CHO's Nov. 4, 2004 submission to the City of Ottawa's HRSS Committee:
www.healthyottawa.ca November 3, 2004 The Coalition for a Healthy Ottawa (CHO) would like to congratulate the City of Ottawa on moving ahead with its Maintenance Quality Standards for public spaces outdoors, and to pass along some additional information to assist you in achieving safe turf economically, for healthy citizens in a sustainable environment. Compost is important in maintenance of turf, and could be key to improving Ottawa's sports fields. Ottawa's survey of practices in other jurisdictions, including Halifax, was carried out in 2001. Since then, Halifax has maintained its public spaces, including sports fields, without pesticides. Great improvements have been made by using municipal compost on the fields, and this is an example Ottawa should consider. The report is available at: http://www.halifax.ca/environment/CompostResearchTrial.html Ottawa's report recommends that spring cleanup include removal of thatch, but the City of Ottawa's horticultural expert recently concluded that often it is simpler, cheaper and more effective simply to add compost. This contains micro-organisms to break down the thatch and fertilises the turf at the same time. Amending the report to call for compost on thatch, and for compost instead of some fertiliser treatments, would be both economically sound and horticulturally superior. We applaud the focus on growing turf that will not need chemical inputs, and include for your reference our submissions on this, which were not noted in the report. In particular, please note the health impacts of the pesticides proposed for use on Ottawa sports fields and a petition with over 1100 signatures that was submitted to Council, supporting pesticide-free sports fields. In the course of collecting petition signatures in August 2004, it became clear that most people didn't want pesticides, and that after the pesticide reduction campaign, they felt the City would be betraying a trust if they used pesticides on sports fields. Others, at the West Carleton soccer tournament, who thought that pesticides had to be used or the fields would inevitably be unplayable, were unaware that the good fields they were holding up as examples had not seen pesticides for years, if ever. The experience of West Carleton players and coaches was that field quality is excellent at the high school (where pesticides are never supposed to have been used) and that over-use was the enemy of the fields. Ottawa's consultation was not very comprehensive either, because neither the present or past president of the West Carleton soccer league were aware of the city's pesticide policy change, and both were adamantly in favour of pesticide-free fields (Bob Reardon and Angus Palmer). The CHO is a coalition of individuals, health care professionals, scientists, and health and environmental organisations working to reduce lawn and garden pesticides in Ottawa. The CHO supports healthy, sustainable landscapes by encouraging non-toxic pest management strategies. The honourary co-chairs of the CHO are Dr. Joe Reisman, Head of Paediatrics at CHEO and the University of Ottawa, and Dr. Alex MacKenzie, director of the CHEO Research Institute.
Please do not hesitate to ask, if we may be of any assistance to you. Sincerely, Meg Sears (Ph.D.) Coalition for a Healthy Ottawa (613) 832-2806 healthyottawa@hotmail.com
www.healthyottawa.ca www.sierraclub.ca
Over 1000 Signatures in 5 Days Asking Ottawa to Reaffirm its Pesticide-Free Policy For Sports Fields
Attached, please find a petition asking the City of Ottawa to reaffirm its commitment to pesticide-free public lands, particularly sports fields. The petition was distributed to a few locations in Ottawa on August 19th. On the 21st it was signed by more than 300 people in front of Mountain Equipment Coop, and dozens signed it elsewhere. The petition went online, a few mums collected signatures at soccer games and in the neighbourhoods. By August 24th the signatories had grown to about 1000 on paper and hundreds online. The online petition is available at: http://www.petitiononline.com/ottpest/petition.html. Comments are posted, and are a glimpse of people's concerns about this issue. What have we heard? Disbelief was common. Ottawa has a public education campaign for pesticide reduction. There has little if any consultation of the public or sports groups, and been negligible publicity of this issue. Over 100 soccer players and parents signed at the West Carleton House League Soccer Tournament. Neither the past nor present presidents of the WCSA had heard that pesticides were proposed for playing fields. Both were opposed. (WC High School fields are among Ottawa's best, and they were established and maintained without pesticides. The WCSA arranges and pays for grass cutting.) Listen to the doctors! The toxicities of pesticides are documented and doctors (e.g. Ontario College of Family Physicians, Ontario Nurses Association, Canadian Cancer Society, Head of Paediatrics at CHEO, the Director of the CHEO Research Institute, Chair of the Canadian Leukemia Studies Group, etc.) advise avoiding pesticides if at all possible. For sports fields it has been amply proven that pesticides are not necessary. The cost of treating a single case of a serious illness such as cancer dwarfs turf maintenance costs. There is no evidence of it, but even if there was an increased risk of turning an ankle on weeds, how do you weigh a sprain against the verified risk of life-long problems such as neurological deficits or a malignancy? Protect our children, who are most at risk. Parents are threatening to boycott poisoned playing fields. Fields close to schools, daycares, playgrounds, hospitals and other places where children spend a lot of time should be safe havens. Health problems associated with pesticide exposure will preclude sports participation by some residents. Pesticides are polluting our waterways. The proposed pesticide policy commits the City to routine monitoring of pests in fields. People don't want taxes to go to GRUB INSPECTORS. Money should go to maintenance and building the earth of fields with poor soil. Use the City's compost. CMHC advise for low-cost, pesticide-free, drought and grub resistant turf is available at:
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/la/la_004.cfm
Disgust greeted the ludicrous staff proposition, after years of using no pesticides, that this policy of using some pesticides would result in decreased pesticide use. Many were concerned about pesticide pollution. The proposed insecticide (imidacloprid) is extremely toxic and should not be used on fields at all, particularly if children play before the pesticide is gone. That takes years. It is toxic to nervous system, lasts for years and breaks down into a toxic carcinogen. Grub-resistant turf species, healthy wildlife (particularly birds), healthy turf and application of nematodes can all contribute to a solution. For more information: Meg Sears CHO: 832-2806 and/or Katie Albright, Sierra Club of Canada: 241-4611 August 25th Total Signatures on paper: 911 Total Signatures online: 223
Pesticide Fact Sheet
IMIDACLOPRID
www.healthyottawa.ca
Imidacloprid, or Merit™, is a chlorinated nicotine-like compound, that affects the nervous system in the same way as nicotine. Exposure may cause apathy, difficulty breathing, loss of the ability to move, staggering, trembling and spasms. It causes thyroid lesions in rats. Low doses of nicotine early in life are known to affect brain development.
