Testimony for and against the continued spraying of chemicals to control county-parks and roadside weeds will be heard today, Thursday, Jan. 20, at the regular meeting of the Kaua‘i County Council set for 9 a.m. at the historic County Building
Testimony for and against the continued spraying of chemicals to control county-parks and roadside weeds will be heard today, Thursday, Jan. 20, at the regular meeting of the Kaua‘i County Council set for 9 a.m. at the historic County Building council chambers on Rice Street in Lihu‘e.
Opponents of continued spraying say they have gathered 2,800 signatures of Kauaians wanting the practice stopped by county road and parks crews, according to Princeville’s July Nalda.
Philip Motooka from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa is scheduled to testify, and is expected to report that glyphosate, a chemical found in the weed-killer RoundUp, is 35 percent safer than salt for people and animals. Nalda and others dispute that fact, citing a New York state court case in which a judge ruled against leaders of Monsanto, makers of RoundUp, in a case involving the manufacturer’s claim that the ingredients in RoundUp are not a human or animal health hazard. “Our experience is that it is a very dangerous product indeed, and that is backed up by research,” Nalda said.
