The Capital Times from Madison, Wisconsin • 39

TV Advice Comics, listings columns 5D astrology 4D 2D CONSUMER LIFEStyle ALL The Capital Times I I Friday, May 18, 1990 The greening of your grass can be hazardous to health Lawn chemicals dangerous By Mary Conroy The Capital Times a evin bility, joints, "I memory The Senate can't Ryan, loss. reason? stomach depression, 11, even subcommittee has play pain, in fatigue, suffered on my respiratory the own chest numbness, yard," environment. pressure, discomfort he nausea, aching recently and irrita- told "My neighbors spray their lawns and trees," said Ryan, of Arlington Heights, Ill. Ryan is not alone. Thomas Prior of Maplewood, N.J., said that his brother died after his regular golf course was treated with a chemical.

And Sharon Malhotra of Murraysville, told the committee that she got so sick from chemicals used on her lawn that she had to leave the house during spraying. Individual consumers aren't the only ones concerned about the effects of lawn care chemicals. A recent report from the General Accounting Office, "Lawn Care Pesticides: Risks Remain Uncertain While Prohibited Safety Claims Continue," sounded an alarm. The report concluded that the EPA hasn't fully investigated the health risks of lawn care pesticides. Until it does, the report said, "the public's health may be at risk from exposure to these pesticides." A 1988 federal law required the EPA to reassess the safety of lawn care pesticides.

However, the EPA has not yet reassessed any of the 34 pesticides most widely used for lawn care. The reason? Time and money. The testing process can cost companies millions of dollars and considerable time collecting data for the EPA. But in the meantime, lawn care companies are advertising their products as being safe. Among their claims, the GAO found the following phrases: "Safe to use." "Environmentally sound when used according to label directions." "Non-toxic: completely safe for humans, the environment, and beneficial insects." "The least toxic to humans and animals of all the major pesticides." "Practically non-toxic to humans, pets and the environment." "Selectively toxic to weeds and insects." 'A child would have to swallow the amount of pesticide found These claims false Because the government has not enforced truth-in-advertising laws, many of the following phrases remain on pesticide labels.

But the Environmental Protection Agency considers these claims false and misleading: "Approved by" the EPA or any other federal agency. "Low in toxicity." "Will not harm beneficial insects." "No health hazard." "Ecologically compatible." "Contains all natural ingredients." "Safe when used as directed." "Harmless." "Pollution approved." UP head off a HENRY A. CAPITAL TIMES Marriage counselor Jane Jensen adult children, says she has seen many situations comparable to the Roses', situations where a husband will put in CONSUMER WATCH Bob Richards It's wise to check on credit The guy calling me was from Sears. He said because of my good credit rating, he wanted to send me their credit card. Nice guy.

But you Richards know me, I had to ask. "Just what exactly does Sears know about me?" He wasn't sure. "Where do you get your information?" He said they didn't tell him. People who have "good" credit apparently don't ask questions like that very often. In a typical month, the Credit Bureau of Madison says 75 percent of the consumers who ask to see their credit report have been recently denied credit.

Almost all of the others are in the process of buying a home. Credit Bureau President William Wilcox says that while it CONSUMER TCI pulls plug on video channel By Patrice Wendlin; The Capital Times Music video fans have lost another outlet for their fare on local cable television. 54, a 24- hour music video channel, was pulled Monday from TCI Cablevision of Wisconsin Inc. and replaced with the Weather Channel. Although WSSM is still broadcasting over-the-air on Channel 54, video fans hooked up to TCI will have to switch their cable converter boxes or unhook their cable-ready TV sets and tune in the videos by antenna.

That inconvenience could cost WSSM plenty in terms of both viewers and advertisers. In a terse press release marked "Local station dropped by cable system," WSSM program director Marilyn Friday says WSSM was given only two weeks notice by TCI before being dropped. Friday also says that "unlike every other local station in Madi- Tom Novotny son, WSSM has always paid a monthly fee to be on the TCI cable system." TCI state manager Tom Novotny says the press release is an attempt to discredit TCI and that WSSM paid a $1,000 monthly fee, but it was not to TCI. Instead, WSSM leased the channel from the Madison Cable Network, which had an agreement with TCI that Novotny says recently expired. He says he opted not to negotiate a new agreement with WSSM.

