Maui Seeks to Reinstate Banned Pesticides on Public Lands

Maui County officials are considering rolling back a ban on pesticides and herbicides in public parks and golf courses. This move comes only three years after the County Council voted unanimously to ban harmful chemical pesticides and herbicides from public land after hearing public testimony and research on the dangers of these chemicals to people, land, and water.

The Parks Department is seeking an exemption, citing challenges in maintaining these areas to the standard of other competing areas without chemical treatments. They cited feedback from the public, some of whom objected to the smell of some of the organic treatments used.

Documentary Reveals Highly Toxic Roundup Herbicide ‘Everywhere’

When award-winning filmmaker Brian Lilla moved to Napa Valley, California, he quickly learned about the health hazards lurking in wine country. In his new documentary, “Children of the Vine,” Lilla shows how the use of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide and its active ingredient, glyphosate, has affected those who work in and live nearby.

“I didn’t want to run away from the problem,” Lilla said in an interview with the nonprofit publication Capital & Main. “No matter where I go, there’s going to be glyphosate in the food. Yes, it blew my mind to find out how much it’s being used in the vineyards. But I want to make it clear that the vineyards are not the villains, nor are farms.”

Studies and Lawsuits tie Roundup Weedkiller to Cancer and Birth Defects

Widespread use of the popular herbicide Roundup, which contains the known carcinogen glyphosate, is at the center of a series of lawsuits in Hawaiʻi and across the country.

New information is coming to light from studies linking the chemical to serious health problems that include cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, infertility and birth defects.