HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.152 2018-2020 From: Colleen I
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Please vote in favor of Bill 101
Date: Thursday,October 10,2019 7:04:43 AM
Aloha Honorable County of Hawaii Councilm embers.
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,
Colleen Mellor
North Kohala
Comm. WN1
Ref. To:t4ML
Ref. nate_Q�T 1 �2O 19