I congratulate Joni Kamiya for speaking out about the anti-herbicide campaigns and legislation banning herbicides near or on school campuses (“DOE chief misguided about carcinogens,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, June 28).

Too many people choose not to rebut hyped-up claims about the ill effects of using herbicides, specifically Roundup, which contains glyphosate, around schools because they are either misinformed or don’t want to sound politically incorrect.

The truth of the matter is that the Environmental Protection Agency, in agreement with many scientific studies, has again earlier this year affirmed that the proper use of glyphosate is not a risk to public health and not a carcinogen.

The recent multimillion-dollar award to someone with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is another example of current-day dynamics that add to the misinformation on herbicides. Then come the ambulance chasers looking for “victims” to defend against these useful products that help us feed the world and keep our public areas free of vermin-laden brush. Auwe!

Tom Mendes

Waimanalo

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