Tag: spray

  • STOP THE TOXIC SPRAY

    They spray toxins KNOWN to cause cancer, weed-killer KNOWN to disrupt hormones herbicides KNOWN to be harmful to human health.The cities and counties spray toxic chemicals our sidewalks (where my children play barefoot), they spray our parks (where my children tumble and roll around) and they spray our school grounds where children spend most of the days of the weeks.

    Why are we ALLOWING this practice to continue? A few unsightly weeds are not worth another cancer diagnosis in a child! Our health is valuable. Here are several ACTION STEPS you can take to protect our children!

    STEP 1: SIGN THE PETITION

    STEP 2: #StopToxicSpray Make a Phone Call

    I wasn’t really planning on doing anything as my week has been crazy busy. But, an opportunity presented itself as I drove home today to find my street being sprayed with a ‘weed killer’ along the sidewalks and in the street cracks. I stopped the gentleman who had a golf cart and two large tanks of chemicals. He was applying it with a hand wand.

    I asked him “HOW DO I STOP THIS!?”

    He recognized I was worried and saw the van full of kids. “My son has sensitivities to chemicals I don’t want this sprayed near my yard.” He was very kind and said just post a sign, “NO SPRAY ZONE”. He already did my house but he wouldn’t spray my property next time.

    I didn’t want to be around the chemical tanks with the kids in car so I drove home to call the city. Ron from the Street Department called me back promptly. He’s been with the department since the 80’s and they have always sprayed weed killer. 

    No, they don’t alert the public and they spray twice a year. Yes, they use RoundUp and another cancer causing chemical combination. (Ask your city what THEY use?)

    When I expressed my concerns about its new label as a carcinogen, he responded  “Oh, that’s California not Idaho”. My response was “Oh, but the World Health Organization also labels it as a carcinogen. Cancer is an issue in Idaho as much as it is in California. Since 1 in 3 people get cancer it seems we should find an alternative chemical to get rid of weeds?” 

    It was a productive conversation. I finished the conversation with the question, “Since you said, you can’t stop spraying for weeds, how do we change the chemicals being use?”

    I was told to find a product that is the equivalent to Round Up in effectiveness and cost and he would research it and be willing to approach the supervisors to make a change. 

    I promised him that I, a mom of a sick kid, will research and find some alternative products for their use -because its that important to me. Not just for my kids sake, but for those workers being exposed to the chemicals in large concentrations, and the families that aren’t even aware that their children’s health issues are stemming from the constant chemical exposure and their bodies unable to detox like the rest of us. 

    UPDATE: I found a resource thanks to Non-Toxic Irvine. They have a list of alternatives the city can use. 

    I later found out that Nampa (a neighboring city) has already committed to reduce their use of this carcinogenic chemical Glyphosate. John from the parks department told me that they put out signs when they use chemicals in the park. The glyphosate is sprayed in tree wells – an area I will have my children avoid in the future. 

    “Napa is phasing out the herbicide, known by its brand name Roundup, and is substituting other substances, plus increased mulching to attack weeds in public recreational areas, according to Dave Perazzo, the city’s director of parks, trees and facilities.”

    Step #3 Join Others! We can do more together as a community

    Join our closed Facebook Group. Learn what people are doing in your city. Join with them to unite our voices against toxins sprayed in our beautiful state.

    #4 HELP COVER COSTS! DONATE

    Help Support Our Efforts to Make Idaho Non-Toxic

    Your donation will help with printing costs for educational materials submitted to our city and state officials!

    GLYPHOSATE Resources:
    Court Rules for Third Time RoundUp Caused Cancer

    Glyphosate Herbicides Contain Toxic Levels of Arsenic

    Glyphosate: Its inert ingredients are just as toxic

    MEDICAL Implications of RoundUp (Glyphosate)

    Nampa commits to reduction of Glyphosate in Parks :See Full Article At the Nampa Registar http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napa-edges-away-from-glyphosate-weed-killer-in-city-parks/article_096c09bd-140e-5a3d-a325-d97cab4e88e2.html

  • Why Poison the Lawn When You Can Have Wildflowers At Your Feet

    Wildflower seeds are carried on the wind, on the coats of wild animals and in the digestive tracts of birds. Anybody who’s paying attention would see them for the gifts they are: flowers that arrive, through no effort at all, to feed the bees and the butterflies.

