Posted on: Friday, February 4, 2005
Kaua'i County pane halts use of herbicide in two parks
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A County Council committee yesterday called for a halt to herbicide use in at least two parks, and asked the administration to come up with a plan to end the practice at other county parks and roadways.
The resolution, which passed with enough votes in the Parks and Recreation Committee to push it through the full council next week, followed public testimony from people who said they became sick from exposure to pesticides, and also from manufacturers and others who said that herbicides pose little or no risk when properly applied.
"This is an issue that has arisen from the community, from people who have been affected by the spraying of herbicides on county roads and parks," said resolution sponsor JoAnn Yukimura.
Yukimura said she is convinced there is a connection between the Monsanto product Roundup and cases of asthma and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and she sought to include references to those illnesses in the resolution. Others disagreed about the link.
Councilman Mel Rapozo said: "I'm uncomfortable with referencing any kind of medical problem."
Monsanto publications state that studies have shown no link between the herbicide and cancer and other health problems, and that Roundup has been used in habitat restoration projects in the Florida Everglades and elsewhere, and by such groups as the Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society.
The final language of the resolution does not address risks, but argues for weed control through an integrated process that includes monitoring weed populations, educating those who deal with weeds and employing nonchemical means of control.
The county is employing a program limiting herbicide use at Lydgate Park and Kapa'a Town Park, and the resolution calls for ending the practice entirely.
Kapa'a resident Diane Koerner, a member of Hawai'i's Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, said the public has the right to enjoy its public lands without risk of exposure to chemicals.
"We need to have free access to our parks and roads ... The benefits of alternative techniques far outweigh those of using herbicides and lead to safer, greener roadways and parks," she said.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
"We have had testimony that, if you use it properly, there is no risk ... if you follow the label," said Councilman Daryl Kaneshiro. "For me, who uses Roundup on the farm, I'm not able to support" such language.
Councilman Daryl Kaneshiro
Councilman Mel Rapozo
