The Irvine City Council will consider an organic pesticide policy for the city from Non Toxic Irvine, a group of Irvine parents that seeks to end the use of toxic pesticides in the city, at the February 23 meeting. The group is asking for the city to abandon conventional pesticides in favor of organic landscaping practices that are considered effective and use considerably less water.
Non Toxic Irvine’s says regular pesticides are proven to cause a number of health issues even with low levels of exposure in city parks, medians and walkways. Non Toxic Irvine turned in petitions and comments to city leaders asking them to stop the use of toxic pesticides in Irvine via a Change.org petition.
At the February 23 City Council meeting, Non Toxic Irvine will make a 15-minute presentation and will be joined by the following two UC Irvine professors who will present scientific research regarding the impact of pesticides on human health. These speakers include:
– Dean Baker, MD, MPH, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Director of UCI’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Health and Chief of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
– Bruce Blumberg, Professor of Developmental and Cell Biology in UCI’s School of Biological Sciences and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering.
In May 2015, the Irvine Unified School District ended the use of glyphosate/RoundUp on IUSD campuses after lobbying on the part of Non Toxic Irvine.
Non Toxic Irvine also seeks to end the use of toxic pesticides by Irvine’s more than 240 homeowner associations on the parks, greenbelts and other areas they maintain.
I know three kids in my neighborhood (Quail Hill), who have had brain tumors over the past few years. These are diseases that are supposed to happen to 1 in 100,000 kids. I think the super-manicured look that Irvine maintains with a long list of chemicals is taking its toll. Fortunately there are alternatives, and if using them can avert even one family having to watch their child fight cancer, then it would be worth the switch.
Safe alternatives to toxic pesticides and herbicides are readily available and should be the required treatment for both IUSD’s and the City of Irvine’s landscape maintenance staff. I strongly support the efforts of Non Toxic Irvine.
We moved to Irvine, CA for it’s schools and safety ranking. So learning the the City, and schools have been using toxic pesticides in copious amounts purely for beautification/weed control is heartbreaking! We love Irvine and hope the City will listen and move to non toxic methods. If this change is not made we will be forced to move out of Irvine. A great education is not worth risking the health of our 2 boys. The City needs to recognize that it’s children and residents have a right to live in a healthy environment. These toxic pesticides that they have been using are invisible, but their effects are not.
The attitude toward pesticide use has been far too casual given the fact that children are having so many health issues. With one in two children in the US with a chronic health issue, we need to reduce the toxic load on their bodies as much as we can. Let’s start with what we use to fight dandelions and crab grass! Organic landscaping methods have been used successfully for going on 15 years, and the results are that the landscapes are even more lush and beautiful and use less water, all at a reduced cost in the long run!
Please city council make this a priority. Be a leader in California for doing what is healthful for your residents and the people like me who like to shop and frequent your beautiful city! Be beautiful from the inside too!!!!
STOP poisoning our children and our neighborhoods! My 2 yr old grand daughter lives in Quail Hill, and has severe breathing issues now. I am sure it has something to do with all the chemicals they are using in the fields, schools, parks, communities – all around my daughters enviromentally green home and organic garden!
Stop the lies. Monsanto chemicals contains known neurotoxins that seep into the water and in the air…
See you at the meeting.
DH