By JONATHON HOWARD
DEBATE over the use of the herbicide Roundup continues to divide Noosa residents and several experts have bowed into the debate.
Concerns around the use of Roundup were raised by a resident in late June, who noticed weed and grass spraying along the roadside near Lake Weyba.
Regular spraying of Roundup and slashing takes place along the lakeside by Noosa Council officers in order to manage invasive weeds, prevent overgrowth and reduce fire risks.
The resident felt passionately enough to write to Noosa Today asking for more information around the use of Roundup and its impacts on the environment.
The resident also questioned the use of Roundup near waterways and raised concerns for the Noosa Biosphere.
Since the first article many residents have since written to express their concerns with Roundup, as well as several writing in support of its use.
Kerry Sandford of Tewantin, holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and has defended Roundup as “safe when used correctly”.
Mr Sandford responded to several letters published by Noosa Today in which residents said Roundup was “ultra dangerous”.
“This was yet another erroneous diatribe of misinformation,” Mr Sandford said.
“The claim that glyphosate, the active ingredient of Roundup, was number four on the most dangerous pesticide list in 1986 is wrong on two counts.
“Glyphosate is a herbicide and is not a pesticide and the authoritative Merck Index which lists all chemicals and their toxicity, metabolism, residues – does not list glyphosate as a dangerous chemical.
“The claim that glyphosate degrades to formaldehyde is nonsense. Glyphosate metabolises to AMPA (aminomethylphophonic acid). POEA is not an inert ingredient, it is a surfactant in some Roundup formulations and because of its potential toxicity has been replaced in most commercial formulations containing glyphosate.”
But on the flipside several residents, who do not claim to be experts in the use of herbicides, such as Christa Knipp said simply: “there are no safe chemicals”.
“I find that any chemical agents, no matter where you use them are harmful,” Christa said.
“It’s not necessary to use Roundup in parks or anywhere else. Stop and think. What did we do 50 years ago – my parents had a big vegie garden, we never used chemicals and we had the best vegetables.
“Every chemical company will assure you that spraying Roundup is not haphazard, just stop and think, we can’t be that silly to believe what they say.
“Let’s make up our own mind and not be brainwashed any longer. Have a look around, why do we have so many adults and children sick with cancer, even dogs have cancer.”
The debate led Noosa Today to further investigate and subsequently contact the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).
The questions and answers were supplied in full.
