Glyphosate is a common chemical in many brands of weed killer, like Roundup. In 2015, the World Health Organisation classified it as “probably carcinogenic” to humans, and despite that (and evidence of other serious impacts on people's health) it’s still being used by the Thames-Coromandel District Council in public spaces like playgrounds, parks, and roadsides.

Several countries have made moves to ban its use, most recently France and The Netherlands. Some councils in New Zealand have used non-chemical vegetation control for 20 years, and these systems (such as hot water, steam, and organic weed killers) can cost no more than spraying with formulations containing Glyphosate.

SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE HAS SHOWN THAT:

1. Glyphosate is a probable carcinogen

2. Glyphosate disrupts hormones and damages genes

3. Glyphosate affects bacteria’s response to antibiotics

4. Glyphospate contributes to infertility and birth defects

5. Glyphospate has negative impacts on the nervous system

6. Glyphosate use can result in liver and kidney damage

7. Glyphosate leaches into groundwater, and when it enters waterways it harms fish and other aquatic animals

8. Glyphosate negatively affects the natural behaviour of bees and can impair long-term colony performance

9. We don’t know what a safe level of glyphosate is, as it has never been assessed by regulators at sub-lethal levels

10. Roundup is up to 1,000 times more toxic than glyphosate alone because the ingredients help disrupt the integrity of the cellular barrier to enable glyphosate uptake.

*Sourced from http://action.greens.org.nz/glyphosate

Sign the petition to ask TCDC to urgently phase out glyphosate from all uses.