“Compounds that include chlorpyrifos and glyphosate are commonly used locally. We call upon our local ag community to put our community’s health and safety over profits for true sustainability. “
Pesticides Exposed
Dear Editor:
The guilty verdict in the Monsanto case is a heads up for Sonoma County where thirty-seven tons of glyphosate were used on Sonoma County farms in 2016.
The prosecution revealed that Monsanto’s internal company documents proved “ that Monsanto has known for decades that glyphosate and specifically Roundup could cause cancer.”
The same week, federal appeals court ordered the ban of widely used farm pesticide chlorpyrifos, citing long-standing evidence that even secondary exposure can harm children. Pesticide residues that parents unwittingly carry home on their clothes, tools, and skin can be culprits in damaging health.
Over 100 schools in Sonoma County are within 1/4 mile of a farm that uses pesticides. The majority of these farms are vineyards, which is worrisome because 98{5fc40a96f14c4a6aa4c2a32569b0a57dcc67c0b31eb04c341474283f11b6cdd2} of the vineyards in Sonoma County are treated with synthetic pesticides.
Though the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association has a goal of certifying all vineyards as “Sonoma Sustainable” by 2019, certification does not require vineyards to reduce pesticide use.
Compounds that include chlorpyrifos and glyphosate are commonly used locally. We call upon our local ag community to put our community’s health and safety over profits for true sustainability.
Reuben Weinzveg
Padi Selwyn
