Takoma Park Residents Have Mixed Feelings about Proposed Pesticides Ban

Takoma Park residents Julie Taddeo and Catherine Cummings are continuing their fight against the use of pesticides and herbicides in Takoma Park.

The city's proposed Safe Grow Zone ordinance seeks to ban the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and various other substances used to control pests for cosmetic use—or use intended for aesthetic purposes—according to a a draft of the proposed ordinance.  

Some of the pesticide products the proposed ordinance seeks to ban are Ortho Max, Ortho Ground Clear, and Roundup, which contain harmful chemicals like 2, 4-D, Imazapyr, and Glyphosate.  

Studies have linked 2, 4-D to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, finding that it disrupts hormones, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. It tends to be found in 6- to 11-year-olds at a higher rate than any other age group, the Natural Resources Defense Council reports.

Imazapyr can cause irritation to eyes and skin, stays in the soil for about 17 months and has high mobility, which means that it is likely to contaminate water, according to environmentalcommons.org.

“Our immediate neighbors use lawn pesticides. We quickly realized our kids were at risk from their use. … Children, pets, our creek—all of us—are exposed to drift and runoff,” Cummings said of why she decided to tackle the issue.

Taddeo and Cummings realized that while there were communities nationwide limiting the use of harmful pesticides, Takoma Park was not.

It has been an 18-month-long campaign. Taddeo and Cummings have distributed flyers, talked to residents, circulated a petition and presented their initiative twice to the City Council. They have had a work session with the council to address changes to the proposed ordinance.

A public forum for the proposed ordinance was held March 18 to allow Takoma Park residents to voice any questions or concerns they have regarding the proposed ordinance draft.

During the public forum, Sabrina Eaton, a Takoma Park resident, said she is against the ban because she “[didn’t] think it’s really [her] business to be imposing [her] values on [her] neighbor."

Other residents voiced concerns that a ban would cause issues between neighbors because it would fall on residents to do the policing. 

Neighbor-against-neighbor behavior is not the goal, Taddeo said.

“We hope that by slowly phasing in restrictions and increasing awareness about the restrictions, residents will heed the message,” she said.

Also during the public forum, Takoma Park resident Wenden Wilkins said Taddeo and Cummings should “sell people based on [their] ideas, not on [trying] to use the city to kind of back [them] up.”

The city has stepped in to protect the environment before, Taddeo said, citing the city's Tree Ordinance as an example. The Tree Ordinance states that a resident must have a permit to remove any trees in the city. 

“We also think it's imperative for our local government to help protect our health. Apartment residents have little say about what is put on the lawns of their buildings; children and pets shouldn't be exposed to drift,” Taddeo said.

There were many supporters of the proposed ordinance at the public forum as well. Jana McAninch, a Takoma Park resident and family physician, said that if the proposed ordinance could serve as an example for other communities and could impact a generation of children she “believe[s] it’s foolish to make any other choice.”

Taddeo and Cummings said the next step is to have another work session to revise the ordinance to address concerns raised at the public forum.