KINGSTON, Pa. -- A neighborhood in Luzerne County is concerned after PennDOT sprayed a chemical that some consider dangerous.
That chemical was sprayed near homes in Kingston Wednesday.
An early morning stroll ended with concern for a group of grandparents in Kingston. They say workers from the state sprayed a weed killer near their homes and that weed killer contains a chemical called glyphosate.
"He said, 'I'm spraying Roundup.' I said, 'please, there are children here,' I said and I believe there are lawsuits pending saying that Roundup is a known carcinogen. At this point, we just don't know," Mary Ellen Horn said.
Newswatch 16 learned that PennDOT sprayed the chemical but it was not Roundup.
PennDOT spokesperson James May says the product it sprayed is called Aquaneat, which does contain glyphosate.
"We always make sure we use the product in accordance with what is on the specifications, or even a little bit under, just to make sure that we're erring on the side of caution and safety. So, right now, the EPA has approved this product and they have approved all the products that we use," May said.
Glyphosate has caused controversy recently.
Last month, a janitor in California was awarded nearly $300 million in a civil lawsuit against the maker of Roundup. The janitor said exposure to glyphosate caused him to get cancer.
According to ABC News, studies have shown that high doses of the chemical can cause cancer in laboratory animals but studies on humans have shown conflicting results.
Still, the people who live in this neighborhood near the Cross Valley Expressway hope the chemical is no longer used.
"It shouldn't be used, particularly in neighborhoods filled with children, filled with anybody, elderly, anybody," Maggie Vankuyk said.
PennDOT's spokesperson says if glyphosate is ever found to be harmful to humans the agency would stop using it.