Roadside Spraying - Take Action!

The following letter was sent in response to a Register Guard opinion piece against the Lane County Board of Commissioners unanimous vote to continue a "no-spray" policy on county roads. Did you support the decision?  Then let the Commissioners, the Register Guard, and the public know. Send your letters to the editor to: rgletters@registerguard.com .

Dear Editor:

I am grateful to our Lane County Commissioners for voting 5-0 to place a moratorium on roadside herbicide spray.  Their decision wasn’t arbitrary – the issue of using poisons on our public roads has been deliberated by the Board over a number of years. Each year there has been a study of the risks of pesticide use and a reaffirmation of the need to err on the side of caution and make the commitment to protect public health and the environment.

Herbicides don’t stay where they are put.  When sprayed on roadsides, they run-off and drift into the surrounding environment, exposing people in cars, bikers, hikers and residential property.  Studies by public health experts show growing evidence that pesticide exposure harms humans, especially children.  A series of studies done in Oregon by the Oregon Health Science University (OHSU) found that thinking, memory and spatial skills are impaired when people are exposed to pesticides, even at low levels.  

The RG editorial on June 22, “Last resort, no resort,” misses the point of the County’s Last Resort Policy by suggesting that chemicals will always be necessary at some point.  However, many invasive weeds, including blackberries, are able to regenerate following herbicide treatment. Weed prevention techniques, as required by the Last Resort policy, help prevent re-infestation and stop an unending cycle of pesticide use. 

Lane County Commissioners are not alone in their concern about the risks of pesticides. The Canadian division of Home Depot announced that it will stop selling lawn pesticides by the end of 2008. Ontario Province, Toronto, and Quebec, plus fifty-five other municipalities have banned the use of pesticides for lawns.  Our Commissioners are on the right side of the issue.

Lisa Arkin,
Executive Director
Oregon Toxics Alliance
Eugene, Oregon