Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 20, 2007

CONTACT:
Viviana Coloma (707) 579-6047
Brock Dolman (707) 874-1557, ext: 206
For additional information go to: www.oaecwater.org/education/salmon-safe-pesticide-awareness-campaign

PESTICIDE AWARENESS AND EDUCATION PROTECTS THE HEALTH OF SONOMA COUNTY RESIDENTS AND MAY BOOST SALES OF ALTERNATIVE PESTICIDES IN THE COUNTY

OCCIDENTAL, CA (7/20/07) – The WATER Institute located in Occidental, CA is preparing a county-wide campaign to monitor compliance with a 2004 court order* that requires pesticide retailers to display point-of-sale warning signs for pesticides that may harm native salmon runs.

The warning sign, which reads “Salmon Hazard,” is U.S. District Court Judge Coughenour’s way of informing urban pesticide consumers of the harm that their purchasing decisions may cause to salmon.

The warning sign must be displayed next to pesticides that contain 2,4-D; Carbaryl; Diazinon; Diuron; Malathion; Triclopyr BEE; and Trifluralin being sold anywhere in Cotati, Graton, Healdsburg, Larkfield-Wikiup, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, and Windsor.

Acute pesticide poisonings kill salmon outright and chronic exposure to pesticides from urban stormwater and irrigation runoff are critical factors that contribute to the alarming demise of endangered salmon and steelhead.

But that’s not the whole story. Aside from the harm conventional pesticides cause to salmon, they also threaten the health of our community. Adults, children, and pets come inevitably into contact with pesticides used on lawns and gardens causing cancer, reproductive effects, neuro-toxicity, kidney damage, liver damage, endocrine disruption, birth defects, sensitivity, and irritation. The campaign will educate retailers and consumers about these effects and the available alternatives that are harmless to people and salmon. The goal is to bridge the gap between manufacturers of safe pesticides, retailers, and users.

The WATER Institute will provide retailers with another point-of-sale sign that can be displayed next to products that are safe for humans and salmon. The Institute believes that if it is helpful to have a government sign that advises customers not to purchase certain products, it is even more helpful to have that sign plus another sign that suggests safe alternatives to choose from.

“Alternatives are key because they protect the health of our community, especially of our children, and they represent a business opportunity for lawn and garden product retailers in our county,” said Brock Dolman, Director of the WATER Institute, an organization based in Occidental, CA that is dedicated to promoting an understanding of the importance of healthy watersheds to healthy communities through watershed advocacy, training, education, and research. “Pesticide use is as much a human health issue as it is a water quality and salmon safety issue,” he added.

The WATER Institute will show store owners and managers how offering alternatives to harmful pesticides makes economic sense.

Once consumers are aware of the potential hazards of pesticides to their own health and the health of their families, the demand for alternatives might grow. Retailers will benefit from being ready to meet this demand.

*Washington Toxics Coalition v. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington.
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