Saturday, 28 March 2015
Thursday, 15 May 2014
Disturbing news - Long life glyphosate introduced.
Chikara is slow release glyphosate which is being introduced here on the St Matthews. I will upload the bystander information card later. I just found out about it today from the Parks and Landscapes workers, obviously the Council didn't think it was worth while informing us of this change. This new version kills all seeds and prevents germination for 6 months. Roundup is supposed to last for two weeks.
On the St Matthews children are allowed onto freshly sprayed areas immediately even though the label says that 4 hours at least should pass before contact.
I have reproduced an article here.
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On the St Matthews children are allowed onto freshly sprayed areas immediately even though the label says that 4 hours at least should pass before contact.
I have reproduced an article here.
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Questions Surround Safety of RoundUp
by Wendy Wenck
by Wendy Wenck
This column ran in the July 10 issue of the Durham Herald-Sun, and is reposted here with permission from the author.
Q: I have been spraying RoundUp herbicide on weeds around my yard and between the pavers of our sidewalk once in a while. My wife is concerned about me using it, because our children play in these areas and might come in contact with it. How safe is this product?
A: According to its label, the re-entry period before anyone can safely enter areas that have been sprayed with RoundUp is four hours. As with any pesticide application, the person doing the spraying should read the entire product label and follow all instructions. Wear appropriate protective clothing to avoid the spray contacting your skin. At a minimum, this means long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
While the EPA does not allow manufacturers such as Monsanto to explicitly say that RoundUp is safe, it is certainly implied in their advertisements for the product. Recently I've seen a commercial for RoundUp showing a man dressed in shorts and short-sleeved shirt happily spraying and winning his battle against weeds. The New York State Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, has twice sued Monsanto successfully over false advertising, such as images of young children with bare legs playing on newly treated lawns.
You definitely want to avoid contact with the spray, and not just because of what is listed as its active ingredient, glyphosate. RoundUp also contains something called a surfactant that helps the spray stick better to whatever it contacts, whether it is the leaf of a plant or your skin. Some tests have indicated that the surfactant included in RoundUp may pose more hazards than glyphosate.
There has been testing of RoundUp for skin and eye irritation, and to determine the concentration that causes death of 50 percent of the test population, i.e., the LD-50. There has been little or no testing done to determine its effects on the endocrine system (hormone effects) or with exposure to a mixture of chemicals including other common pesticides. Some consideration is now given to possible effects on children. However, there has been no testing and therefore there is no data for those in utero or on children younger than 6 months of age, before the blood-brain barrier is formed.
Available testing does not allow either the manufacturer or the consumer to determine under what conditions, if any, the product may be used "safely." It also doesn't indicate that where there is no data, there is no risk.
There is a distinctive smell that persists for some time after RoundUp has been sprayed. Individuals who have been exposed have reported symptoms including headaches, sore throats, and irritated eyes. After repeated exposures, some individuals become sensitized and are more prone to headaches with subsequent exposure to RoundUp.
About five years ago, I noticed that I was getting headaches whenever I sprayed RoundUp. I did some research online that gave me much food for thought. Eventually I quit using RoundUp. There is still debate about its safety for humans and the environment. I think that it is significant that the U.S., any testing of the safety of a pesticide's ingredients is done by the companies that would profit from the products, rather than by independent research labs.
I encourage you to check out some online resources and decide for yourself. There are other options for managing weeds such as mulching, vinegar-based herbicides such as BurnOut from St. Gabriel Laboratories, and flame weeding. For the most part, I manage weeds by spending a little time every day pulling weeds by hand, like my grandma did.
Wendy Wenck is nursery and greenhouse manager at the N.C. Botanical Garden. Her column appears every other Saturday.
Original article here http://www.toxicfreenc.org/informed/roundup.html#.U3SqwvldVTI
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
And so it continues - Ban Roundup now!
United States Comprehensive Glyphosate Ban Treaty ...
https://www.facebook.com/UnitedStatesComprehensiveGlyphosateBanTr...
Dutch Parliament Bans Glyphosate Herbicides for Non ...
sustainablepulse.com/.../dutch-parliament-bans-glyphosate-herbicides-no...
OCA Calls on US Regulators to Ban Glyphosate over Breast ...
sustainablepulse.com/.../oca-calls-u-s-regulators-ban-glyphosate-breast-m...
Rating: 5 - 1 vote
Apr 20, 2014 - The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) have called on U.S. regulatory agencies, including the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the ...Ban Monsanto's Birth Defect and Cancer-Causing Roundup!
www.organicconsumers.org/ocaactions.c...
