Let the city know that spraying POISON all over our city's playgrounds is UNACCEPTABLE! ...Our children are born to explore. They pick up everything and put things in their mouth. Their skin and lungs are much more absorbent than adult skin and lungs. Their growing bodies don't have the ability to filter environmental toxins as well as adults. Their systems need nourishment, not poison! ...The active ingredient of Roundup is the isopropylamine salt of glyphosate, a known endocrine disruptor that can also cause genetic and oxidative damage. Another important ingredient in Roundup is the surfactant POEA (polyethoxylated tallow amine), which has been found to be highly toxic to animals and to humans. As with other herbicides, the EPA requires that products containing glyphosate carry a label that warns against oral intake, mandates the use of protective clothing, and instructs users not to re-enter treated areas for at least 4 hours. [source: Wikipedia-"Round Up"]... THIS STUFF IS BEING SPRAYED ALL OVER OUR PLAYGROUNDS?- And with NO WARNING, SIGNS, or MANDATED LIMITATIONS AROUND APPLICATION! Speak up parents! This must stop. There are better ways to keep up our parks and playgrounds without spraying toxins that harm our children!
Why is this important?
I took my 1 year old daughter (who is walking, exploring, putting everything in her mouth) to the East Asheville Playground and there were City of Asheville employees there spraying ROUND UP everywhere. I mean everywhere: all over the mulch (which she loves to play with and it often ends up in her mouth), all around the equipment, coating the entire place. I took my daughter and left -[with a headache and tightness in my lungs] - enraged that this would be allowed. Please help me to urge the city to find other [non-toxic] ways to maintain and keep up our parks and playgrounds!