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Re TfLs response to using herbicides.

Ethylene Glycol is not a herbicide.It is used for de-icing. It is produced from carbon monoxide in countries with large coal reserves and less stringent environmental regulations such as Inner Mongolia, China and India.There have been more environmentally friendly alternatives in use for many years including calcium chloride ( CaC12 )“ We only apply herbicide to vegetation where there is no alternative.”The herbicide most generally used is Glyphosate ( Roundup ) which is highly toxic and very bad for the environment and biodiversity. There are reports that is it is also carcinogenic and the E.U. are investigating this. It is good to see that LBH will no longer be using it on our parks, greens and pavements. Again there are better alternatives such as multivo.co.uk using hot water which also deals with knotweed.Since the chemicals that are being used also leak into the groundwater across the whole network it is perhaps time for TfL to consider the impact of what they are using.

Rima Jones ● 2311d11 Comments

Mmmm. So what is the Mayor of London doing about the mismanaged, overspending TfL?

Steve Taylor ● 2310d

We are in touch with the Mayor via Councillor Andrew Steed and Caroline Pidgeon, London Assembly and Deputy Chair of the Transport Committee so will keep you posted.

Rima Jones ● 2310d

Great stuff!

Steve Taylor ● 2310d

Thanks to Andrew Steed!

Rima Jones ● 2310d

Toxic mean poisonous. So Glyphosate would not be much good as a herbicide if it wasn't toxic to plants.Is your position that anything Toxic should be removed from the environment?Many plants are also poisonous or "Toxic" to people and animals. Would you argue for the eradication / banning of; yew, laburnum, lilies, fox gloves, orleander, ragwort, euphorbia, there are more it is a long list. These plants kill people and animals, it is possible to build a far stronger case against them than Glyphosate.  Trees also kill people by falling on them. So should we eradicate all the trees from our environment to save the lives lost by trees falling on people?Many plants, in particular ones that are not native will become dominant in an area, if not controlled, creating a mono culture. That is bad for bio diversity.As for treating weeds by pouring boiling water on them.  Am I alone in thinking that wandering round the garden with boiling water could have a some negative health consequences for people and quite possibly pets?

Kathleen Healy ● 2310d

foeeurope.org Glyphosate - Reasons for Concerngardenorganic.org.ukHarmful to bees and other pollinating insects. Harmful to worms. Harmful to the water table and more...........

Rima Jones ● 2310d

Some good news 🙂The Victorian Society at 1Priory Gardens have just finished a total refurbishment of their Listed Grade 2 headquarters which took 9 months and Beaufort Landscapes based in Ealing have now completed the re- landscaping of the large garden.Removed all of the top soil. Yes all of it! Numerous skips full and replaced with layers of compost and sand working round the very large trees with irrigation system.Then hundreds of plants arrived. Hornbeams, hollies, yews, hostas, ferns, old roses and many more.Fascinating and I stopped every day to have a chat with them, which they were pleased to do. The water table, worms, bees, butterflies and birds and they showed me the labels on the plants. Slugs and snails? Shredded bark which is also a weed deterrent. All organic. Brilliant.

Rima Jones ● 2310d

There is no evidence that Glyphosate is harmful to insects. If you clear an invasive weed, such as Japanese Knotweed  that has created a monoculture using Glyphosate and replant with a variety of pollen producing plants you will increase bio diversity. So Glyphosate is a useful tool in developing bio diverse habitats.The article refers to genetically engineered crops that Monsata, which produces Glyphosate is also developing. This is how the hostility to Glyphosate originated. Genetically modified crops resistant to Glyphosate could be engineered and then areas growing crops blanket sprayed to kill everything else.So Green activists are attacking Glyphosate, although there is no evidence that it is harmful to people or animals.Out of interest, are you also anti vaccinations?

Kathleen Healy ● 2309d

“To be or not to be, that is the question”

Rima Jones ● 2308d

The previous posting claims that there is no evidence that glyphosate is harmful to insects, people or animals. Sorry, that’s not true.A quick look at the reputable scientific literature shows this.Re bees and other insects:“Glyphosate negatively affects associative learning processes of foragers, cognitive and sensory abilities of young hive bees and promotes delays in brood development”. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/10/10/354/htm, October 2019“This is the first study that comprehensively documents such a negative effect on the population of an herbivorous insect." https://www.nature.com/articles/srep27801, June 2016Re mammals including humans:Here’s a short list from the many peer-reviewed scientific papers and international bodies (eg.Environmental  Health Feb 2020, US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry April 2019, International Journal of Epidemiology March 2019, Mutation Research February 2019, Environmental Sciences Europe January 2019) that show links with cancer, and also provide information about scientific interference by Monsanto  into past research showing glyphosate was harmless.  https://usrtk.org/pesticides/glyphosate-health-concerns/There are many (42,000) lawsuits now against Bayer (who bought Monsanto in 2018) and those that have been concluded so far found in favour of the victims.“The international, non-partisan committee concluded that glyphosate is "probably" carcinogenic to humans, based on studies in humans and lab animals.” “Glyphosate is now a "Group 2A" carcinogen, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.” https://www.businessinsider.com/glyphosate-cancer-dangers-roundup-epa-2019-5?r=US&IR=TAs for vaccinations, knowing Rima she will have done her homework and found in favour of them as the scientific evidence is conclusively in favour.Hounslow Highways, supported and encouraged by London Borough of Hounslow, have decided not to use glyphosate any more. Our pavements will probably be weedier, but they will be a lot healthier.

Karen Liebreich ● 2308d

This is why a a robust science and evidence approach is needed. Many things, including potatoes are potentially hazardous, but the actual risk also needs to be assessed and managed, if that can make risks tolerable, or we would not do anything. To apply a rationale to Glyphosate that isn't applied to other things in order to justify banning it is not good science or good practise.From Iarc Q&A What are the different classifications?IARC classifies carcinogens in five categories ranging from carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) toprobably not carcinogenic to humans (Group 4). The classification indicates the weight of theevidence as to whether an agent is capable of causing cancer (technically called “hazard”), but itdoes not measure the likelihood that cancer will occur (technically called “risk”) as a result ofexposure to the agent.Group 2A: The agent is probably carcinogenic to humans.This category is used when there is limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and sufficientevidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. Limited evidence means that a positiveassociation has been observed between exposure to the agent and cancer but that otherexplanations for the observations (technically termed chance, bias, or confounding) could not beruled out.So measuring hazard not likelihood, so not assessing risk.To assess the actual risk you'd need to understand what level of exposure or dose would cause harm and then the likelihood of that exposure occurring. For people using it regularly you'd do a risk assessment and specify safety measures.Potatoes are potentially toxic, but we eat them: The presence of chlorophyll in a potato means that a glycoalkaloid poison named solanine is also present. A defense against insects, this nerve toxin (which is in the nightshade family) can result in headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, and even paralysis if ingested in very high amounts.Will you never again eat a potato or campaign for them to be banned?

Kathleen Healy ● 2308d