A panel of experts will be on hand at a workshop focusing on Peachtree City’s use of pesticides and herbicides on sports fields.

The event, slated for Tuesday, Nov. 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, will feature eight panelists and the public is invited.

The workshop has been organized to address concerns expressed by several soccer parents who object to the city’s use of pesticides on sports fields to control weeds and bugs, officials said.

“These are valid concerns that deserve serious consideration,” said Randy Gaddo, the city’s director of leisure services. “But to do it justice, the issue needs to be addressed by experts who can discuss it authoritatively.”

Several months ago, a few parents told the City Council that one time two years ago, two soccer players developed respiratory problems after they were exposed to pesticide that had been sprayed on one of the soccer fields. But the city contractor that applies the chemicals noted that soccer field had a sign present warning that the pesticide had been applied.

The panelists selected for the workshop represent university departments and government agencies that study, regulate or monitor pesticide use. They include:

Dr. Paul Guillebeau: an associate professor of Entomology at the University of Georgia’s Athens campus. His primary responsibility is the reduction of pesticide risks and Integrated Pest Management program implementation.

Dr. Tim Murphy: a professor of weed science at UGA’s Griffin campus. He conducts research, outreach education programs, and also teaches the weed science portion of a turf grass pest management course at the Athens campus.

Dr. Gil Landry: coordinator of the Center for Urban Agriculture at UGA’s Griffin campus. From 1979 to 2003 he was responsible for UGA’s statewide development and implementation of extension turf grass management educational programming.

Julia Gaskin: the UGA Extension Service’s land application specialist. A soil scientist with a master’s degree from UGA, for the past seven years she has worked in the agricultural pollution prevention program to ensure that by-products used in agriculture are environmentally safe and agronomically effective.

Dr. Chensheng (Alex) Lu: assistant professor, Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. His specialty is assessing human exposure to environmental chemicals and subsequent health risks.

Dr. Melanie Pearson: research project manager, Emory University, in the same department as Dr. Lu. She assists Dr. Lu in conducting and managing field studies designed to assess risk of exposure to environmental and dietary pesticides.

Dr. Robert Geller: associate professor, Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, and director, Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit. A pediatrician and medical toxicologist, his specialty involves minimizing the consequences to children of exposure to various environmental compounds and responding to any effects that occur.

Doug Jones: manager of the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Division, which enforces state and federal laws pertaining to the use and application of pesticides.

Each panelist will be given five minutes to establish their position on the issue, and then questions will be taken from the audience, Gaddo said.

“Our intent is to provide an educational forum where people who have questions can address them to authorities on the subject,” Gaddo said.

For more information, contact the Recreation Department at 770-631-2542.

login to post comments