Organic Consumers Association
Monsanto's Glyphosate Herbicide should be Banned ...
www.globalresearch.ca/monsantos-glyphosate...be-banned.../5377443
Here are some links that Leicester City Council should have a look at. They are putting their own workers in danger and poisoning the environment for the rest of us.
They need to be told that spraying this poison is not maintaining the environment but in fact degrading it for our children in the future.
One would have thought that in this age of global warming, air pollution and species loss that every available plant and weed should be pressed into the service of mitigating these problems.
Cumulative effect of spraying over 4-5 years
Spraying around the base of young trees and pointless street furniture.
Both these pictures taken on St Matthews 2014.
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Roundup implicated in long term health concerns
April 25 (Reuters) - Heavy use of the world's most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson's, infertility and cancers, according to a new study.
The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal Entropy, said evidence indicates that residues of "glyphosate," the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, which is sprayed over millions of acres of crops, has been found in food.
Those residues enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease, according to the report, authored by Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant from Arthur D. Little, Inc. Samsel is a former private environmental government contractor as well as a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
"Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body," the study says.
We "have hit upon something very important that needs to be taken seriously and further investigated," Seneff said.
Environmentalists, consumer groups and plant scientists from several countries have warned that heavy use of glyphosate is causing problems for plants, people and animals.
The EPA is conducting a standard registration review of glyphosate and has set a deadline of 2015 for determining if glyphosate use should be limited. The study is among many comments submitted to the agency.
Monsanto is the developer of both Roundup herbicide and a suite of crops that are genetically altered to withstand being sprayed with the Roundup weed killer.
These biotech crops, including corn, soybeans, canola and sugarbeets, are planted on millions of acres in the United States annually. Farmers like them because they can spray Roundup weed killer directly on the crops to kill weeds in the fields without harming the crops.
Roundup is also popularly used on lawns, gardens and golf courses.
Monsanto and other leading industry experts have said for years that glyphosate is proven safe, and has a less damaging impact on the environment than other commonly used chemicals.
Jerry Steiner, Monsanto's executive vice president of sustainability, reiterated that in a recent interview when questioned about the study.
"We are very confident in the long track record that glyphosate has. It has been very, very extensively studied," he said.
Of the more than two dozen top herbicides on the market, glyphosate is the most popular. In 2007, as much as 185 million pounds of glyphosate was used by U.S. farmers, double the amount used six years ago, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data.
Just as I didnt need a scientific study to tell me that crying babies calm down when picked up, I dont need a scientific study to tell me that spraying this crap on land every 3 months is stupid.
The peer-reviewed report, published last week in the scientific journal Entropy, said evidence indicates that residues of "glyphosate," the chief ingredient in Roundup weed killer, which is sprayed over millions of acres of crops, has been found in food.
Those residues enhance the damaging effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease, according to the report, authored by Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant from Arthur D. Little, Inc. Samsel is a former private environmental government contractor as well as a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
"Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body," the study says.
We "have hit upon something very important that needs to be taken seriously and further investigated," Seneff said.
Environmentalists, consumer groups and plant scientists from several countries have warned that heavy use of glyphosate is causing problems for plants, people and animals.
The EPA is conducting a standard registration review of glyphosate and has set a deadline of 2015 for determining if glyphosate use should be limited. The study is among many comments submitted to the agency.
Monsanto is the developer of both Roundup herbicide and a suite of crops that are genetically altered to withstand being sprayed with the Roundup weed killer.
These biotech crops, including corn, soybeans, canola and sugarbeets, are planted on millions of acres in the United States annually. Farmers like them because they can spray Roundup weed killer directly on the crops to kill weeds in the fields without harming the crops.
Roundup is also popularly used on lawns, gardens and golf courses.
Monsanto and other leading industry experts have said for years that glyphosate is proven safe, and has a less damaging impact on the environment than other commonly used chemicals.
Jerry Steiner, Monsanto's executive vice president of sustainability, reiterated that in a recent interview when questioned about the study.
"We are very confident in the long track record that glyphosate has. It has been very, very extensively studied," he said.
Of the more than two dozen top herbicides on the market, glyphosate is the most popular. In 2007, as much as 185 million pounds of glyphosate was used by U.S. farmers, double the amount used six years ago, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data.
Just as I didnt need a scientific study to tell me that crying babies calm down when picked up, I dont need a scientific study to tell me that spraying this crap on land every 3 months is stupid.
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Who actually did order all this defoliant?
