Daily News Archive
From
November 27, 2006
Another
New York County Pushing for Pesticide Notification
(Beyond Pesticides, November 27, 2006) New
York’s Ulster County is voting on whether neighbors should be
alerted when commercial lawn pesticides are being applied to nearby
properties. The Ulster county Neighbor
Notification Law will require commercial pesticide applicators to
provide 48 hours written notice to anyone living within 150 feet or
on adjacent properties of the areas to be sprayed.
First passed as a voluntary state-wide measure in 2000, the law has
already been adopted in eight counties as well as the five boroughs
of New York City.
If the measure passes, Ulster joins Rockland,
Albany, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Monroe,
Erie, and Tompkins counties.
Ulster residents feel that with this information, they will better be
able to ensure the safety and health of their community. "An ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of protection," said Helena Baldyga
of the New Paltz-based Cancer Awareness Coalition. Pass the law, and
those near pesticides will know when to keep children and pets away
from the chemicals, she said.
Currently, Ulster has a voluntary notification registry, which alerts
registered neighbors by phone, fax, mail or email 24 hours in advance
of a pesticide application. Some prefer this to the mandatory system,
which puts more limitations on who may be alerted. "Every time
the guy across the street [hires a company to] spray pesticides, we're
notified," Woodstock resident Annie Mullen-Patrick said. Under
the mandatory law, that would no longer happen because Patrick does
not live within the 150 feet required by the Neighbor Notification Law.
However, the law will require applicators to consistently inform nearby
residents, which is expected to increase the number of notifications.
The Legislature is set to vote on the law Dec. 6.
To find out your state’s pesticide policies, click here
Source: Poughkeepsie
Journal