    But Americans generally aren’t paying attention. Too enraptured with the idea of a lawn that unrolls from the street to their very door, a carpet of green that remains green even when grass is supposed to be dormant, they see these homely little wildflowers as intruders, something to be eradicated.

    Maybe the whole question seems like nothing more than a matter of personal preference — I like wildflowers, and other people like grass. To each her own. That would be a fair assessment of the situation if grass grew naturally under shade trees in suburbia and if homeowners killed the unwanted plants in their yards by pulling them up or mowing them down.

    Neither is true. Grass requires a lot of chemicals and a lot of water to thrive. The wildflower seeds that are carried on the wind to my uncultivated yard are also carried on the wind to my neighbors’ highly cultivated grass. Instead of weeding, it’s easier to use chemicals to keep seeds from germinating, and to kill the ones that germinate anyway with more chemicals still.

    But let’s be clear here: “Chemical” is just another way of saying “poison.” 

    Have you ever wandered down the yard-care aisles at a big-box store? Giant bags of fertilizer and gallon jugs of Roundup are stacked warehouse floor to warehouse ceiling, and the foul chemical stink they emit, even in sealed packages, will give you a headache if you linger long.

    No surprise, the chemicals that give you a headache in Home Depot are bad for the environment, too. Fertilizer runoff ends up in our waterways, causing algae blooms that starve fish and other aquatic wildlife of oxygen. Pesticides and herbicides end up there, too, but first they poison us.

    Last week, a federal jury ordered Monsanto, the maker of Roundup to pay $2 billion in damages to a couple who both had cancer. Last month, a federal jury ordered Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, to pay $80 million in damages to a California man with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer. It was the third time an American jury had found for a plaintiff with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and Bayer, which now owns Monsanto, has once again vowed to appeal. This could be the beginning of the end for Monsanto’s carcinogenic product that dominates the market as more juries hear how Monsanto manipulated its own research, colluded with regulators and intimidated scientists to keep secret the cancer risks from glyphosate.

    Nature has been trying to make this point for a while now. Next time you walk around a suburban neighborhood, take a mental wildlife census of the yards you pass. What you’ll invariably find is that the pristine lawns have almost no insects living there — no bees or butterflies, no beetles, no grasshoppers or crickets, no lacewings, no spiders, no roly-polys. And where there are no insects, there are also no tree frogs, no toads, no turtles, no bats, no songbirds. A staggering 96 percent of songbirds, even those that subsist on seeds and berries as adults, rely on insects to feed their young: A growing body needs protein, and for birds the best source of protein is a bug. And birds don’t know when a bug is sick with poison.

    We tend to think of nature in terms of its resilience. A rat snake eats all the redbird babies, and the parents build another nest somewhere else and try again. A tree dies in the forest, and all the little woodland creatures make a feast of the insects that live in the deadwood.

    But just because we can’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. We hear birds singing in springtime, and we assume that all is well, despite our chemicals, despite the heat we are generating with our fossil fuels, despite the forests we are laying waste to. 

    But we are wrong: The North American bird population is in steep decline, and the news is even worse for insects and amphibians: “Apocalypse” is the word scientists most often use to describe what’s happening to those populations.

    Gerard Manley Hopkins didn’t live to see the havoc wreaked by the chemicals that poison us now, but he knew something about the vulnerability of the natural world:

    What would the world be, once bereft
    Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
    O let them be left, wildness and wet;
    Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

    As individuals, we too often feel powerless in the face of the corporate and political forces that drive our culture, but in this matter we are not powerless. We can change our preferences and train our eyes to see the “perfect” American lawn for what it is: a field of poison. We can put away our chemicals, make a haven of our own yards and welcome the wildflowers.

    Change your own habits and request the cities eliminate toxins: Sign our petition:Stop the toxic sprays at schools and playgrounds

    Margaret Renkl is a contributing opinion writer who covers flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South.  She is the author of the forthcoming book “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss.” @MargaretRenkl

    This article originally appeared at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/opinion/nature-lawns-environment.html.

  • Citizens concerns causes city officials to stop the use of cancer-causing Round Up

    “It might mean more dandelions, but the bottom line is a dandelion won’t kill my daughter, poison will,” a mom said. This is the point. We don’t need the poison in our parks. Have you contacted your Parks and Rec or City to ask what they use for weed killer and what can be done to make a change for the sake of health? City of Caldwell has said that parents have to find a viable alternative and present it to the city for them to consider a change. Moral of the story? Things won’t change unless we speak up!

