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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.069 2018-2020 Murashige, Laura From: Aloha Creations <alohacreationshawaii@gmail.com> u Sent: Friday, October 11, 2019 3:16 PM To: Council Testimony Subject: Please VOTE YES on Bill 101 to Limit Herbicide Use Aloha Honorable County of Hawaii Councilmembers, Please vote in favor of Bill 101 to limit the County's use of chemical herbicides. I am very concerned about glyphosate use in Hawaii. I have seen it negatively affect my family and friends. One friend in Orchidland passed away from lymphoma cancer, another had a lupus flare-up triggered by Round Up spray. It causes headaches for my children, who have made their own "No Spray" signs for the road in front of our house. Many other countries and states have already banned glyphosate for good reason. 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. Please VOTE YES on Bill 101! Mahalo, Christina Donaldson HC 2 BOX 6677 Keaau, HI 96749 Comm. k1o. Ref. T®: 1 �� . gate CT "WF rF