HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.052 2018-2020 From: Julia Contreras
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Please vote in favor of Bill 101
Date: Thursday,October 10,2019 7:34:34 AM
Aloha Honorable County of Hawaii Councilmembers.
Please vote in favor of Bill 101 to limit the County's use of chemical herbicides.
Children have unique susceptibilities to the potential toxicity of herbicides, yet they are still being
exposed every day when they go to County parks or walk or ride along the roads.
Long-term exposure is linked with increased risks of cancer including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,
as we learned from the recent visit by Dewayne Lee Johnson, the school groundskeeper who won
the lawsuit against Monsanto for the connection between Roundup and his cancer. It is also
connected to miscarriages, attention deficit disorder and reduced production of sex hormones. It
can also trigger aggressive breast cancer when combined with other risk factors.
Studies indicate that glyphosate can contaminate streams, which empty into our oceans, and
affect sea life including fish and coral. Problems with drift of glyphosate herbicides occur
frequently. `
Fortunately, the County has chosen alternatives to toxic chemicals, such as the choice to use
goats to clear brush at the Hilo Soccer Field. It was more cost-effective than regular maintenance,
and safe for our communities, streams and coastline ecosystems, too! Let's expand these non-
toxic alternatives, and transition away from the use of toxic chemicals for land management.
Mahalo!
Julia Contreras
In Mountain View
May We All Walk In Beauty and Love!
Julia Leihulu Contreras. M.A.
Comm. Nn, �V'1• ✓�
Ref.
ef, gate PTI 5 7 19