Kauai residents have right to know about use of pesticides

Born, raised and educated on Kauai, I was brought up with an ethic of care for this land, its future and the people of this aina. I was also taught that we have kuleana to stand up for what is right, just and in the service of the common good — and that sometimes we must struggle for what is pono.

The movement on Kauai to protect our land, water and communities from the impacts of the agrochemical-GMO (genetically modified organism) industry is reflective of this deep sense of responsibility that my generation feels for our home and one another. We know that the decisions being made today will shape our future and that of many generations to follow.

Since GMO testing began in Hawaii, more than 3,000 permits have been granted for open-air field trials, more than in any other state in the nation. In 2012 alone, there were 160 such permits issued on 740 sites. Kauai has the highest number of these experimental sites, which are associated with the use of 22 restricted-use pesticides in the amount of 18 tons of concentrate each year. Syngenta, BASF, Pioneer DuPont and Dow occupy nearly all of the leased agricultural lands on the west side of Kauai — more than 12,000 acres in close proximity to schools, residences, churches and hospitals.

Kauai residents currently do not have the right to know what is happening on these agricultural lands, or how these activities are affecting our common air and water. We do not know which pesticides are being used where, in what amounts, and what their cumulative impacts might be.

Kauai County Council Bill 2491 on pesticides and GMOs seeks to correct this obvious oversight. The pesticides this bill pertains to are not the type purchased at Ace Hardware. They are "restricted-use" pesticides because they are recognized as extremely dangerous to human health and the environment.

Chemicals such as atrazine (by Syngenta), which is banned in the European Union and known to cause birth defects, cancer and reproductive issues, and to contaminate groundwater. Lorsban (by Dow), which is known to cause impaired brain and nervous system functions in children and fetuses, even in minute amounts. Other pesticides being used are shown to affect brain cancer, autism, and heart and liver problems.

The industry is using the unfortunate tactic of threatening workers that if this bill passes, their jobs will be lost. While the claim of these incredibly wealthy corporations that they can’t afford to be more responsible in their chemical usage seems exaggerated, if not absurd, we are compassionate and sensitive to the position workers are being put in.

If, in fact, the industry does decide to leave simply because we’ve asked them to be transparent and responsible, then we must generate new agricultural jobs that are higher-paying, less hazardous and long term. Jobs that express who we are and are integral to our local economy, rather than those dependent on the whims of transnational corporations who can get up and leave at any time.

This is a pro-agriculture, pro-economy bill. The strength of our economy in the long term will depend on our ability to diversify and plug economic leakages, especially in the area of food production to meet local needs. Preserving the possibility of agriculture in the long run means protecting our fragile and limited resources.

On Kauai, we take pride in our values of care and responsibility for one another and the aina. When it comes to the health of our population and environment, we must demand self-determination.