HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.469 2018-2020 From: Katy Beniamin
To: Council Testimony $,�
Subject: Please vote in favor of Bill 101 ?0p99 Lt1i9 NOV
Date: Saturday,November 16,2019 5:47:57 PM
Aloha Honorable County of Hawaii Councilmembers,
I am sick of the two county"properties"that surround my home being poisoned.My home is full of 10 varieties of
kalo,pollinators,fruit trees,medicine,and the Waiakea Stream.Many times a year I come out to see that these
devastating chemicals have been sprayed in direct proximity to plants,my personal safety,the school children of
Cheifess Kapiolani Elementary(who have theie SPED preschool classroom directly along the fence line the county
sprays,that's 3-4 year olds with special needs)and waterways.We are in the middle of a mass extinction,and most
impacted by these chemicals are insects,the bottom of our food chain.As they die off,so too do countless other
species.We are decades behind banning these chemicals.Please make the right choice.
Please vote in favor of Bill 101 to limit the County's use of chemical herbicides.The bill directs the County to
restrict herbicides on County roads and County properties only.It has nothing to do with agricultural use or home
use.
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.It is dangerous for them to pick and eat wild
guavas,lilikoi or other fruit growing on the side of the road or in the gulches.Our children should not be poisoned
by normal kid outdoor activities.
Long-term exposure is linked with increased risks of cancer,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.
Let's change our mindset and learn the process of using non-toxic alternatives,and transition away from the use of
toxic chemicals for land management. Wherever we can,we must mitigate the coming impacts of a collapsing
global environment.This is one meaningful way to do so.
Mahalo,
Katy Benjamin,HILO
Comm. No. It •- 6-t.
Ref.To: Pitunur—
Ref. Date NOV 2 0 2019