Councils should ban the use of Roundup or risk being sued by employees and residents if their health is affected

EXCERPT: Alliance for a Clean Environment convenor Jane Bremmer said councils should immediately suspend the use of glyphosate in public places, particularly children’s playgrounds.
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Councils urged to suspend use of Roundup or face risk of legal action

by Sarah Brookes
Hills Gazette (Australia), August 16, 2018
https://www.communitynews.com.au/hills-gazette/news/councils-urged-to-suspend-use-of-roundup-or-face-risk-of-legal-action

COUNCILS should ban the use of Roundup or risk being sued by employees and residents if their health is affected, say action groups.

The call comes in the wake of a landmark lawsuit in the United States in which a jury found chemical giant Monsanto liable for causing a school groundsman’s cancer from his exposure to the weedkiller.

The active chemical in Roundup – glyphosate –is classified as probably carcinogenic by the World Health Organisation but is still approved for use in Australia.

Alliance for a Clean Environment convenor Jane Bremmer said councils should immediately suspend the use of glyphosate in public places, particularly children’s playgrounds.

“Local government authorities are now compelled by this legal precedent to protect their constituents and worker’s health and their own legal liability by suspending the use of glyphosate in public places and invest in safer, alternative weed control practices,” she said.

“It is simply absurd to suggest that allowing children to play on freshly sprayed grass within minutes of a pesticide application is safe.

“It’s a tragic case of the Emperor’s new clothes with potentially deadly consequences.”

The Shire of Mundaring and City of Kalamunda said they would continue to use glyphosate in line with the advice from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) recommendation that products containing the pesticide were safe to use as per the manufacturer’s instructions.