The "environmental fate" - breakdown of imidacloprid - is very complex and slow, and some degradation products are more toxic than the parent compound such as the toxic, persistent 2-chloropyridine. Thus, the possibility exists that soil will become more toxic rather than less toxic with the passage of time. Imidacloprid is extremely long-lasting. The label stipulates that food crops cannot be planted for a year after imidacloprid application. Thus, two growing seasons would have elapsed before harvest. It is not proposed that our children be afforded the protection of two growing seasons before exposure to sports fields that have been treated with imidacloprid. Will our children be afforded the protection afforded a carrot or tomato? Imidacloprid may be counter-productive, because it kills beetles and parasitic wasps that control grubs, and repels birds that would eat grubs. Resistance to this insecticide has appeared within 2 years. Imidacloprid also kills earthworms, and bees that collect pollen from plants blooming on contaminated soil. Imidacloprid was granted three temporary registrations, in spite of missing "environmental fate" data. It is allowed only in Halifax, Ontario and Quebec. Commissioner for the Environment, Johanne Gélinas, has repeatedly criticised the Pest Management Regulatory Agency for granting registrations when important data is lacking.
Pesticide Fact Sheet PHENOXY HERBICIDES – WEED KILLERS FOR TURF www.healthyottawa.ca Weedkillers 2,4-D, Mecoprop and Dicamba, three of the top five landscaping chemicals, are phenoxy herbicides. By nature of the way they are synthesised, they are inevitably contaminated with chlorinated dioxins. These persistent, bioaccumulative toxic substances are linked to cancers, particularly non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and to reproductive, immunological and neurological problems. Phenoxy herbicides (weedkillers) were present in 60% (26/43) of the samples taken in the Rideau River and tributaries in 2003. Concern over 2,4-D is such that it is currently not approved for use on lawns and gardens in Québec, Sweden and Denmark. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency has been reassessing the herbicide ingredients for approximately 20 years. Data for the conventional Mecoprop products has not been submitted to Canada's risk assessment. Although these products are being discontinued, Mecoprop may be sold in stores until 2009. Agent Orange, used to defoliate Vietnam, was a mixture of phenoxy herbicides. Veterans and Vietnamese citizens are still living with this toxic legacy. One ingredient, 2,4,5-T, was identified as being contaminated with a highly toxic form of dioxin, and is blamed for a variety of health problems including cancer, particularly non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The "Agent Orange Alibi" is that all health problems were solely caused by the now-discontinued ingredient, 2,4,5-T. Medical literature reviews relied upon by pesticide proponents dismiss the many epidemiological studies demonstrating links between herbicides and maladies as due to use of 2,4,5-T. Studies that were inconclusive or had a null result, no matter how small or poorly designed, are leapt upon as demonstrating "safety" of other phenoxy herbicides.
Pesticide Fact Sheet HEALTHY SPORTS FIELDS www.healthyottawa.ca Ottawa has been a leader, with its interim pesticide policy: "That public health is the primary determinant as to whether or not a toxic substance shall be used in urban areas of the City of Ottawa. Pesticide use shall be limited to cases where the health risks of application of the pesticide are clearly less than the risk to human health resulting from no action, and where the pesticide to be used poses less risk to health than any other practical method of solving the problem."
CHO members, including players, parents and coaches, are glad to be playing on pesticide-free playing fields. Ottawa companies and products are presently maintaining resilient, pesticide-free turf that is weed and insect resistant, without toxic chemicals. Schools and hospitals are committed to pesticide-free grounds, and would reasonably expect the same for City-owned neighbouring fields Safe sports fields can also feature other species as well as or rather than grass, such as clover and thyme. Pilot organic turf care projects in Ottawa, for example Palsen Pk (at Palsen and Laird), are extremely successful. For effective organic gardening advice and links please visit our website. PubMed is a well known online service that provides abstracts of peer-reviewed medical and scientific literature. Searches of this literature reveal some interesting facts: Injuries related to condition of playing fields are reported in a small number of papers. This was always related to lack of vegetation and playing in slippery mud, but not the grass / "weed" species composition. The most serious, worrisome injuries in soccer are related to "heading" the ball; although contact, leading to fractures of the lower arm, is reported as well.
CHEO investigated the possibility of injuries related to turf quality and found nothing. Pesticides will not prevent muddy fields or bare earth. Cognitive performance impairment from heading can only be exacerbated by pesticide exposures, and pesticides will not prevent collisions on sports fields. The two sorts of pesticides contemplated for sports fields are weed killers (phenoxy herbicides) and insecticide for grubs (imidacloprid). These chemicals pose substantial risks to human and environmental health and their use is not justified on sports fields. The new pesticide policy commits the City to GRUB INSPECTORS. If too many of the wrong kind are found, imidacloprid may be applied. The money could be better spent on horticulture, to build healthy, grub-resistant turf that will survive pests.
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