HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.295 2018-2020 t-OtiN y OF liwAi
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From: Ey
To: Council Testimony 2
Subject: Bill#101 Herbicide Ban SOI C t �j ;
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Date: Monday,October 14,2019 2:36:05 PM
Aloha Honorable County of Hawaii Council Members,
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.
Pesticides can additionally seep into our waterways, drinking wells and our oceans. It creates
run-off detrimental to organic gardens and farms. This affects literally every single person
here on the islands.
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,
Emily Thompson
Captain Cook,HI
Comm. o. 4(64' 6 `5
Ref. To:�/AWahl10
Ref. Date OCT 1 5 2019