Fresno-area farm workers want daily pesticide warnings, to protect against cancer risks
Advocates for agricultural workers and families who live and work near farms gathered Tuesday in Clovis, pushing for warnings related to cancer-causing pesticides.
Representatives from Fresno, Madera, Huron, Coalinga, Orosi, Mendota and other rural communities said they are concerned over chemicals that can cause respiratory irritation, kidney effects and cancer, among other illnesses.
The advocates had two UCLA studies they said support their reasons to be concerned. They presented copies of those studies to employees Tuesday at the state Department of Pesticide Regulation office in Clovis.
The advocates said they want local ag commissioners to post on their websites each day where the pesticides will be applied. That way, residents can take whatever precautions they can to protect themselves and their children — plus reduce their exposure to chemical sprays.
Ofelia Ochoa said she’s lived in Mendota for three years but has spent the last two decades working and living in and around fields with all of her family. The mother of three said her youngest child was born with special needs. She’s concerned for other babies who may suffer effects while in the womb and near pesticides.
“We want pesticide education now,” she said in Spanish through an interpreter. “It is a human right, and a lot of mothers who work in the field are not properly trained of the harm of pesticides.”
One of the UCLA studies says evidence suggests children who were carried in the womb while living within 2.5 miles of farmland exposed to pesticides were up to three times as likely to develop one of two types of childhood leukemia.
The second study suggests that children in that same proximity had a higher rate of developing brain tumors, according to the author. The report goes on to recommend limiting exposure of the pesticides to children.
County officials all over the state routinely put out warnings related to COVID-19 or other hazards so pesticides should not be treated any different, according to Candy Zaranyika, a public health nurse and member of the Coalition Advocating for Pesticide Safety.
Children are at a higher risk of being impacted by the pesticides because they consume more water and food for their size in comparison to an adult. Plus, they are also closer to and play on the ground, where the toxins can remain, she said.
The pesticides in question are called the “Toxic 13,” according to advocates. “Eleven of the 13 are banned in other nations because they are so harmful,” Zaranyika said.
Pesticides prevalent in ag industry
Agriculture is big business in the central San Joaquin Valley, and Fresno uses the most pesticides of any county, according to advocates. Fresno County’s agricultural and livestock production of $7.7 billion for 2019 also topped all others in production.
More than 200 million pounds of pesticides are used in California every year, according to advocates.
Gov. Gavin Newsom in his May revised budget earmarked $10 million for the infrastructure toward such a notification system for which advocates are asking, but it isn’t expected until 2024. Advocates argued local ag commissioners should implement a system immediately with little effort.
Californians for Pesticide Reform is an advocacy group made up of a statewide coalition of more than 200 people, according to Angel Garcia, who organizes for the group in Tulare County.
“They need to take action now. Not tomorrow, not in June of 2024,” he said.
This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 4:16 PM.
