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Instead of glyphosate: SBB want to in the future, spraying only hot water

Not a Swiss company uses for weed control as much glyphosate as the SBB . On your about 7600 line-km-long rail network, you spray a year, two to three tons of

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Instead of glyphosate: SBB want to in the future, spraying only hot water

Not a Swiss company uses for weed control as much glyphosate as the SBB . On your about 7600 line-km-long rail network, you spray a year, two to three tons of the controversial drug. This corresponds to a volume of about 5500 liters – or about one percent of the Swiss paragraph.

However, glyphosate is difficult to get into the criticism. The International Agency for research on cancer, an Agency of the world health organization, described the plant toxin 2015 as "probably carcinogenic to humans". Traces of it are to be found in water, in plants and even in human urine.

Although today is not clear, whether or not glyphosate is a carcinogen, the Bayer subsidiary of Monsanto, manufacturer of the best-known glyphosate By Roundup, in the USA, a number of lawsuits from cancer patients users of first instance, lost on.

hot water kills weeds

Now the SBB react and want to avoid until 2025, the use of glyphosate, as spokesperson for Ottavia Masserini confirmed. As the editors Tamedia wanted to know last week, in which a replacement was planned, said the spokesman, at 9 am. July in Detail informed. However, according to the request, the Federation will have it's paths changed your mind and the date on the today, Thursday brought forward. In the station Däniken SO the SBB want to show how glyphosate want to replace.

In the foreground, the use of hot water, an environmentally friendly method for the control of weeds. It is very simple: The water is taken from a tank car, with instantaneous water heaters is heated to 100 degrees, and by means of nozzles on the weeds and moss sprayed, the die after that.

The SBB have already had experience. You have been working for one and a half years with the Weedcontrol GmbH from upper ramsern together in SUCH a way, as its co-owner confirmed Beat Wyss. In pilot tests, the company SBB-Parking and -gravel spaces sprayed on 100 degree heated water, which scalded the green parts of plants from weeds and moss.

The same method on the thousands of kilometres of rail network is, however, a different Shoe number. Therefore, the SBB have developed in the past few months, a new hot water spray vehicle. It's kind of a tank car equipped on rails and with a special feature that can recognize plants.

the people's initiative for a ban

The SBB react with the glyphosate-Alternative to the increasing political pressure against the controversial weeds in the medium. One of the first European countries, France announced two years ago to ban glyphosate from 2021. The EU Commission extended two years ago, the use of glyphosate, but only to five-year terms. Brazil and Colombia have banned the use of the pesticide completely. Other countries will follow. In Switzerland, the use of glyphosate on places, roads and Paths since 2001, is prohibited in order to protect the waters against the poison. Farmers are allowed to use it on their fields, and the tracks have an exemption. However, this is not carved in stone.

The pressure for a total ban also takes in Switzerland. The Green party has submitted in September 2017, a corresponding Motion. You will be rejected by the Federal Council, but has not been dealt with in the Parliament.

Even greater pressure on the Federal popular initiative "For a Switzerland without synthetic pesticides". It calls for a comprehensive ban on chemical plants, destruction of resources, not only in agriculture, but also "in the ground and landscape maintenance". Therefore, the Federal is progressing tracks now, before they may be forced by the Constitution to the waiver of glyphosate.

idea of employees

But actually, you could have known that for a long time that weed control with hot water is one of the most efficient methods. Because her longtime collaborator Werner Kurfess, in the works since the year 2000 in the case of SBB wrote previously as a research assistant in the German University of Hohenheim, a doctoral thesis, "on the use of hot water for the thermal Weed control". He wrote that on 100 degree heated water is so effective that its use "especially in communal areas and on railway tracks" have to offer.

Hot water is approximately the same length as glyphosate. In both methods, new weeds grow after six to seven weeks. The SBB-Overall project Manager for the glyphosate Alternatives, the environmental expert Gunter Adolph, but anticipates only four treatments with hot water per year – significantly less than with glyphosate.

A disadvantage of the shock method with the hot water, however, is that it kills small animals. On its Website, the SBB, to terminate, therefore, "due to the diversity of the natural and structural conditions along the path" would be several alternatives to glyphosate are used.

Conceivable two other methods that are currently being tested by Deutsche Bahn of the SBB exchange: in The first method, which has been used sporadically in agriculture, weeds are destroyed using electricity. In the second approach, plants are burned with high-energy ultra-violet radiation. This method is completely new and has never previously been used.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 26.06.2019, 23:16 PM

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