sprayer. These chemicals travel in the air, they don’t stay put. Additionally, they don’t just kill off what they consider offending pests and weeds. If the wind is in your direction you can bet your booty that it will be blown onto your property where you will be breathing it in, and laying in it.
Time to stand up to this and say NO MORE.
Hi–I live in Whitewater, WI across from a lovely lake. It is only 12-13 feet deep, and several neighbors use TruGreen way too often. One neighbor is never there; he lives in Illinois. So there is no way to supervise TruGreen. They never test the soild The lot beside his is city owned and they do not like to use TruGreen but of course all of the toxic chemicals are sprayed very close to the lake; less than 10 ft. I would like to join the lawsuit. I am an attorney myself and would help if I could. Cyanobacteria is raging on the lake all the time now and mostly in my neighbors section, which is next to where I canoe. We can no longer swim much in the lake. The chemicals must be contributing. Once I asked a TruGreen employee to please not spray to close to the lake and she cursed me more than I have ever been cursed.
May 10th, 2023 at 9:18 amTRUGREEN SPRAYED MY YARD ON MAY 31ST. MY GSD DIED ON JUNE 5TH. HE WAS THROWING UP AND UNSTEADY ON HIS FEET THE EVENING PRIOR. I SAW THIS ON REPLAY FORM MY CLOSED CIRCUIT CAMERA. WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIS. I SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND EXPENSE KEEPING HIM HEALTHY AND TRAINING HIM.
June 14th, 2023 at 2:52 pmOur dog Odie just turned 5, he was diagnosed last week with lymphoma, he has been in the yard that has always been treated by trugreen since he was 8weeks old…my older dog bella who spent her first few years at our other property has no issue. Odie lays hrs in the grass, while bella sits high up on the porch. They told me it was safe for pets, just not to go on first 2 hrs….eveything points to those lawn treatments. What can I do??? I feel terrible.
November 20th, 2023 at 1:12 pmHi baraa, thanks for your outreach and for sharing Odie’s story with us. Ultimately, the burden of keeping our pets safe from toxic chemicals should not fall on the public! Cities, counties, states, and the federal government should respond to the body of evidence showing that toxic pesticides are harmful through precautionary regulation and legislation. Please see our page in the event of a pesticide emergency (https://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticide-emergencies/what-to-do) and do not hesitate to reach out to our team at [email protected] for more information or to take action in your community.
January 16th, 2024 at 1:11 pmI worked for Trugreen 2yrs, in my 1st year I noticed clients are being robbed at times , paying for a treatment that they would have gotten anyway because it’s included in their package deal.
My 2nd year 2023 we welcomed a new GM that truly cared of the numbers, Completely disinterested in the health of the team…. I’ve driven coworkers to the emergency room because of the fumes they inhaled while driving broken tricks , female coworkers also visiting hospital because reported broken equipment never got fixed yet they were mandated to do the job , essentially this poison liquid leaked from equipment on to the private parts of the female anatomy, very painful time for my coworker….
One would think that reporting these thing to HR would help, but no … I got fired for my willingness to stand and fight for a safer workplace… I reported the new GM was cruel , and breaking many laws … unfortunately HR was not interested in my concerns ,.. the company , only saw sales rate go up and so I employees who complained got fired …. My testimony can be backed by at least 40 drivers …. Some of which continue to work and suffer there as it is their primary source of income…..
I don’t recommend working for or receiving Trugreen services as it is equally dangerous …..
January 21st, 2024 at 6:02 pm