From July 11, 2005
Pesticide
Notification Law Passes in Upstate New York County
(Beyond Pesticides, July 11, 2005)
A hard fought battle to restrict the use of pesticides by requiring
residents to notify neighbors 48-hours in advance when pesticides are
used on their lawns was recently won in Monroe County and the City of
Rochester, New York.
The Monroe County legislature passed a 21-8 vote in favor of the notification,
which goes into effect January 2006. The County is the first Republican-dominated
County to opt-in to the New
York state Neighbor Notification Law, first passed in Albany
in New York State in 2000 with an opt-in provision for all other counties.
Monroe is the 13th County to opt-in.
The law will require commercial lawn applicators to notify all neighbors
within 150 feet of the application site. Homeowners spraying more than
100 feet are required to set up flags around the area, and violators
can be fined or have jail time. Lawn service companies, who opposed
the law, say the paperwork will be too burdensome.
The battle for the law has been supported and pursued by a number of
environmental and environmental health groups working together to pass
the law, including the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, NY PIRG,
Sierra Club, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and others. The
law was introduced earlier this year by Maggie Brooks, the new Monroe
County Executive.
Researchers from the University of Rochester also weighed in to shed
more light on the vulnerabilities of pregnant women and children to
toxic lawn chemicals. This bill will give parents and expectant parents
the opportunity to protect themselves and their children from exposure
to hazardous lawn pesticides.
TAKE ACTION: Press for similar reform in your
community. Visit Beyond Pesticides Lawns
and Landscapes program page for more information.