Environmental groups and the Canadian Cancer Society are leading Coquitlam council down the garden path, so to speak, over a ban on common household cosmetic pesticides. In referring to cosmetic pesticides, these groups are referring primarily to lawn and garden herbicides.
Despite claiming these chemicals are somehow dangerous, these organizations have not presented one shred of credible scientific evidence to support their argument. That’s because there is no credible science that supports their argument.
An excellent source of credible scientific information on common household herbicides and all other common pesticides is the National Pesticide Information Centre. The centre is a co-operative arrangement between Oregon State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
A review of this website, and especially the technical information sheets on individual pesticides, reveals that the most common household herbicides have been studied intensively for decades. Numerous peer-reviewed and independent scientific papers have established that none of these herbicides have any effect on human health, much less cause cancer. Furthermore, the credible science says that none of these herbicides persist in the environment.
Coquitlam council has a duty to the public to ensure that a costly ban on so-called cosmetic herbicides is implemented for good public policy reasons.
The scientific evidence shows that there are no good public policy reasons for such a ban. Coquitlam council should again reject this purely political campaign.
Rob Kyle
Anmore
via Scientific proof is missing.
