Schiff Urges U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Stop Using Roundup in the Los Angeles River
Corps Must Prioritize Public Safety by Using Safer Alternatives for Vegetation Management
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) sent a letter to Colonel Kirk E. Gibbs urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to end the use of glyphosate (Roundup) as part of its Los Angeles District vegetation management plan in the Los Angeles River.
“Over the past year I have heard from numerous constituents and community organizations with concerns over public safety given the USACE’s use of glyphosate in the Los Angeles River,” Schiff wrote in the letter. “Local and state agencies have also seen the potential risks from human exposure to this chemical and have limited or banned its use.
“I once again urge the USACE to end its use of products containing glyphosate as part of the LAR vegetation management plan in favor of safe alternatives. Should the USACE not do so, I intend to consider legislative remedies to protect the health of our Los Angeles community.”
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The full text of the letter is below:
January 22, 2018
Colonel Kirk E. Gibbs, District Commander
Los Angeles District
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
915 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 930
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Dear Colonel Gibbs:
Thank you for your letter dated December 20, 2017 detailing the use of glyphosate (Roundup) as a part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Los Angeles District’s vegetation management plan in the Los Angeles River (LAR).
Over the past year I have heard from numerous constituents and community organizations with concerns over public safety given the USACE’s use of glyphosate in the Los Angeles River. Local and state agencies have also seen the potential risks from human exposure to this chemical and have limited or banned its use. The State of California added glyphosate to the Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm on July 7, 2017. Additionally, in the article “Glyphosate Use and Cancer Incidence in the Agricultural Study,” by Gabriella Andreotti et al., published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on November 9, 2017, which was referenced in the most recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Draft Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessments for Glyphosate, the authors concluded that a possible association exists between glyphosate and acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer. Given the high density of residences in close proximity or immediately adjacent to the LAR corridor, the USACE must err on the side of human health and public safety, as well as accede to the wishes of state and local authorities.
I once again urge the USACE to end its use of products containing glyphosate as part of the LAR vegetation management plan in favor of safe alternatives. Should the USACE not do so, I intend to consider legislative remedies to protect the health of our Los Angeles community. Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.
ADAM B. SCHIFF