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Healthy outdoor public spaces (HOPS) should be a right for all Philadelphia residents, especially given the greater importance they’ve taken on during the pandemic as a safe opportunity to spend more time outdoors. However, unchecked use of agrochemical sprays that contain toxic chemicals threatens that right and puts our health at risk.
Agrochemical sprays can contain toxic chemicals including PFAS - an indestructible, unregulated, manmade chemical that is already affecting drinking water sources around Pennsylvania. The most famous and commonly used toxic herbicide is glyphosate, the primary ingredient in RoundUp. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, has classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. In June 2020, Monsanto-Bayer announced that it will pay around $10 billion dollars for litigation settlement, as there are now over 125,000 claims linking non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to RoundUp exposure.
Contact your city councilperson TODAY and tell them to support the HOPS Bill #200425 which would ban the use of herbicides in our public spaces such as playgrounds, parks, and playing fields as well as encourage sustainable management of public lands and transparency with the use of pesticide applications.