"In our opinion it wasn't a highly watched channel," Novotny says. "We heard from our subscribers when they Continued on Page 3D Rob Zaleski How to It was just a spoof, right? These things don't happen in real life the husband becoming so filled with rage that he sneaks into the kitchen at his wife's dinner lieves himself on souffle. The wife by smashing her drive truck into retaliating four-wheelher hus- band's $50,000 sports car. Well, it may not happen to that extreme, say two local marriage counselors. But five months after the movie "War of the Roses" opened it will be released on video in July the film is still generating nervous debate in seemingly happy households throughout America.

"War of the Roses" was billed as a dark comedy about divorce. And while it was one of the surprise hits of the winter season, its grim message and shocking ending hit too close to home for many couples couples who saw parts of themselves in the workaholic husband, Oliver Rose (Michael Douglas), and his meticulous housewife, Barbara (Kathleen Turner). "It was exaggerated, of course," says therapist Jane Jensen of Middleton, who saw the movie twice. "But there was a lot of truth in it, too. "I liked the awareness it gave people of how materialistic couples can get and how the whole focus can be on money and accumulating things." Jensen, who's divorced and has four Safer SHARPSHOOTER SHAKE WELL BEFORE USING READY TO USE DRIVEWAYS, QUICKLY IN AND AROUND WALKS READ TREES AND SHRUBS We BEFORE USING DIRECTIONS CAUTION el Contents 24 FL.

OZ. HENRY A. CAPITAL TIMES Organic insecticides such as this one are said to be safer for the in almost 10 cups of one baby found environment. "Easy for workers concern about By the EPA's own So why do the ads Although the Federal late false and misleading of the EPA's scientific But the EPA doesn't so it defers to the FTC. based on misleading mon what's First, a pesticides.

educate consumer For example, diazinon CLOSE 'War of the 70-hour workweeks and virtually ignore his family SO that the family can one day have its dream home. And in many cases, the wife becomes bored and then angry and suddenly wants out of the marriage. Or Jensen says she's seen situations where both partners put in long hours and end up becoming strangers all in the mad pursuit of a more luxurious lifestyle. And the revenge factor? "I think everybody in a relationship does that to some degree," Jensen says. "It might start out where a wife says, 'If you don't come right home after work if you stop at the bar again I might not be there when you get And the husband says, 'Well, if you're not going to be there, 1 might as well stay out all 'And the wife says, 'Fine, if you stay out all night, I'm going to leave for an entire And before you know it, they've got their own 'War of the Therapist Jonathan Lewis, who is married and has one child, says in his mind "War of the Roses" was merely a slapstick farce.

But the basic premise, he says, "is not anything different than what we see all the time." People establish a relationship under one set of conditions, he says. And when the conditions change as in "War of the Roses" when Oliver Rose becomes an attorney and begins making lots of money the relation- "We have the potential to strip consumers of virtually all their personal BONNIE GUITON treated lawn clippings to equal the toxicity of to mix, handle, and apply without undue standards, however, all those claims are false. continue? Because of a classic catch-22. Trade Commission has the power to reguadvertising, it defers to the EPA because expertise. have authority over lawn care companies, As a result, consumers may buy products assurances of safety.

to do? yourself about the risks associated with comis still the most widely used residential Continued on Page 3D Roses' DAVID CAPITAL TIMES Therapist Jonathan Lewis ship changes "and many couples can't cope with that." Continued on Page 3D may have sounded like the Sears fellow had seen my credit report, he most likely had not. Companies that extend credit by "preapproving" consumers, Wilcox explained, buy a list of names. He says they typically ask for people who: Have not been bankrupt. Have no current judgments against them. Have not been more than 60 days late with payments.

Wilcox says that because the firms that request these "credit prescreen lists" do not see the full credit report, the fact that they've purchased your name does not show up on your report. his is one of many "privacy of now being information" debated in questions Washington D.C., where Congress has been working on revisions to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. At the White House, Consumer Affairs Adviser Bonnie Guiton says the issue is one of her priorities. "Industry is finding ever more ingenious ways to acquire information," she says. "We have the potential to strip consumers of Continued on Page 3D BEST BETS Zaleski and resalmon Syttende Mai time Syttende Mai opens in Stoughton and will last through Sunday, May 20.

There's something for all ages and interests, including demonstrations of Norse arts, tours of historic places, a melodrama, music and dancing. Shall we dance? Enjoy ballroom dancing with the Dick Jurgens Orchestra in the Park Ponderosa Ballroom in McFarland. There is $1 off the cover charge with dinner being served from 5 to 9 p.m. For more information, call 838-8123. Tomorrow: Leopold students say farewell to retiring librarian, Joan Horsfall..