    LA Times Reports: 

    Burbank Mayor Will Rogers and several residents made it clear Tuesday that they don’t want the herbicide Roundup used in any city park.

    “I don’t want that crap anywhere near our parks,” Rogers said, which was followed by applause from about 30 people in the audience.

    Council members came to a consensus Tuesday to direct city staff to stop using the glyphosate-containing product that’s used to kill weeds in city parks and areas where the public gathers, such as the Chandler Bikeway, for one year.

    Roundup was recently placed on the state’s Proposition 65 list of known carcinogens.

    However, city officials will allow the Public Works Department to continue using the weed killer from Monsanto on sidewalks, alleys and street medians.

    During the one-year ban, council members directed the Parks and Recreation and Public Works departments to try alternative and safer products to remove weeds and to come back with a report about whether a replacement to Roundup was found.

    In March, Burbank Unified school officials decided to stop using the weed killer after several concerned parents and residents called for the end of its use. Since then, the district has been using Avenger, an organic herbicide.

    Glendale Unified officials also announced that month that the district would stop using any weed-killing product that contains glyphosate.

    Over-the-counter, not commercial-strength, Roundup is still being used by the city of Glendale, but only when needed by the city’s parks department, said Glendale spokesman Tom Lorenz in an email. He added that city staff has been testing some organic solutions to remove weeds.

    Jim Biery, the interim public works director for Burbank, told council members that the city had been using Roundup since the late 1980s and it was the most effective product to remove weeds.

    He added that public works employees who use the herbicide are trained and are told to not use the product when it is windy or raining and to wait until the chemical has fully dried before leaving the treated area.

    “The staff that uses it is highly trained to apply Roundup,” Biery said. “They do it in small doses under very controlled conditions.”

    However, several Burbank parents and residents told council members during a lengthy public comment period on Tuesday that they disagreed with the city’s staff report about the use of Roundup, saying that agencies such as the World Health Organization have determined that using glyphosate can lead to cancer.

    “I personally feel that it would be reckless to continue using Roundup when there are now so many viable, cost-effective, organic alternatives that don’t carry the same public-health concerns,” said resident Leigh Ann Kato. “It is true that not all Proposition 65 chemicals carry such great risk, but I would ask you to keep in mind, in this instance, children, adults and pets do not have a choice about their exposure to this toxin. That should never be the case in a cancer-causing agent.”

    Burbank resident Erin Vierra said there have been several people in her family who have died from some form of cancer and she is concerned about the future of her 4-year-old son and 16-month-old daughter, “who is notorious about eating grass at our public park.”

    After learning about the potential harm that Roundup can do to her family, Vierra said the city needs to switch to something safer for her children and for everyone in the community.

    “It might mean more dandelions, but the bottom line is a dandelion won’t kill my daughter, poison will,” she said.

    This article originally appeared at: http://www.latimes.com/socal/burbank-leader/news/tn-blr-me-roundup-stopped-20170713-story.html.

  • Take Action. Create Your Own No Spray Zone

    Are you willing to take responsibility of your own property? Let the government know you want to opt out of their toxic spray program. You have the legal right to opt out of pesticides on your property. Unlike other states, that have to BEG the local authorities to stop poisoning their families, we have the right to OPT-OUT of chemical control/treatments. Invite your neighbors to do the same. Create a spray free safety zone in your neighborhood.

    Unfounded FEAR: West Nile Virus

    CDC reports state wide in 2016  6 people tested positive for West Nile Virus and were either symptom-less or were sick with flu like symptoms.  Three individuals were hospitalized with more serious complications. There were NO FATALITIES. CDC reports that COMPLICATIONS from West Nile Virus are VERY, VERY RARE less than 1% of individuals actually experience complications from West Nile Virus.

    CDC RECORDS show that since 2002 less than a dozen people a year experience complications from the virus, with the exceptions of the unexplained outbreak in 2006 of two hundred plus cases. Ever since the 2006 outbreak anomaly, the government has be monitoring and spraying neighborhoods. Many times spray trucks drive-by unannounced catching families and pets in their path. The County has admitted they have a hard time ‘getting the word out’ of an impending area spray and proceed with truck based spraying in neighborhoods and play areas in the early summer evenings, just as the weather cools for the day.

