Preparations are underway for helicopter spraying of the plant poison RoundUp around Port Kembla, just days after a Melbourne man launched Australia's first lawsuit seeking to blame the weedkiller for his cancer.

Some residents are concerned that just as some countries are reconsidering whether the herbicide - true name glyphosate - is safe, in Port Kembla it will be sprayed from the sky above them.
 
Residents were informed recently that the Illawarra District Weeds Authority would be spraying from helicopters in late June.

It's part of annual spraying to combat the pest Bitou bush. About 90ha would be sprayed around Hill 60 and Perkins Beach at Port Kembla. Another 40ha would be sprayed at Bass Point in Shellharbour and another 8ha on private land at Gerringong.

Roundup is extremely dangerous as proven in court now multiple times. The health implications for residents, their pets, and small children is simply unacceptable. This is an annual spraying so it isn't even a once off occasion.

Unless multiple safety studies prove that the aerial spraying of a carcinogenic chemical around our homes is safe, an alternate SAFE method must be found.