After former Benicia Unified School District groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson successfully sued Monsanto over claims that a nearly daily use of its product Roundup gave him cancer, community members have wondered if the district would cease using the product. For BUSD, that decision came before the verdict was announced.

Johnson served as an integrated pest manager for BUSD from 2012 to 2015. He had mixed and sprayed Roundup Pro as well as a similar product Ranger Pro an average of 20 to 40 times a year, and sometimes drift exposure would result in the product landing on his skin. In 2014, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and subsequently sued Monsanto, a company that has received numerous lawsuits due to Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate, which many have claimed is linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Although Monsanto has consistently denied the link, the jury sided with Johnson and awarded him $289 million. Monsanto announced it would appeal the decision.

BUSD Superintendent Dr. Charles Young sent an email to the Herald on behalf of the district and school board which said that the district discontinued using Roundup and anger Pro at the end of the 2017-18 school year after receiving concerns over safety.

“The Board of Education has always held an unwavering commitment to protect student, employee and campus safety, and this paramount goal was our guide when we made the decision to discontinue the use of Roundup,” he wrote. “While the science can be confusing and conflicting, it is important to note that the products continue to be on the approved list for schools by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), under the Safe Schools Act; however, we felt it was best to err on the side of caution and discontinue use.”

Instead, Young wrote, the district has adopted integrated pest management practices over the last two years which he considers to be more environmentally friendly. For example, the district uses weed-eating goats in areas of high weed growth and tries to be careful with food storage, waste management and disposal so as to not attract pests.

“With grounds work, we use products that do not include glyphosate, which, again is on the approved DPR list for schools, but due to questions and controversies, we elected to stop using the product,” Young wrote.

Additionally, Young said the district observes the state’s requirement to publicly post notices informing employees, parents and the community regarding the use of weed killing products.

“I want our school community to know Roundup and Ranger Pro are not used on our school grounds,” he wrote.

On her campaign’s Facebook page, school board candidate Adrean Hayashi wrote that preventing glyphosate products from being used on school grounds is a high priority.

“I am committed to ensuring our children are not subjected to petrochemical spraying of school grounds, playgrounds and gardens,” she wrote.

The city has also discontinued its use of glyphosate products. In a phone call, Parks Supervisor Theron Jones said the city had used Ranger Pro in the past but discontinued it after the court ruling. This was confirmed in a news release by the Parks & Community Services Department, which said the city has also adopted an Integrated Pest Management approach to controlling weeds and landscape related pests in lieu of herbicides and synthetic fertilizers.

“The only time synthetic fertilizers are used is for turf renovation projects and new sod installations,” Parks Director Mike Dotson wrote. “In both cases, fields are closed to the public by fencing or locking the fields. We have not applied any pesticides or herbicides to the turf areas in the last several years with the exception of tree wells, fence lines and around obstacles.”

Dotson wrote that the city has attempted to decrease the use of herbicides by using alternative methods such as a mulching program. Recycled chips from tree pruning and removal projects conducted by the city are stockpiled and placed in planter beds to retain moisture and prevent weed growth. Mulching has been applied in medians at the Benicia Community Park and on Southampton Road as well as Fitzgerald Field, Civic Center Park, City Hall, St. Catherine’s Woods Park, the Benicia Public Library, Senior Center and other areas around town, Dotson wrote.

Dotson also said the herbicides that are used do not contain glyphosate and use only organic materials. They are not applied to playgrounds and are only used in areas where other methods are impractical, such as tree wells, along fence lines and in planter beds. He said the products are less toxic and applied by city staff and licensed contractors who adhere to the label requirements in accordance with a written recommendation from a pest control adviser licensed by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Additionally, he wrote, the city’s pesticide storage area, application equipment, records and methods are inspected annually by the Solano County agricultural commissioner.

“As part of our ongoing commitment, the city of Benicia will continue to review new products, technologies and cultural practices as they become available in order to continue our effort to reduce herbicide use while providing the safest, well maintained parks and facilities for all to enjoy,” Dotson wrote.

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