Warnings for Unsafe Fields

California agricultural regulations direct growers to post signs in their fields whenever dangerous pesticides are used. That requirement, however, does not go into effect unless a pesticide is likely to be dangerous for more than seven days. But some pesticides now in use have a short yet potent life, and are harmful to humans only for the first few days after application.

Monterey County already requires signs for all danger periods. The entire state should be covered in this way. It would be under legislation (SB 269) that could come before the California Senate on Friday. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Nicholas C. Petris (D-Oakland), would require warning signs in labor-intensive crops if the danger period is one day or longer. Backers of the bill say that the largest spraying firms in Monterey County charge from zero to $8 per application for putting up the sign, and that growers accept it as cheap insurance.

Both supervisors and workers need to know when an area is unsafe. If the supervisor doesn’t know that a field has been sprayed, he may inadvertently send workers to weed a crop or harvest it, exposing them to the poisons. Or the workers may accidentally wander into a field recently sprayed if signs aren’t posted. What they don’t know in this case can hurt them.