Advocates and Philadelphia City Council members are urging the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department (PPR) to phase out its use of toxic herbicides on city-owned land — nearly five years after the practice was outlawed.

The city passed the Healthy Outdoor Public Spaces (HOPS) law in 2020 prohibiting the use of synthetic herbicides linked to severe health conditions in public spaces, with the exception of some emergencies. Synthetic herbicides are human-made chemical compounds used to control or kill weeds.

PPR has yet to comply with the law. Approximately 13.5 tons of pesticides were sprayed on public grounds in 2024, an increase from 0.44 in 2021, according to the department’s own data. PPR staff and contractors sprayed 16.2 tons in 2022 and 15.6 in 2023.

Nearly two tons of these chemicals were sprayed within Wissahickon Valley Park last year.

Led by Commissioner Susan Slawson starting in 2024, PPR said the products are necessary to manage and control invasive species that are harming the city’s natural forests. But advocates say these chemicals jeopardize the health and safety of city workers, park users, wildlife, and pets who are exposed to them.

Kris Soffa, of Toxic Free Philly, a coalition of Philadelphians who have long advocated for the ban of toxic herbicides in the city, said the pesticides can wash into the Wissahickon Watershed.

“When these toxic synthetic chemicals are applied, they don’t stay put. They leach and migrate through the air, the land, and the water,” she said.

Cindy Bass, who authored the HOPS law and represents Philadelphia’s 8th Councilmanic District, said the issue concerns visitors of Wissahickon Valley Park and other public recreational spaces in Northwest Philadelphia.

“These neighborhoods have a great appreciation of trees and green spaces that are usable for community use. We want to embrace that in a way that is saying we recognize the health hazards that come with the toxic materials that we spray,” she said.

HOPS law and hazards

The HOPS law, which passed unanimously in Council, gave the city three years to completely phase out its use of synthetic herbicides on green spaces and to transition toward organic land management. Former Mayor Jim Kenney refused to sign it, so the law took effect in 2021 without his signature.

The HOPS law required PPR to publicly report the use of any kind of pesticide on the city’s website. But Toxic Free Philly and the Local had to file a Right to Know request to obtain that data.

“This is done with taxpayer money without our knowledge and permission,” Soffa said.

The legislation also cited scientific studies that link exposure to certain toxic chemicals with asthma, cancer, disruption of the endocrine system, and other health conditions.

Children exposed to pesticides are more likely to develop chronic respiratory diseases and childhood cancer, multiple studies say. Researchers also link exposure during pregnancy to children’s birth defects and developmental conditions.

Philadelphia jurors awarded billions of dollars to plaintiffs who argued the weed killer Roundup caused their cancer. The World Health Organization sounded the alarm about glyphosate, Roundup’s key ingredient, in 2015, calling it “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the chemical does not pose human health risks when used in accordance with its label.

PPR’s use of glyphosate-based products on public land nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023.

Two pesticide products used by PPR over the past few years contained 2,4-D, one of the key ingredients in Agent Orange.

Dr. Linda Stern, a primary care physician and member of Toxic Free Philly, worked with many patients exposed to Agent Orange at the Philadelphia V.A. Medical Center. The defoliant used in the Vietnam War is linked to Parkinson’s, multiple cancers, and multiple skin and heart diseases, she said.

“There are no established safe levels of herbicide,” she said. “It’s like asking, ‘Is a little bit of poison safe?’”

Lisa Bonitatibus, a member of Toxic Free Philly, is a breast cancer survivor and the first in her family to get cancer. Her surgical oncologist told her 95% of her type of cancer — estrogen receptor positive — is caused by environmental factors; banning pesticides removes one threat.

She said, “We are living in a chemical soup these days. I really believed in what Toxic Free Philly was doing. It’s to limit the exposure as much as we can.”

In a statement to the Local, PPR said it will “assess how best to evolve our approach in alignment with the current administration’s environmental priorities.” The statement continued, “Philadelphia Parks and Recreation remains committed to safe, sustainable land management practices that support Mayor Parker’s vision of making Philadelphia ‘the safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the nation.’”

“One of the primary challenges in fully implementing HOPS is that organic herbicides and mechanical methods often fall short in controlling invasive species,” the statement said. “In such cases, our Natural Lands team uses synthetic herbicides only when necessary to protect ecosystem health and public safety — consistent with the thresholds outlined in the HOPS legislation.”

HOPS allows PPR to use synthetic herbicides while combating invasive species with approval from the Department of Public Health. The Local asked PPR if it sought approval from the department and did not receive a response.

PPR said it has installed warning signs before spraying synthetic herbicides, in accordance with the HOPS law, and does not apply these products within 50 feet of playground equipment.

Stern said these signs are ineffective, as chemicals can remain in the soil for months.

Council hearing

City Council members held a public hearing in June to investigate PPR’s failure to comply with the HOPS law. At-large Councilmember Jim Harrity expressed concern about workers’ equipment. Employees must wear protective equipment outlined on the pesticide product label.

Multiple members of Toxic Free Philly said they’ve seen PPR workers and contractors spraying while wearing “little to no PPE [Personal Protective Equipment].” Usually, they wear protective gloves, they said.

Harrity said in an interview with the Local he sprayed Roundup in the 1980s as a city employee. “We had a lot of members that were dropping dead from cancer in bunches, and we couldn’t figure out why.”

In the hearing, Slawson said PPR’s trials using manual and organic alternatives were ineffective.

AeLin Compton, environmental restoration crew chief for PPR, said in the hearing invasives are killing native vegetation and threatening biodiversity in Philadelphia, and some species cannot be controlled by mechanical means.

Council members said they understand the difficulty of the transition and praised PPR for trying alternatives, but reiterated that this issue puts residents’ lives at risk. Slawson said the department will consult experts and research cities that have successfully tackled this problem.

“We’re not going to drag our feet on this. Next year, you will not sit here and we haven’t moved,” she said.

Sadie Francis, a consultant and member of Toxic Free Philly, said spraying pesticides also harms surrounding plants, insects, and wildlife. She argued these chemicals fuel the spread of invasives.

“Invasives love poor, degraded soils that basically nothing else wants to grow in. And by continuing to spray herbicides, you’re furthering that degradation,” she said.

Next steps

Bass said PPR was given the summer to come up with a “game plan” and they are expected to present it to council members in the fall. She said the department under Slawson seems more cooperative compared to the previous administration, and she’s optimistic they will comply with the HOPS law.

“The goal (of the hearing) was to get everybody on the same page, and I think we’re working towards that,” Bass said. “What we were hearing before was ‘The system’s fine, and we’re not doing anything to change it.’ And what we’re hearing now is ‘Okay, let’s try to figure this out.’ I think that there’s progress right there.”

Harrity and Bass told the Local they’re willing to take legal action if the city makes zero progress and argues that HOPS is legislative overreach. They’re also willing to provide financial assistance if PPR faces budgetary constraints.

Bass said in the long run, HOPS will help reduce health disparities in environmental justice communities. Philadelphia’s asthma rates are higher than the national average, and Black and Hispanic children with asthma are hospitalized more than their white counterparts.

To that end, Bass said, public parks are supposed to be a solution to environmental injustice.

Abby Weiss is an environmental reporter for the Local and a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at Abby@chestnuthilllocal.com.