A dozen lawmakers join fight against herbicides

WORCESTER -- A dozen lawmakers have allied themselves with a coalition of environmental groups to protest the use of herbicides to control vegetation along state roadways.

The group argues that the toxic herbicides, which the state began using in 2003, run off into surface and ground water, polluting drinking water and posing a health risk to humans and the environment. The group is asking the state to use organic herbicides or manual means, such as weedwackers or lawnmowers.

But state officials say affected areas are in small, controlled environments. Using workers to trim vegetation along busy highways, they argue, poses a greater danger.

"We're not spreading it into a sensitive area," said Erik Abell, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Highway Department. "This is targeted strictly to the specific types of vegetation we're looking for."

The Massachusetts Coalition for Pesticide Reduction, which includes Toxics Action Center and Environment Massachusetts, both Boston-based organizations, asked the public yesterday to join their campaign, which has the support of a dozen state legislators. The environmental groups have written a letter to Bernard Cohen, the state's secretary of transportation and construction, asking that he use other methods to control vegetation, but a spokesman with MassHighway said plans are underway to begin using the herbicides later this month.

"We've known for decades that pesticides posed threats to human health and the environment," said Winston Vaughan, a field organizer for Environment Massachusetts. "There's no need to expose these communities to dangerous chemicals when a lawnmower or a pair of hedge trimmers will do the trick."

Until 2003, the state controlled all its roadside vegetation manually. Since then, MassHighway has used herbicides to treat a small number of roadsides around mostly medians and guardrails. The herbicides, Abell said, will help to control invasive species along roadways in about 60 communities this summer.

Brad Mitchell, director of biosecurity and regulatory services at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, said there have been no adverse environmental effects from the spraying, nor any indication that the herbicides have entered drinking water. He said most of the herbicides are similar to those used by homeowners.

"There will be some movement, but these applications really shouldn't result in any significant exposure," Mitchell said.

Several legislators who signed on to the campaign said the state should use nontoxic herbicides as a precautionary measure.

"I just think you can't exercise too much caution," said state Representative Sarah Peake, a Democrat who represents several towns on Cape Cod.

"When I was a child, DDT was thought to be safe," she said. "And now we know better."

State Representative Peter V. Kocot, a Democrat from Northampton, said he does not use herbicides on his lawn and is not certain whether spraying for turf control and management is a prudent use of state resources.

"In addition, the use of herbicides in numerous studies has been shown to have an adverse impact not only on the human population, but birds and wildlife," Kocot said.

"I thought it was important to express that to MassHighway."

April Simpson can be reached at asimpson@globe.com.