Friday, May 28, 2004
Editorial: Drifting Pesticides
A tainted cloud
EDITORIAL
San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, May 28, 2004
A CROP DUSTER swoops across a Calfornia field, spraying pesticide on the fertile, green rows. But a shift in the wind -- or pure negligence -- cansend the lethal chemicals without warning into homes or nearby fields filled with farm workers.
Last year, more than a thousand people were sickened by drifting pesticides, some fainting while others gasped for air. In 2002, some 250 people were evacuated from homes in Kern County while emergency workers scrambled toidentify the chemical and treat residents of a subdivision enveloped by dangerous spray.
What is being done plainly isn't enough. The state has the power to fineviolators, though the process can be lengthy. Farmworkers and residentsoften have trouble finding health care from medical personnel familiar with toxic chemicals. With the growing season underway, the problem of drifting pesticides willonly increase.
Last year, California doused its fields and orchards morethan a million times with bug-killing chemicals, according to the stateDepartment of Pesticide Regulation.
One remedy is a bill, SB391, by state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, thatwould use fines for improper spraying to pay for medical treatment and better training for health workers. Money would also come from a fee on pesticides.
The drifting sprays and fumigants injected into the soil are a major worry for farmworkers. A rally last week in Sacramento drew more than a hundred in support of the bill by Florez, who represents a San Joaquin Valley districtnear Bakersfield. Pesticide drift also affects those living on the edges ofag-country towns.
The Farm Bureau, a major lobbying group for state agriculture, isn'topposing the bill for now. That's a good sign, indicating that both sides recognize the health dangers and are willing to consider new steps. It's clearly time to control a problem in California's fields thatjeopardizes workers.
EDITORIAL
San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, May 28, 2004
A CROP DUSTER swoops across a Calfornia field, spraying pesticide on the fertile, green rows. But a shift in the wind -- or pure negligence -- cansend the lethal chemicals without warning into homes or nearby fields filled with farm workers.
Last year, more than a thousand people were sickened by drifting pesticides, some fainting while others gasped for air. In 2002, some 250 people were evacuated from homes in Kern County while emergency workers scrambled toidentify the chemical and treat residents of a subdivision enveloped by dangerous spray.
What is being done plainly isn't enough. The state has the power to fineviolators, though the process can be lengthy. Farmworkers and residentsoften have trouble finding health care from medical personnel familiar with toxic chemicals. With the growing season underway, the problem of drifting pesticides willonly increase.
Last year, California doused its fields and orchards morethan a million times with bug-killing chemicals, according to the stateDepartment of Pesticide Regulation.
One remedy is a bill, SB391, by state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, thatwould use fines for improper spraying to pay for medical treatment and better training for health workers. Money would also come from a fee on pesticides.
The drifting sprays and fumigants injected into the soil are a major worry for farmworkers. A rally last week in Sacramento drew more than a hundred in support of the bill by Florez, who represents a San Joaquin Valley districtnear Bakersfield. Pesticide drift also affects those living on the edges ofag-country towns.
The Farm Bureau, a major lobbying group for state agriculture, isn'topposing the bill for now. That's a good sign, indicating that both sides recognize the health dangers and are willing to consider new steps. It's clearly time to control a problem in California's fields thatjeopardizes workers.
# posted by Senator Dean Florez @ 10:03 AM 
