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Panel explores pesticide drift problems

Lindsay, Calif. - There was not an empty seat available as Tulare and Kern county residents aired frustrations to Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, at a hearing Sept. 12 at the Lindsay Community Center that examined pesticide drift effects on air quality and urban areas.

At the hearing, officials with  the Air Resources Board and Department of Pesticide Regulations tried to clarify their roles in monitoring and mitigating problems associated with pesticides.

“Progress has been made. In several air spaces the commitment has been achieved,” said Jon Constantino, a legislative analyst with the California Air Resources Board.
But many residents recanted their frustrations in dealing with finger-pointing among the two agencies.

“I would complain to one agency and they would say they weren’t in charge of it. It really was a nutshell game to figure out who we could go to,” said Teresa DeAnda, with El Comite para el Bienstar de Earlimart, which recently won a lawsuit against the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

While farmworkers may typically be thought of as the most affected by pesticide drift, with all of the new development in the valley, it is homeowners that should be concerned as well.

“I think one of the problems with these new developments that are in close proximity to fields is that people aren’t aware of the risks, people aren’t aware of the drift issues,” said Daniela Simunovic, a community organizer with Center for Race, Poverty and the Environment.

Currently, Pesticide Action Network  — based in San Francisco — has been conducting studies in Lindsay to test for levels of pesticides in the air. Lindsay was chosen as a typical model of many communities in the San Joaquin Valley.

When exposed to unhealthy levels of some pesticides, children are especially susceptible to the side effects, which include vomiting, excessive sweating, headaches and neurological defects. Receptors placed in various locations have found unhealthy levels of pesticides in rural areas, as expected, but also in urban areas.

“If I lived near a field, I would be concerned, especially if I had children,” said Karl Tupper, a staff scientist with the Pesticide Action Network.

Some of the experts who testified tried to downplay the contribution to air pollution pesticides play, pointing out that pesticides only make up a small percentage of contaminates.

“Saying pesticides are only 6 percent is really misleading because even the largest contributor, which is dairies is only 12 percent,” said Brent Newell also with the Center for Race, Poverty and the Environment.

There are a large amount of pesticides applied in the valley — 23.8 million pounds a year in Kern County alone, according to the Department of Pesticide Regulation.

This, along with the large number of dairy farms, puts the people here at greater risk to pollution’s side effects, according to Simunovic.

“People in our community are being disproportionately affected by these sources of contamination. They are having problems with respiratory health. There are greater incidences of children with asthma,” Simunovic said. “Bad air is bad for everybody. Particularly people who are already sensitive to those emissions. So to me, it is a health issue, it’s a quality-of-life issue, and it’s a human rights issue.”

Farmworkers also testified that many were unsure about the reporting process.
“We get sprayed and we don’t say anything because we don’t know what pesticides are. So I am very concerned about my people,” said Sandra García, a farmworker from Poplar, Calif.

Many who testified said they were confused over which agency was responsible for what when it came to pesticide problems.

The need for cooperation was suggested by Florez.

“We’re not going to get anywhere with a contentious fight over this. This is something we all need to work together on to come up with solutions,” Florez said.