Pacific Sun 06.11.2010 - Section 1

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y soil-scientist pal Stephen Andrews story,â€? says Tukey. says, “If you’re growing a lawn in “That somebody California, God help you!â€? In my had to go out on anti-grass quest, I found it’s the male spousal a limb and take unit who’s having a hard time letting go of on these chemihis huge, useless, drug-addicted turf... Maybe cal companies, it’s time he watched the new documentary A because the chemical companies, trust me, Chemical Reaction by ďŹ lmmaker Brett Plymgo to unbelievable lengths to ensure they ale and lawn-care expert Paul Tukey. have the right to sell these chemicals.â€? This poignant ďŹ lm tells the story of Dr. Tukey, who worked in the lawn-care June Irwin, a brilliant and industry for years before eccentric Canadian derbecoming an author, matologist who noticed, TV host and journalist, A CHEMICAL REACTION in the 1980s, a connecbegan coming home To order the ďŹ lm or to set up tion between her patients’ with blurred vision, a local screening, go towww. health conditions and nosebleeds and nausea. chemicalreactionmovie.com. their exposure to chemiA doctor attributed his cal pesticides. She brought health problems to his her concerns to the city work with lawn chemicouncil of Hudson, the cals. In 2007, Tukey small Canadian town authored the acclaimed where she lived. With book, The Organic Lawn tireless persistence she Care Manual. warned her neighbors “Initially I wanted to that the garden chemimake this ďŹ lm simply cals they were using on because it’s a great story their lawns caused severe of a modern-day David health risks to humans versus Goliath,â€? says and the environment. Plymale. “But as I delved Her thorough research, deeper into the intricameticulous data and cies of how the anti-pessheer tenacity eventually ticide movement gained led to the town enacting momentum and the a ban on chemical pestiimpact that it had on the cides and herbicides for entire continent of North cosmetic purposes. LoAmerica, my motivation cal chemical companies has become more driven such as ChemLawn (now to ďŹ nd out what forces known as TruGreen) and Brett Plymale’s ďŹ lm follows the story of Hudson, are at work to shape Spraytech challenged Canada, the tiny town that took on the giant public opinion, and why the law in court, claim- chemical companies. we collectively, are willing the municipality had ingly doing things that no authority to prohibit federally registered are potentially harmful to ourselves.â€? products. (In other words, if the federal govJune Irwin, who is in her 70s, is still a ernment and the chemical companies tell you practicing dermatologist on the West Island their products are registered and safe—yet of Montreal. Tukey and Plymale believe she’s are increasingly linked to rising cancer rates, changed the North American landscape forasthma, leukemia, early-onset Parkinson’s and ever just by daring to speak out. “She would various neurological disorders—just shut up attend every single town meeting from June and spray.) The case later made it all the way to 1985 until they passed the law. She would read the Supreme Court and...you’ll have to see the documents full of facts and full of anecdotes movie to ďŹ nd out what happened next! that came in the news,â€? says Tukey. “She Narrated by author Tukey and directed would read this aloud and say why aren’t we by Plymale, A Chemical Reaction will have getting rid of these things? Why are we allowyou cheering for the small town of Hudson, ing these products to be on our properties?â€? which fought the giant lawn-care chemiJust this year, Health Canada, the equivalent cal companies for 10 years. “I knew as a of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, journalist that there had to be a good back announced it plans to ban the sale and 24 >


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