Thank you to Abby Weiss and the Chestnut Hill Local for exposing the city’s continued use of toxic herbicides in our parks. Most people are shocked to learn that the Parks and Recreation Department sprays about 16 tons a year, much of it around ball fields, courts, benches, and fence lines — places where children and adults drop their backpacks and water bottles, then unknowingly carry residues home.
It’s time for the city to stop spraying dangerous chemicals and return to safer practices such as mowing and weed whacking. This would protect the public and workers, who …
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Thank you to Abby Weiss and the Chestnut Hill Local for exposing the city’s continued use of toxic herbicides in our parks. Most people are shocked to learn that the Parks and Recreation Department sprays about 16 tons a year, much of it around ball fields, courts, benches, and fence lines — places where children and adults drop their backpacks and water bottles, then unknowingly carry residues home.
It’s time for the city to stop spraying dangerous chemicals and return to safer practices such as mowing and weed whacking. This would protect the public and workers, who suffer most from exposure to pesticides.
Besides, it’s the law. City Council passed the Healthy Outdoor Public Spaces (HOPS) law because they wisely recognized the health dangers associated with toxic herbicides. How can the administration continue to ignore a legitimate law that protects public health? City Council must exercise all their powers to hold the administration accountable and stop the use of toxic pesticides in our parks without delay.
Amy Steffen
Chestnut Hill
