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Spraying in the Rialto area of Dublin earlier this month. verified by TheJournal.ie
glyphosate
Transport authority sprayed cocktail of pesticides in Dublin park near Grand Canal
Transport Infrastructure Ireland said it would be too much work to remove weeds by hand.
6.31am, 31 Mar 2024
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TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE IRELAND (TII) has sprayed pesticides including glyphosate along Luas lines running through a Dublin park popular with dog walkers, families going to school and other pedestrians.
A cocktail of three herbicides, two of which are classed as very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects, has been used by TII in the park between Rialto and Suir Road Luas stops, close to the Grand Canal.
A photo taken by a concerned local earlier this month shows workers in personal protective equipment (PPE) spraying a few metres from a public footpath, at a location less than 100 metres from the canal.
In recent years, Dublin City Council has stopped using glyphosate – better known by the brand name Roundup – due to the potential risks it poses to the environment and human health, after the World Health Organization deemed it a “probable carcinogen” in 2015. The only exception is in the treatment of invasive species such as Japanese knotweed.
However, other public bodies, including TII, have given no such commitment.
If you want to find out about pesticide use by other public authorities and State bodies, have a read of Noteworthy’s IN THE WEEDS investigation from 2022 here >>
TII told The Journal it sprayed Rambo XL (in which the active ingredient is glyphosate) “for the control of broadleaf weeds” and Dicophar “for control of grasses”.
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It also used Clayton Apt, a “weed suppressant which stops weeds from germinating and growing for the next few months or so”.
Both Dicophar and Clayton Apt are very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
TII said spraying these chemicals “is normal practice within the landscaping industry”.
“This treatment is approved for weed control in amenity areas,” it said.
“Removal by hand is impractical across the Luas because of the size and number of areas to be covered. What you weed today would need to be visited again, to get the new growth within days or weeds.”
It added that the use of PPE “is the standard uniform which these workers always use when carrying out spraying activities and should not be seen as anything out of the ordinary for this activity”.
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I was in Namibia this year such an amazing country. So many natural wonders there. Oldest plants. 2nd biggest canyons in the world, 2nd biggest Sand Dune in the world, linked to Victoria Falls and many more. Ethosa Safari Park was the best experience of my life.
It’s a proven fact that deserts are living things and constantly moving and growing. Interesting stuff. Put into similar context, look at all the manors and castles in Ireland that have been taken back by Mother Nature over the centuries.
Namibia’s well worth a holiday. I didn’t make it to the ghost town, but Swakopmund, right on the coast, is beside some of the most breathtaking parts of the Namib Desert. Some of the world’s best oysters in those parts, too! Namibia is a weird country, due to their history of German colonialism, but it’s nevertheless rich in indigenous cultural diversity. Many would say the country benefited from it, others not. Thanks for the photos. They make me want to go back!
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