To the Editor Before the March 26, Cedar Falls (CF) City Council meeting (Council), citizens have a chance to make the Sturgis Falls Celebration a healthier event. Call or E-mail Mayor Crews and Cedar Falls Council Members. Tell them we want Cedar Falls Parks policy to follow evidence-based State and County Health Department recommendations and to stop applying cancer-causing insecticides. Most people are probably unaware our parks are sprayed and fogged with cancer-causing pesticides for the Sturgis Falls Celebration. This practice defies the Iowa Park’s Division state policy of integrated pest management. Fogging is an outdated practice, poses serious health risks to children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those of us already living with cancer. It is not effective in mosquito control. Last year before Sturgis Falls, a “barrier” insecticide (Bifenthrin) was applied to the grounds first. Then the insecticide Titan was used for fogging. The labels for both of these pesticides say “Hazards to humans and domestic animals.” It also says “This pesticide is extremely toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates . . . Do not apply . . . to areas where water is present . . . Bifenthrin will also persist in aquatic sediments . . . Drift and run-off from treated areas may be hazardous to aquatic organisms.” The CF parks that were sprayed and fogged were near water, and it is impossible to fog without a drift. Our local Pesticides and Cancer Working Group has trouble understanding why the city allows spraying and fogging of cancer-causing insecticides where thousands of its citizens walk, sit, eat, crawl, and play. Christine Carpenter, Facilitator Pesticides and Cancer Working Group Cedar Valley Cancer Committee

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