On October 23, the Tampa Tribune published an article written by Christian Wade entitled, “Herbicide Chemical Turns Up in Water.” The article noted that “recent tests conducted by a consulting firm hired by Tampa to monitor contamination from an old municipal landfill underneath a section of the golf course revealed higher-than-acceptable levels of arsenic in one of several groundwater testing sites.”

Regrettably, the author assumes that semiannual application of the organic arsenical herbicide, MSMA, is the source of elevated levels of inorganic arsenic. It is far more likely that elevated levels of inorganic arsenic in this situation stem from any number of other reasons, such as the municipal landfill underneath, or the historical use of inorganic pesticides that are no longer in use, and not from the targeted spot-treatment application of MSMA on the golf course fairways.

MSMA has long been proven to be safe and effective in controlling crabgrass and other invasive weeds in turf and on select crops such as cotton. In contrast to the author’s claim, inorganic arsenic is not an active ingredient of MSMA. (read more)