Los Alamos Reporter

Against Addition Of Exemptions To Council’s Ban On Glyphosate Use On County Property

BY DAVD HAMPTON
White Rock

Dear County Councilors,

I just glanced at next Tuesday’s agenda and saw that our December 2021 ban on the use of glyphosate on county property is being challenged. While I have the utmost confidence that the intention of county staff would  be to use glyphosate in a manner that is safe not only for themselves but for the public, we have abundant evidence that this has not always been the case in our county. Accidents and misapplications have happened.

For the consequences of what happens when these accidents occur, check out what happened to Bayer from an article that came out in Reuters this week https://www.reuters.com/business/bayer-sees-lower-2023-operating-profit-cost-inflation-2023-02-28/:

“Bayer, which acquired glyphosate-based weedkillers as part of its 2018 takeover of Monsanto, said the settlement of U.S. lawsuits claiming that glyphosate caused cancer and over environmental pollution related to chemicals known as PCBs would cost it 2-3 billion euros this year.

A $6.4 billion provision remained on the balance sheet for glyphosate payouts, the larger of the two legal burdens. Bayer has previously paid out about $9.5 billion to settle those claims, though it has repeatedly stressed that glyphosate is safe to use and that environmental regulators share that view.”

These lawsuits stem largely from individuals exposed while applying Roundup, as detailed here https://www.sokolovelaw.com/product-liability/monsanto-roundup/#:~:text=Those%20heavily%20exposed%20are%20filing,out%20on%20money%20you%20deserve.

To make matters more interesting, Glyphosate will not longer be available for personal use this year in the United States  https://cen.acs.org/environment/pesticides/Bayer-end-glyphosate-sales-US/99/web/2021/07.

Regardless of how anyone feels about the science behind it, the use of glyphosate is not worth the risk. I urge you to vote to move that Council do not make any exemptions to the glyphosate use ban on County property. I further urge that the use of glyphosate not be replaced with similar products that have the potential to incur similar liabilities.