Protect Community Health and

Our Right-to-Know about Pesticides in Anchorage

Anchorage Assembly Proposes to Weaken Pesticide Right to Know Ordinance

Please take action!!!

Contact Assembly members and

Participate in Public Hearing on Tuesday, May 3, 2005

Certain Anchorage Assembly members propose to weaken the Municipality of Anchorage pesticide ordinance, a protective measure that was passed last summer with great public support. Without an ample amount of time having passed to evaluate whether the existing ordinance works, Anchorage Assembly members are succumbing to pressure from the pesticide companies. The ordinance took effect January 1, 2005.

The ordinance passed last summer significantly improved notification of pesticide applications and made it easier for working families to know when and which pesticides are being used where we live, work, and play. Please let Assembly members NOT to weaken the existing ordinance (passed in the summer 2004). If they are determined to make changes, they should not weaken the proposed substitute (S-3) version written by Assembly member Debbie Ossiander.

Pesticide warnings essential to public health and safety—prevention is key

Ensuring our community right-to-know about pesticide applications in public parks, playing fields, neighborhoods, and buildings is important for public health and safety. It gives citizens the notification necessary to make informed decisions and avoid exposure to toxic chemicals. Given recent scientific and literature reviews on the wide-ranging health hazards from commonly used pesticides, notification provides citizens the opportunity to take precautions.

Pesticides Pose Serious Short-term and Chronic Health Hazards

Certain pesticides used by the Municipality and contracted applicators have been linked to serious health problems including cancer, reduced fertility, abnormal sperm, birth defects, neurological diseases and hormone disruption.
Many pesticides are “highly toxic” or “extremely toxic” to fish, bees and birds.
Recent peer-reviewed studies demonstrate that very low-level exposure to specific pesticides can result in effects long after the initial exposure occur.

Children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of pesticides and they can absorb them through skin if they contact pesticide-treated surfaces, soils, or plants.

The types of pesticides used for structural applications are among the most toxic. Children and pets are particularly vulnerable to exposure from pesticide applications to buildings/structures and close to the ground.

Recent peer-reviewed scientific research demonstrates that spray drift of a commonly used structural (those applied around the perimeter of buildings to control insects such as carpenter ants) insecticide, cyfluthrin, is highest at the point of application but was found at measurable levels at least 30 feet from the application to building foundations and persisted in soils for at least 45 days. Following applications of pesticides to the perimeter of residential dwellings, soil-borne residues may serve as “persistent sources for human exposure and potentially intrude into dwellings through the activities of occupants and pets.”

Tell Assembly Members Not to Weaken “S-3” Version Proposed by Assembly member Debbie Ossiander

Assembly member Debbie Ossiander has introduced a compromise substitute (S-3) version that retains the most important provisions of the ordinance that we support. These include 48-hour notification for pesticide applications in public places and for most applications that affect the places where we live and work. Please note the following specific discussion points about “S-3”:

The S-3 version provides 48-hour pre-notification for all outdoor pesticide applications to neighbors with contiguous or adjacent properties (including those across streams, streets, and alleys), with an exception for certain pesticide applications to buildings.

Recommendation: Request that the area of notification be expanded to include properties within 150’ feet of the area to be sprayed—this will especially protect families in neighborhoods with small lot sizes from the harmful effects of pesticide drift. We successfully achieved this with the ordinance passed last summer, so S-3 is a roll back from that more protective provision.

The S-3 version requires notification about pesticide applications on buildings and structures if the building is closer than 30 feet to a property boundary. If there is no property boundary within 30 feet of the building that will be sprayed with pesticides, then no notification shall be required.

Recommendation: Request that the area of notification be expanded to at least 50 feet from the building to provide a reasonable buffer of protection for applications of pesticides to buildings and structures.

The S-3 version provides for notification to all tenants for multi-unit dwellings or multi-tenant commercial properties, with the owner of the property required to post notices to all tenants.

Recommendation: Request that the Assembly members support this important provision.

The S-3 version would also increase the maximum allowable wind speed to 7 mph from 5.8 mph, significantly expanding the area and people harmed by pesticide drift as the chemicals are carried on the wind.

Recommendation: Request that the wind speed limit be reduced to 5 miles per hour to afford greater protection necessary in our more densely populated urban community.

What You Can Do to Help:

Show Up to the Public Hearing and Plan to Testify Tuesday May 3 to the Anchorage Assembly. The Assembly will hold a public hearing Tuesday, May 3 beginning at about 7 PM
Stay educated and informed on the issue because weakening our pesticide right-to-know ordinance in Anchorage directly affects you! Urge your Assembly members NOT to weaken our right-to-know about pesticides sprayed in our community.
Contact your Anchorage Assembly Members
Action Needed before Tuesday May 3:

Tell Assembly members that you do not want them to weaken measures to protect public health and our right-to-know about what pesticides are being used around us. Providing accurate and timely information to citizens gives us the choice to avoid exposure to harmful, toxic chemicals.

Assembly Members have a responsibility, especially to protect the most vulnerable people in our community from threats to their health: children, pregnant women, seniors, and those with chronic illnesses. People should not be exposed to pesticides without their consent. Children’s health is threatened if pesticide companies are not required to post adequate notice before spraying toxics where kids play. The solution is to require notice before toxins are sprayed on buildings or plants.

Anchorage Assembly Contact Information

Assembly Chair Anna Fairclough 694-7090 annafair@alaska.net

Assemblyman Chris Birch 346-3265 chrisbirch@gci.net

Assemblyman Paul Bauer 338-8056 bauerpa@ci.anchorage.ak.us

Assemblyman Dan Coffey 770-9930, 343-4117 dcoffey@coffey-law.net

Assemblywoman Pamela Jennings 343-4115 jenningspk@ci.anchorage.ak.us

Assemblywoman Debbie Ossiander 688-2308 or 343-4113 ossiander@gci.net

Assemblyman Ken Stout 343-4119 (voice mail) stouko@ci.anchorage.ak.us

Assemblyman Dan Sullivan 243-0071 sullivand@muni.org

Assemblywoman Janice Shamberg 343-4124 jcshamberg@gci.net

Assemblyman Allan Tesche 276-3284 or 566-1784 teschea@muni.org

Assemblyman Dick Traini 563-7996 dtraini@gci.net

Don’t know your Anchorage Assembly representative? Call the City Clerk’s office: 343-4311

Write Letters to the Editor

Anchorage Daily News letters@adn.com (225 words or less)

Anchorage Press robert@anchoragepress.com

Turnagain Times ttimes@chugach.net

Alaska Star (Eagle River/Chugiak) www.alaskastar.com/editor/

Please contact Alaska Community Action on Toxics at 222-7714 for more information.