Here is a copy of the email I sent my local council representative Dr Shofiqul Chowdhury
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Dear Dr Chowdhury,
I have lived here on the St Matthews (3 Monckton Close) for nearly
ten years. There has been improvement in the social side of the estate
but the natural environment has been degraded year on year.
I have been trying to find out who decided that using defoliant (Roundup) was good for
the local environment? (2700 litres pa FOI)
Why did they decide this?
What is the actual policy?
Is there a long term strategy? (Aerial spraying from drones)
Do they think that living in an "architectural drawing" is the way forward and
is beneficial to our youth?
The air is so bad on the estate due to proximity to major roads that every blade of grass
makes a difference to the air quality.
We have in fact lost trees every year on and near the estate.
The council goes on about preserving bees, well bees need a variety of indigenous plants (weeds) to
thrive.
I have been pursuing this tack for a while.
I have a blog here.http://sprayingstmatthews.blogspot.com/
I would be grateful if you could find out the answers to these questions.
I suspect my sons rights to enjoy butterflies and bees are being violated.
Yours sincerely
Mark Hearne
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I have had no reply yet even though I sent it on Thu, Jul 8, 2010.
I will remind him this week.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Dr Chowdhury,
I have lived here on the St Matthews (3 Monckton Close) for nearly
ten years. There has been improvement in the social side of the estate
but the natural environment has been degraded year on year.
I have been trying to find out who decided that using defoliant (Roundup) was good for
the local environment? (2700 litres pa FOI)
Why did they decide this?
What is the actual policy?
Is there a long term strategy? (Aerial spraying from drones)
Do they think that living in an "architectural drawing" is the way forward and
is beneficial to our youth?
The air is so bad on the estate due to proximity to major roads that every blade of grass
makes a difference to the air quality.
We have in fact lost trees every year on and near the estate.
The council goes on about preserving bees, well bees need a variety of indigenous plants (weeds) to
thrive.
I have been pursuing this tack for a while.
I have a blog here.http://sprayingstmatthews.blogspot.com/
I would be grateful if you could find out the answers to these questions.
I suspect my sons rights to enjoy butterflies and bees are being violated.
Yours sincerely
Mark Hearne
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I have had no reply yet even though I sent it on Thu, Jul 8, 2010.
I will remind him this week.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Friday, 30 October 2009
The degradation of the St Matthews estate
This is my personal experience of living on the St Matthews Estate and how I see what has happened over the last few years.
7 years ago St Matthews had an incredibly wide selection of bushes and trees with its attendant wildlife of Bats, Hedgehogs,Songbirds,Birds of Prey,and Insects.
Now most of the above are gone. I hardly saw a bee or a butterfly on the estate this whole summer.
Over the years the bushes in the communal areas have been gradually removed, in some cases replaced with non indigenous plants like yukka but mostly just removed. Trees have been cropped and cut to facilitate security cameras, the trees around the old school have been felled, and numerous trees have been removed to build car parking spaces.
Last year the local park was redone at a cost of £85000. Yes you guessed it trees were removed and the local police requested the bushes should be under 1 foot in height to prevent drug dealing. They needn't have worried because the maintenance teams promptly sprayed the park a couple of months later with herbicide killing a lot of the new planting.
St Georges roundabout which borders the estate had a lot of trees in the middle of it which were removed completely again on the grounds of drug dealing. I put in a FOI (Freedom of Information) request to Leicestershire police asking them how many arrests they had made on the roundabout in the last five years and yes there was not one.
The policy of the council towards the estate in terms of environment is totally negligent. Cost of Maintenance is the primary driver of the policy. As the estate is in the city centre every single green leaf contributes to the quality of the air we breathe but I would estimate that 50% of the trees and plants have been removed in the last 7 years. At this rate it wont be long before we are living in a car park that looks as neat as an architects drawing.
I do not think that this is what we should be building for our children to grow up in. In this era of climate change surely there should be a concerted effort to plant more trees on the estate both for immediate environmental improvement and long term rehabilitation of our flora and fauna.
I am pretty good at finding things out but in this case I need your help. I want to find out who orders the herbicide and what is the long term policy for its use. It is pretty stupid to spray all the meadow plants growing at the edges of the estate and then tell us to look after the bees.
That is why I have called this campaign "Who ordered Agent Orange?"
I would like anybody in Leicester to give me two minutes of you time and join my Facebook group which will present a petition to the council asking these very questions. I really need your support in this as the council will not listen to to just one person. If there are 20,000 of us then it is a different question.
Thank you for reading this far and I hope you will support my petition. Please feel free to comment although I will be moderating them.
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