🛑 Petition to Ban SYNTHETIC HERBICIDES; Glyphosate (Roundup) 
We, the undersigned, request the Isle of Palms City Council to prohibit the use of synthetic herbicides such as but not limited to glyphosate-based herbicides—including Monsanto/Bayer’s Roundup— city wide. This includes public and private owned property, parks, beaches, trails, easements and golf courses. Join Miami, Los Angeles County, Seattle, Portland (ME), Takoma Park, Boulder, and dozens of other U.S. cities in banning synthetic pesticides on public land. These municipalities have not only reduced health and environmental risks—they continue to maintain beautiful, functional green spaces through alternative methods and IPM practices.  Why a Ban Is Necessary: 
⚖️ 1. Legal Risk: Ongoing Litigation and Future Liability Glyphosate has been classified as a “probable human carcinogen” by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, 2015). 
Over $10 billion has been paid out by Bayer/Monsanto in legal settlements to individuals who developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after chronic exposure to Roundup. 
Bayer/Monsanto is aggressively attempting to seek legislative protection. A spending bill that landed in the House has the FEDERAL LEVEL pesticide liability shield written into it.  Section 453 of the Bill effectively freezes the EPA’s position on a pesticide in place for decades, and eliminates the ability to hold the foreign pesticide companies like ChemChina and Bayer accountable for selling products that harm American health and fertility. This means they are being hit SO HARD BY LAWSUITS THEY ARE ASKING FOR PROTECTION. So in the future should you learn someone in your family has been impacted, (yourself, your children, your grandchildren, future generations, etc.) they are no longer liable. 
🧬 2. Human Health: Cancer, Neurological, Immune, Respiratory, Gut The Global Glyphosate Study (presented June 2025) exposed rats to glyphosate at current EU “safe” levels (0.5 mg/kg/day) and saw dose-related increases in rare tumors including liver, thyroid, bladder, brain, bone, ovarian, and mammary cancers, with early-onset mortality. A 2020 meta-analysis showed a 41% increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among high-exposure groups. 2025 - Environmental Health A 2024 study in JAMA Network Open found that living within 1 mile of a golf course is associated with a 126% higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, possibly due to pesticide drift or runoff into water supplies. 2025 - JAMA Low amounts of Glyphosate disrupt the gut microbiome and gut-brain axis, decrease beneficial bacteria in the gut, promote growth of pathogenic bacteria, trigger inflammatory responses, leading to various gut issues, food sensitivities, IBD, neurological and behavioral changes. 2023, Science Direct Pediatric & Maternal Exposure: Children are more vulnerable to glyphosate due to higher skin surface area-to-body weight ratios and more frequent contact with turf and dirt.
  Increased exposure early in life, during what scientists call the “critical windows of vulnerability,” the probability of an effect such as cancer is increased. 2017 - IJC Research published in the Annuals of Epidemiology finds that women exposed to pesticides in their homes or in yards are two times more likely to have offspring with neural tube defects than women who did not use pesticides. 2023 -Berkeley A Harvard meta-analysis published in Pediatrics determined there to be a significantly increased risk of leukemia associated from herbicide exposure during childhood, which the authors indicate could occur at child care facilities, on athletic fields, and school grounds. 2015 - AAP Research published in The FASEB Journal by Rutgers University scientists finds that exposure to the synthetic pyrethroid deltamethrin corresponded to a higher likelihood of a child having ADHD.  2105 - FASEB 
3. Environmental Impact: Coastal Ecosystems and Sea Turtles at Risk Glyphosate has been detected in surface water, rain, and groundwater by the US Geological Survey (USGS). US GS - 2020 Synthetic herbicide exposure affects amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, and the insects that pollinate dune and marsh plants.

In addition to affecting hormone function and development, Loggerhead sea turtles rely on dunes for safe nesting. As a non-selective herbicide, it destroys native dune vegetation essential for erosion control and sea turtle nesting habitat. Detrimental to Pollinators: Bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. 2021 - Beyond Pesticides 2018 - Honeybees  
 4. Addressing Golf Course & Resort Concerns We recognize that Wild Dunes Resort would prefer to not make any changes to their landscaping and turf maintenance.  However, industry bodies like the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) support Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and reduced chemical reliance. It’s entirely possible to maintain tournament-quality turf without glyphosate, using a combination of improved cultural practices, mechanical edging, and organic or low-toxicity alternatives.  IPM - GCSAA The use of glyphosate presents increasing legal liability, particularly for resort properties where staff, contractors, guests, full-time residents, members and neighbors are regularly exposed. Glyphosate is highly water-soluble. Meaning when it rains (or via irrigation), it doesn't stay put. It runs off into storm drains, water systems, retention ponds (and killing all the fish), marshes, dunes, beach, etc. It moves everywhere through the landscape into the water, sand and soil. Wild Dunes has an opportunity to lead by example and highlight its environmental commitment. 
  ✅ Requested Actions:
Ban Glyphosate and SYNTHETIC TOXIC HERBICIDES. Implement a city-wide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policy that: -Prioritizes cultural, mechanical, and biological pest controls.
-Allows only EPA Minimum Risk or OMRI-listed (organic-compatible) herbicides as a last resort.   As a coastal community, Isle of Palms relies on its tourism. Banning harmful herbicides aligns with eco-friendly values and can enhance the reputation. As far as the cost difference, it's offset by long-term soil health, brand value as well as potentially reducing the risk of chronic disease of its tax payers. By banning glyphosate now, Isle of Palms aligns with global scientific evidence. It’s time for PROACTIVE leadership to PROTECT our children, families, workers, visitors, coastal ecosystems and wildlife, including our turtle nesting areas.