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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0143.104 2014-2016Murashige; Laura From: Jane Taylor <artteachers@me.com> Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2015 12:12 PM To: Council Testimony Subject: Testimony about Roundup For Monday Meeting To: Hawaii County Council From: Jane Taylor 64-5292 Iokua Place, Kamuela, Hi 96743 Subject: Testimony against the use of Roundup Herbicide Date: May 16, 205 To Whom It May Concern: It Ts' CLE 2015 NAY 18 AM 8: 24 I request that the County of Hawaii immediately discontinue not only the funding but all use of Roundup (glyphosate) herbicide on roads, cemeteries, parks and schools and any other place. I recommend that the County be very careful about replacing it with anything that might be worse. Chemical exposure is increasingly implicated in the chronic illnesses besetting our society. This includes cancer but that is just the beginning. I suggest we move away from a poison dependent approach, and use mechanical means such as weed eaters or heat to maintain the roads. It is now known that this chemical chelates to metals and hangs around in the soil for a long time. We should not introduce any other chemical to our already saturated soil. Below is my personal experience with Roundup. Personal 'Experience: I have had a personal problem with Roundup for many years. Due to my own allergic reaction (or sensitivity if you prefer to call it that), I began to research it. What I learned was that I am by no means alone in being "sensitive" to this poison. Comm. NoJ47'' Ref. To.. 1 Ref. Date U! �'�..Ot9 . My personal symptoms upon exposure include red spots on skin if digging in sprayed soil, but most importantly, chronic respiratory problems and loss of immunity to whatever is going around if exposed to either the spray truck (which sprays indiscriminately even when cars are present), or blown dust from recently sprayed sites. I have had several extremely severe bouts of respiratory distress after having roundup laden dust blown on me from recently sprayed areas. The last time I lost my sense of smell for almost two years and am only just getting it back. I cannot of course prove that these experiences are related to the Roundup, but since I have lived in Waimea most of my life, I can certainly say there is a correlation. Back in the 1970s The County truck was spraying on my'road and I ran out to ask them to stop. The man in the spray truck never stopped spraying the whole time we spoke. I learned to post signs and have appreciated this small concession, that they don't spray my immediate roadside any more. If I want to go for a walk along the highway on a nice day I have to call the county base yard to make sure nobody is spraying where I will be, because I know they won't stop for me. I drive all the time with my windows rolled up when the weather is nice and they might be out spraying because I cannot risk direct exposure. , Also in the 1970s I made an appointment to talk to the supervisor of the County Roads about this. I do not remember the name of the person I spoke to. He was the one who told me to post signs. He was very helpful and showed me booklet that had been given to the County about how to maintain roadsides. It was published by the company who sell the Roundup and had become their regular instruction about how to maintain our roads. This seemed helpful to him but to me it seems very sad, that we have been poisoning ourselves all these years simply because they told us to. Surely there are other ways to keep the grass off the road? I am very hopeful that we might finally be ending this era. I am grateful this is being considered. I realize that a lot of people who have used this product feel it is essential. They are very worried about not using it. Also if they don't have personal symptoms, they think the rest of the concern is not based on fact. I see myself as the canary in the coal mine. I am sure that many chronic illnesses afflicting our society would be reduced by no t using chemical pesticides, and especially this one. Botanical Experience: As a student of botany at the University of Hawaii I learned two things. One is that you can increase weed growth by spraying herbicides. You kill off the vegetation, such as grass, and the weed seeds, such as Spanish needles, then germinate faster and fill in the space. Then you spray them again, creating an ugly dead area filled with Spanish needles or Castor bean, which always grow back faster than the grass. Therefore this product makes our roadsides weedier and uglier. Since we care about tourism, we should not be uglifying our roadsides. If you mow the area repeatedly, the grass takes over and the weeds dye out. You have to get in the habit of mowing before the seeds set. The other thing I learned was that my botany professor used to leave the building when we were experimenting on herbicides because he did not want personal chronic exposure. That should say something! Evidence: It has been hard to prove that this is a dangerous substance because the conditions it causes are generally chronic and occur where exposure is only one of many variables. Increasingly however, the evidence is becoming clear. This reminds me of the status of smoking in the 1960s. The time has now come to stop poisoning our land, our roadsides, our parks, and our children. Here is a good article listing the current knowledge. Izttp://m.eastbayexpress.com/oaklanci/the-case-for-banning monsantos- roun.d.up/Content?oid=4247612 Alternatives: This is from Gardensalive.com OK, your top four non-toxic alternatives to nasty chemical herbicides are: FLAME! No 'weed whacking wound up' would be complete without an incendiary device now, would it? Flame weeders are great; you just attach a small, 'camp stove' size propane bottle to the long metal wand, click it on, wave the fiery tip over the tops of plants you dislike and they dehydrate and die. Perennials, like dandelions, may require a second treatment -or you can just linger there a while and really toast the suckers. My personal favorite-BernzOmatic's "OutdoorTorch"-is available at hardware and garden stores, or direct from BernzOmatic for about forty bucks, including shipping; call them toll-free at 1-800-654-9011. Get Model JT 850; its push-button ignition makes it much safer to use. There are many similar devices out there,as well as larger flamers that use refillable gas -grill sized propane tanks and adapters that let you hook big tanks up to the smaller,hand-held devices. Note: Be careful not to burn yourself or set dry brush or mulch on fire with these things. Always wear protective footwear and have a primed garden hose handy in case of emergency. And NEVER, EVER burn poison ivy, oak, sumac or similar plants. HEAT! Instead of open flame, Swiss made "Infra -Weeders" use propane to produce 1800° of radiant heat that'cooks' weeds away! The"Dandy Destroyer" has a two-inch round spiked head that you plunge into the hearts of dandelions and similar long -rooted weeds to send them to their Eternal Reward. The "Eliminator" withers weeds in patios and walkways with a 3 x 7 inch heated plate. About $20o apiece (American)from the Canadian company Ritten house; on the web at wcvNv.rittenhousexa. SOAP! Herbicidal soap sprays kill weeds by smothering them with a soap bubble -like film. Gardens Alive (www.gardensalive.com; 812-537-865o)calls their herbicidal soap "Weed-Aside"(say it out loud). And you'll find products like Concern's "Fast Acting Weed Killer" in classier retail stores. Read the labels carefully -the active ingredient should say something like "potassium salts of fatty acids". VINEGAR! A POWERFUL herbicide! (So be careful not to splash your 'wanted' plants!) You can just fill a spray bottle with regular old white vinegar and spritz away, or use products like "Burnout Weed Killer"from St. Gabriel Labs (800- 801-0061; www.milkyspore.com). The original version -a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice -was very effective. "BurnOut II" (the sequel!) also contains clove oil, which they say makes it even better. Note: Soap, flame, heat and vinegar all work best when the weeds you want to waste are nice and dry and a hot sun is beating down. Don't use them on a cool, cloudy or wet day. If it's rained recently, give the plants a day to dry out - or pull them by hand, which is MUCH easier in wet soil. You Bet Your Garden ©2004 Mike McGrath Conclusion: Thank you for this opportunity to testify against the continued use of Roundup on our island. Mahalo, Jane Taylor 64-5292 Iokua Place Kamuela, Hawaii 96743 artteacherPhawaii.rr.com