Glyphosate Town Hall Talking Points

Get Glyphosate Out of Your Community!

Listed below are some talking points that you can use at your next Town Hall Meeting.  Many communities are doing this with increasing success.  Just add in your town name in the talk below!  You can print off some of the studies on our data page to give to the council members.

My three children, with autoimmune, allergy and chemical sensitivities and I shop, go to parks, play and walk in _______. Children are especially vulnerable to chemicals because their livers and kidneys are not fully formed to be able to detox chemicals.

I am writing to request to have ______ Integrative Pest Management (IPM) be similar to Irvine California’s IPM which places organic methods as a priority and discontinues the use of glyphosate herbicides and toxic chemicals in Laguna Hills.

The reasons are:

1. Glyphosate is a carcinogen- IARC branch of WHO declared glyphosate a definite animal carcinogen and a probable human carcinogen- and CA EPA’s OEHHA placed glyphosate on Pro 65 carcinogen list on July 7, 2017.
2. There are nearly 9,500 lawsuits pending against the manufacturers of glyphosate-based herbicides for Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The first case in August awarded the school pesticide applicator Lee Johnson, 289.2 million dollars ( lowered to 78 milllion by judge) in connection with his Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma and glyphosate herbicide use.
3. Proven endocrine disruptor- which means it causes birth defects, sterility, infertility, sex hormone changes, developmental delays, shortened gestation, and miscarriage. A recent study shows human shortend gestation due to maternal exposure to glyphosate.
4. Patented antibiotic- meaning absorbed through drift or contact it can destroy beneficial bacteria in our bodies and weaken the immune system. It can also disrupt hormones which prevent addiction, depression, mental illness and acts of violence.  
5. Proven to cause non alcoholic fatty liver disease- According to the Liver Foundation 1 out of 10 Americans now have liver disease.
6. Proven to be a neurotoxin: 20 + year study showed children who lived in areas where pesticides were sprayed had lowered IQ. Chemicals that cause neurotoxin damage contribute to mental disorders such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, and autism.
7. Roundup/Rodeo sprayed on parks impacts our dogs and dog owners who pet them.
8. The EPA has confirmed that it is the law to follow directions on the label: meaning to “keep people and pets away until dried” The fact is that our city workers are not obeying the law when they don’t barricade an area off after spraying, whether it be on sidewalks, streets or parks.
9. Not safe. Although the manufacturer and EPA claim that glyphosate herbicides are safe, and it would be understandable for the city to believe that they are, the fact is that the policy of the EPA is to only require safety testing of one ingredient in the pesticide, not the full formulation. So the products as they are used in this city, have not been shown to be safe at any amount. To say that these pesticides are safe is scientifically unfounded. In fact the other ingredients in the formulation have been proven to be 1000X more toxic than glyphosate alone.
10. 90% of the pesticide pollution in water comes from urban runoff. Swimmers, marine life and our water supply is being impacted by our spraying too.  Will you commit to stop spraying glyphosate in _______?

There are safe alternatives such a steam weed control, organic herbicides such as Burn Down and Avenger, and in parks, mulch or cover crops. We are providing them today.

Here is a link https://www.momsacrossamerica.com/data to just some of the just some of the hundreds of studies showing the harm from glyphosate and information on the alternatives for the council to review. We understand that the city may be wary of alternatives, as they may initially appear to cost more ( but in the long term cost less), but we ask this:

What is the cost of cancer in _______?  What is the cost to a family who loses a child to cancer? To a husband who loses his wife and mother to his three children? Or to a wife who loses her husband do to testicular health problems (also connected to glyphosate).

What is the cost of the loss of IQ, of infertility, of liver disease in _______?

What is the cost to the school for missed school days?

What is the cost to pet owners to have a dog with tumors get surgery?

Or to a couple to hire care for their parent with Parkinson's (which has been connected to glyphosate exposure)?

I suggest that _____ cannot afford to continue using herbicides with such an extensive record of inflicting harm on human and animal life. We ask you, will you make a commitment to discontinue the use of glyphosate and use safe alternatives instead?

Thank you