Did you know that Costa Mesa’s schools, parks, athletic fields, and sidewalks are routinely sprayed with pesticides? Historically, The City of Costa Mesa has applied Roundup (glyphosate) and Speedzone (2,4-D) in public managed spaces, including parks where children play. In March, the World Health Organization declared that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. The State of California recently added glyphosate to the Proposition 65 list as a known human carcinogen. The City of Costa Mesa recently replaced Roundup with Avenger, an organic citrus-based herbicide. However, Costa Mesa continues to spray toxic pesticides and fertilizers on the places where our children play sports, roll in the grass, and do all the other things kids like to do.
      Why are our children being subjected to these risks? For cosmetic landscaping purposes, i.e. to kill weeds. Dandelions do not pose a risk to children, but 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid does. 2,4-D is one of the key ingredients in Agent Orange, and is another one of many pesticides frequently used for cosmetic landscaping in Costa Mesa. This includes the sports fields, parks, and common areas where children play. This needs to stop.These pesticides have been shown to lower IQ, cause cancer, damage developing reproductive organs and cause other significant harm.
      The American Academy of Pediatrics says that there is no safe level of pesticide exposure for children. Pesticides are toxic chemicals - poisons created to kill. They are dangerous for all living things, including adults and pregnant women, and are particularly dangerous for a child’s developing organ systems.
      This issue affects every person and pet in Costa Mesa. We are asking the Costa Mesa City Council to require the city’s contracted landscaping companies to immediately stop the use of all toxic pesticides and switch to proven organic methods that are cost comparable and require 30%
less water.
      The City of Irvine recently approved an “Organic Management Policy” which allows ONLY organic pesticides. Harvard University has successfully switched to a non-toxic landscaping alternative. Cities across the U.S. are banning the use of toxic pesticides, and we would like to see Costa Mesa join in this endeavor.