Sutherland Shire Council's review of Roundup weed killer spraying deserves full community support
Council should assess its chemical regime; public and worker exposure, health and safety; insurance cover; legal liability; and non-chemical weed management.
SafeWork NSW warns all Roundup and other glyphosate-based-herbicide (GBH) users to always read labels, exercise caution and avoid bystander exposure.
Our regulator - the APVMA - has registered over 500 GBH mixtures that maximise glyphosate spread, penetration and killing power. Approvals do not mandate the use of any safety gear. Yet the evidence that GBHs trigger non-Hodgkin Lymphoma cancers is strong and many animal experiments also find systemic diseases.
CropLife endorses APVMA refusing to formally review glyphosate's impacts. But CropLife speaks for chemical companies that sold $1.7 billion of herbicides to Australians last year.
Sutherland Shire and its residents should join the 40 other Australian councils now considering safer weed management options.
Bob Phelps, Gene Ethics
The comments of the CEO of Croplife Australia ("Council decision disputed", Your View, May 8) regarding the decision of council are what would be expected of a person with a vested interest in this product.
The manufacturers of cigarettes and of fibro sheets similarly advocated the safety of their products for decades to the detriment of the public.
In light of the World Health Organisation's findings and those of the USA courts it would seem timely for the Australian regulatory authority APVMA to carry out another review of this product.
John Woodger , Cronulla
