“Today, every man, woman and child has synthetic chemicals in their bodies. No child is born free of them.”          From TRADE SECRETS: A MOYERS REPORT (Emmy award winning documentary for outstanding investigative journalism and target of a classic smear campaign by the chemical industry.)

 

At least two of the synthetic chemicals used for weed control in Sedona are among those that bioaccumulate. This does not even take into account inert ingredients which may biaoaccumulate. Bioaccumulation means that chemicals affect not only the individuals directly exposed, but their offspring as well. Both glyphosate (in Ranger Pro and Roundup) and 2, 4-D ( in Mecamine D) are known to bioaccumulate. 2, 4-D is an endocrine disruptor which has been linked to breast cancer, birth defect, central nervous system damage, kidney and liver damage.  2, 4-D was an ingredient in Agent Orange. Glyphosate has been linked to cancer, reproductive disorders, miscarriages, genetic damage, increased incidence of attention deficit disorder and neurological conditions among other illnesses. A 1999 study, A Case-Control Study of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and Exposure to Pesticides, (American Cancer Society, 1999), found that people exposed to glyphosate are 2.7 times more likely to contract non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  Sources of many more scientific studies on health effects, as well as footnotes and more extensive facts on these and other chemicals, can be found at www.geocities.com/sedonasprayfree.

 

 As Councilor  Adams stressed at the January 9 city council meeting, the use of such chemicals affects everyone. Additionally, the chemical’s harmful stressors on pets, the environment and wildlife warrant a discontinuation of their use for purposes that are largely for convenience and cosmetics.

 

It is not widely known that no pesticide manufacturer in the United States is allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency to call its product "safe." When a pesticide passes the scrutiny of the EPA, it simply means that that product is effective and does kill the organism that its label says it kills. Combining the acknowledged lack of research on pendimethalin (an ingredient of pre-emergent Pendulum Aqua Cap) with the uncertainty of its inert ingredients yields an unnecessary gamble. This gamble goes beyond the proven dangerous toxicity to aquatic creatures and the accompanying decline in water quality. 

 

While some information on toxic effects is made available by manufacturers, there is no legal requirement to provide such data on "inert" ingredients, only active ones. According to a 1996 report by the Attorney General of New York State, this is a serious gap in the data of potential chemical effects since active ingredients can make up as little as one percent or less of the total formulation.** Thus, risk assessments that are based on active ingredients alone can be misleading and serve to downplay the detrimental effects of the products under consideration. Over 650 chemicals that have been identified as hazardous by federal, state, or international agencies are hiding behind the misleading word "inert" in pesticide products, according to a report released by the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. Over 2,500 substances labeled "inert" are added to pesticides but are not named on product labels.***

 

Further, a chemical that is used as an “inert” ingredient in one product can sometimes be found as an active ingredient in another. Almost 400 inert ingredients are now or have been used as the active, killing ingredient in pesticides. In addition, 209 are hazardous air or water pollutants, 21 have been classified as carcinogens, and 127 are occupational hazards. Many have been identified as hazardous by more than one statute or agency. In some cases, according to the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, the inert ingredients may be more toxic than the active ingredients. ***

 

This is just one reason why many municipalities are switching to non toxic methods of weed control. Cornell-trained horticultural consultant Carol Grohs is among those who have spent over eight months researching these municipalities and alternatives which are summarized in our documents  Nontoxic Weed Control Programs Used in Other Communities, Universities, and Schools and Alternative Approaches to Chemical Herbicide Spraying. Appropriate native grasses and wildflowers for Sedona, and vendors of such, are included in the research.  Rather than expanding landscaping that requires irrigation in drought conditions and more weed control, we recommend using more maintenance free solutions which would have a long term pay off. One possibility is the use of decorative concrete with embedded river stones. California Department of Transportation documents recently received by Carol Grohs describe CRMCrete as a maintenance free, fire resistant weed barrier that effectively reduces chemical spraying and lasts 3 times longer than concrete. CRMCrete is made partially of recycled tires, lessening disposal problems. 

 

The above documents, more extensive research information on health effects of chemicals, and other web links can be found at www.geocities.com/sedonasprayfree.

 

 

 

TRADE SECRETS: A MOYERS REPORT See www.pbs.org/tradesecrets  or obtain from the Sedona Public Library.  Matthew Turner of Vibrant Sedona presented a copy of this video to the Sedona City Council at the 1-9-2007 meeting.

 

** The Secret Hazards of Pesticides: Inert Ingredients, Report, Attorney General of New York State, Office of the Attorney General Environmental Protection Bureau, February 1996. http://www.oag.state.ny.us/environment/inerts96_print.html#secret#secret

 

***Worst Kept Secrets:  Toxic Inert Ingredients in Pesticides, Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, Eugene, OR, January, 1998. Summary at http://www.pesticide.org/ActiveInertsRel.html , and (full report)

Worst Kept Secrets: Toxic Inert Ingredients in Pesticides [PDF 150k]