I have been watching the cosmetic pesticide debate in British Columbia with great interest for about three years, especially in recent times as more and more communities adopt cosmetic pesticide bylaws. I hope the good people of of this community get what they deserve, one less toxin in their environment.

My real interest in pesticides started when I was a young adult. My best friend died of leukemia; he was an elite soccer player and he was stricken by leukemia in his prime. Looking back now, and knowing what I know about the relationship between pesticide and leukemia it makes sense.

My friend lived on a golf course, he practiced soccer on it at night, and he walked across it each day to school. He lived and breathed soccer, playing on heavily sprayed fields from the age of seven right on through until the end of university. Spraying was a common practice but now we know better. His exposure level to pesticides was colossal.

Knowing what we know now, why is it so hard to see? Cancer rates are skyrocketing in North America, and more and more environmental factors are being exposed, and thank goodness.

Cosmetic pesticides, wherever they are sprayed are dangerous. You can find residue of some common pesticides inside a house for up to a year after a person walks through a sprayed area and then inside. They are insidious in how they can build up in an eco-systems and the environment in general.

It takes courage and foresight to create a strong cosmetic pesticide ban,but that is the job of your city council, to protect our citizens from harm. Ridding our environment of cosmetic pesticides is like picking the low hanging fruit in the world of toxins.

The definition of cosmetic is: “serving an aesthetic rather than a useful purpose.” In my mind there is nothing much to argue about. We need to change our attitude toward what the perfect lawn looks like. Who in their right mind would trade the health of a loved one for a blemish free carpet of green lawn? It is preposterous.

Sarah Newton,

Revelstoke