    Hazardous Pesticides:

    Ada County’s Mosquito Abatement website reveals they use Dibrom, which is an organophosphate insecticide with the active ingredient Naled. Naled, a KNOWN neurotoxin is banned in many other countries. Recently scientists have expressed concerns about its affect on our babies in utero as it passes to the fetus through the placenta.

    Canyon County Mosquito Abatement website reveals they use Permithrin that has shown to have the following effects on humans:

    • Cancer: Possible (10)
    • Endocrine Disruption: Yes (5)
    • Reproductive Effects: Yes (13)
    • Neurotoxicity: Yes (11)
    • Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (11)
    • Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes (4)

    OPT OUT: 

    You have the legal right to opt out of pesticides on your property. Unlike other states, that have to BEG the local authorities to stop poisoning their families, we have the right to OPT-OUT of chemical control/treatments.

     In 2007, the Idaho Legislature revised Idaho Code to include a new provision that allows residents living within a Mosquito Abatement District to opt-out of the district’s control/treatment program. As outlined in § 39-2804(10) of Idaho Code, a landowner requesting to exclude his property from the abatement district’s mosquito control program must submit a written Mosquito Management Plan specific to his property.  The detailed plan must provide adequate control measures and be implemented by the landowner

    MOSQUITO ABATEMENT DISTRICTS OPT OUT FORMS can be hard to locate it might requiring calling the Mosquito Abatement Department for your county/city/area

    CONTACT INFORMATION


    Chemical Toxicity and Health Effects for Commonly used Mosquito Pesticides

    Non Toxic Alternatives to Pesticides: Can be found at Beyondpesticides.org

  • Zika Feared – Neurotoxin Sprayed

    Zika no longer a global emergency and yet, the pesticide spraying of known neurotoxins continues in Florida. 

    According to a new study out, naled- the pesticide widely used to fight Zika-carrying mosquitoes in Florida and across the nation- has been linked to deficits in motor functions in Chinese babies. Authors of the study say it’s the first to examine real-world exposure to naled outside of workplace accidents or lab experiments. The University of Michigan study was published in the journal Environment International.

    RELATED ARTICLES:

    Using cord blood from 237 mothers who gave birth to healthy babies at a hospital in southeast China between 2008 and 2011, researchers found that at six weeks, the babies displayed no problems. However, at nine months, the babies suffered from slight problems with coordination, movement, and other motor functions. Miami Herald, June 2017.”>1 (Researchers used standard motor-skill tests that look at reflexes, body control, movement, and hand and eye coordination to assess problems; as exposure to naled increased, deficits also rose.)

    Although the study was only a close snapshot of a particular group of mothers, the authors rightly pointed out the need to take a closer look at using naled.

    Naled has been used for decades in Florida to control marsh mosquitoes. It’s sprayed by plane “mostly over suburban fringes bordering marshes and mangroves before dawn.” However, last year (thanks to people like YOU) it drew more attention and quick opposition when Miami-Dade County and other urban areas “battling Zika” started using it: Miami Herald, June 2017.”>2

    • In South Florida, protesters prompted the county to put off using the pesticide in Miami Beach to give the city more time to notify residents.
    • Federal officials backed off a plan to use naled in Puerto Rico after its governor protested.
    • Europe had already banned naled in 2012.
    • But of course, the CDC recommended its use in combination with organic larvicides that kill mosquito eggs in standing water.

    But, back to China. How did women end up with the poison in their cord blood? Especially given the fact that Amvac, the U.S. manufacturer of the pesticide, has no record of selling naled in China?

    “Silver said it was impossible to determine how the Chinese mothers ended up with naled in their blood, although she suspected it was used on crops or mosquito spraying. The team used cord blood collected between 2008 and 2011 by co-author Betsy Lozoff for another study that looked at iron deficiency and brain development. They found a number of pesticides but focused on five that occurred in traceable levels.” Miami Herald, June 2017.”>3

    Sources and References
    1. Miami Herald, June 2017.
    2. Miami Herald, June 2017.
    3. Miami Herald, June 2017.

    This article originally appeared at: https://www.healthnutnews.com/study-links-pesticide-used-to-fight-zika-in-florida-to-health-impacts-in-chinese-babies/.