City of Seattle Announces Plan to Reduce Pesticide Use.SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 1999-- On Oct. 6, the city of Seattle announced a strategy to eliminate use of the most hazardous herbicides and insecticides used in its parks and other city-owned land by June 2000 and to reduce overall pesticide use by 30 percent by the end of 2002. Puget Sound Puget Sound (py  `jĕt), arm of the Pacific Ocean, NW Wash., connected with the Pacific by Juan de Fuca Strait, entered through the Admiralty Inlet and extending in two arms c. Chinook salmon chinook salmonor king salmon Prized North Pacific food and sport fish (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) of the salmon family. The average weight is about 22 lbs (10 kg), but individuals of 50–80 lbs (22–36 kg) are not unusual. were recently listed under the Endangered Species Act The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1531 et seq.) was enacted to protect animal and plant species from extinction by preserving the ecosystems in which they survive and by providing programs for their conservation. , heightening awareness of the impact common practices, such as landscape maintenance, have on the environment. "While we have dramatically reduced both the toxicity and the amount of pesticides used over the last 15 years, with this plan we will do even better. Pesticide residuals have been detected in Puget Sound streams and I believe that public agencies such as the city of Seattle should serve as leaders in protecting the environment for the benefit of salmon and other wildlife, as well as for our residents," said Seattle City Councilmember Margaret Pageler, who chairs the Council's Utilities and Environmental Management Committee. At the request of the city, the Washington Toxics Coalition, a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. promoting alternatives to toxic chemicals, recently evaluated the pesticides used by Seattle against environmental and human health cri teria. The insecticides and herbicides identified as having the greatest potential to cause harm will not be used by the city after June 2000. Products which will be phased out include those that either contain known cancer-causing ingredients, are labeled highly toxic highly toxic Occupational medicine adjective Referring to a chemical that 1. Has a median lethal dose–LD50 of ≤ 50 mg/kg when administered orally to 200-300 g albino rats 2. to birds, fish or wildlife, or move quickly into ground or surface water. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Seattle Mayor Paul Schell, over the next year, Seattle will research and test alternative pest control techniques and conduct pilot studies to determine which controls will be most effective citywide. "We are taking a targeted approach because we want our program to succeed and we want to avoid the pitfalls other large cities have encountered in reducing their pesticide use. We're looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. creative solutions so we can continue providing the beautiful parks and other public spaces for which the Puget Sound region is well-known, while reducing pesticide use," said Mayor Schell. Additional information on the city's strategy and the pesticide evaluation can be found on the City's Web site at http://cityofseattle.net/oem/pesticides/Pesticides.htm |
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