Is turf builder dangerous for us?

@pled This is the kind of question I am accustomed to answering in another part of my life, so I had the information bookmarked! These products are labelled as safe for animals and pets when used according to directions. Your brain is undoubtedly reacting to the small as a danger signal, but unless fertilizers like these are stored in open bags where you might inhale it for a long time, no worries.

Turf Builder is a name brand for lawn fertilizer, and comes in a couple of versions. The ingredients, from the product data sheet are :
Scotts Turf Builder 32-0-4 contains 32 percent total nitrogen with 4.9 percent being ammoniacal nitrogen, 14.1 percent urea nitrogen, 11 percent other water-soluble nitrogen and 1.0 percent water-insoluble nitrogen. This product also contains 4 percent soluble potash, 7 percent sulfur and 2 percent iron. Nine percent of the product's contents contains slow-release nitrogen from methylendiurea, dimethylenetriurea and water-insoluble nitrogen.
Scotts Turf Builder plus Weed & Feed adds the herbicides 2, 4-D - 1.21% Mecoprop-p - 0.61% so require a bit more caution,

None of these is of particular concern except the herbicides - if they drift, they can be harmful in concentration
but are still considered safe for home use he amount when applied according to directions. The amount of pesticide is quite small, and watering it in prevents it from becoming airborne.

However, repeated close exposure to the fertilizer (as by landscape workers) can reveal sensitivity to some of the ingredients or binders in some individuals.

Of greater concern is spraying of pesticides or herbicides in hot weather (above 80-85 F) or windy conditions. This can result in considerable drifting of the aerosol or vapors, and can be quite irritating to sensitive lungs.

So your inclination to listen to your brain, then check things out was a good one.
Sue

Thank you Sue for this information. (When I read it, I thought, "Sue to he rescue again!"). It is good to know that the chemicals involved will not be harmful to my lungs. I still have concerns about the carrier material that the chemicals have been applied to. It looks like bark, not potting soil, so it should be safe, right?

There is no carrier material in Scotts Turf Builder. It is a combination of urea (a nitrogen compound), ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, sulfur and iron. Just don't roll around in it.
Sue

I looked more carefully at the bag. This is "lawn soil" with turf builder. It is described as composted materials and sphagnum peat moss with turf builder fertilizer. That is the part that I am concerned about.

That is a different product altogether.
Sphagnum moss direct exposure can be a problem - I had to stop using in in my potting soil mixes. But as long as it is well-watered into the lawn and you are not in direct contact (ie. digging in it or raking it) you should be just fine.

As far as I know, compost - whether vegetative, manure-based or mixed is safe. The commercial composting process heats the material sufficiently (to 170-180F or higher) to kill any mycobacteria and most other pathogens. That is why it is safe to use on vegetable gardens.

Given the potential for MAC spores in sphagnum moss, maybe you could ask your husband read labels more closely & buy plain Turf Builder or another product without it in the future. If he wants something more natural, there are products made of corn gluten meal, cottonseed meal, feather meal, blood meal and compost that would pose no risk to you and would contribute to overall soil health.

Sue

Thank you again Sue for your time and and your wisdom. It can be tricky navigating the waters of everyday life and MAC. I appreciate that we have someone like you to refer to, especially since most of our doctors wouldn't be able to help us with these types of questions.

I got the information about sphagnum moss from my ID doc, who knew I was an avid gardener like him. He taught me how to safely pursue my passion in spite of MAC & Bronchiectasis.

You are right, without a connection like that, it would simply have been chance that led me to the information. Sigh...I guess we can't expect our doctors to be experts about everything. They are much more likely to say "Don't do [whatever]" instead of saying "here is how to safely do [whatever]"

For example, for the first few years I was afraid of all swimming. But I live where it is hot, even in winter, and I kept looking longingly at our outdoor community pool. Then I learned that it was a saltwater pool (lower risk) and figured out there is far less potential of inhaling quantities of NTM (the open air dilutes it wonderfully) and that the source water was our community's NTM-free well. Then I learned that NTM doesn't survive well in the ocean, so... Now I swim, but keep from inhaling the water.
Sue