Aucklanders deserve a beautiful city free from toxic cancer-causing chemicals, where we can trust our officials to provide a safe and healthy environment for all residents. But glyphosate, which is sprayed onto our roadsides where our children walk to school, and our parks where they play, is dangerous to our health and the environment.
Whilst, unbelievably, Auckland Council is proposing in its latest budget to use MORE chemicals in parks across the region (2), Auckland Transport continues to require the use of this probable carcinogen to control vegetation on the roadsides of the Waitakere, Rodney (and Hibiscus and Bays) and South Auckland regions – exposing a third of Aucklanders, or 500,000 people.
BUT the other two thirds of Aucklanders – the one million residents of urban North Shore and Auckland City areas - have enjoyed nonchemical vegetation control for 20 years with methods which are just as effective. Some nonchemical systems now COST NO MORE than spraying with glyphosate.
So why aren’t these safe, effective methods being used for the whole of Auckland? It’s ludicrous!!
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organisation) ruled in March 2015 that glyphosate was a probable human carcinogen based on evidence that linked the chemical to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and extensive DNA and chromosome damage in humans; as well as tumours of the kidney, pancreas, skin and blood vessels and DNA and chromosome damage in animals.
To continue to expose residents to the adverse health effects of this cancer-causing chemical is immoral and a violation of our Human Rights - especially when viable, safe and cost-effective alternatives are available and have been used successfully in Auckland for 20 years. We deserve better than this!
Our city should be clean and toxin-free. Help us to ban glyphosate – NOW - for a fair, safe and healthy Auckland City.
I want my daughter to grow up healthy.
Yeah it's effective at killing weeds, but what makes them think it won't have an effect on the human body after it gets into the waterways? This is so backwards. One rainy day and all bets are off. Glyphosates are toxic, and it's time for everyone to accept that. We need to move on to alternative methods that DON'T make us sick.
People have no idea how their kids are being poisoned!