Leicester Friends of the Earth have been campaigning to end the use of pesticides in public places for the last five years. We are particularly concerned about the widespread use of the herbicide glyphosate, often known as ‘Roundup’, in parks, on pavements and in school grounds. Glyphosate is known to be harmful to humans, as well as to the wider environment.
The Global Glyphosate Study published research
last year that shows that even low doses of glyphosate, (below the level
previously considered safe for human health), cause multiple types of cancer.
This includes early life leukaemia, so they recommend that pregnant women and
children should reduce their exposure.
Glyphosate also harms bees. Research has
shown that being exposed to this herbicide makes bumblebees less able to keep their nests cool and can impair honeybees’ navigational abilities. We all know that we need to look after our bees!
Earlier this
year, Leicester City Council agreed to stop using glyphosate in and around children’s play areas.
However, it is still used in many school grounds, where children spend more of
their time. We want to encourage schools to stop the spraying and it would be
really helpful to have positive examples to share. If your school has stopped
using glyphosate, could you get in touch? We’d love to hear how you’re managing
your grounds without pesticides and if you have any lessons you could share
with other schools.
Hannah Wakley,
Leicester Friends of the Earth & Samantha Woodhead, Parents for Future
Leicestershire
Please email leicesterfoe@gmail.com
------------------------------------------
(This article was also published in the October Sustainable Schools newsletter, sent out by Leicester City Council.)
No comments:
Post a Comment