Environmental Groups Aim to Heighten Pesticide Awareness

Three environmental advocacy groups are embarking on a two-year project aimed at reducing health risks from pesticides among farm workers and those who live or work near agricultural areas in six counties, officials announced Monday.

The Environmental Defense Center is the lead organization for the newly formed Central Coast Environmental Project, which will cover Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. The center will work with California Rural Legal Assistance and the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo County to document health risks from agricultural pesticides. The groups also will educate farm workers and the general public about their legal rights related to pesticides and other hazardous agricultural practices.

The project received a $667,000 grant from the California Endowment, which funds groups that improve health care. The grant is for two years, but the project may be extended, said Lori Schiraga, program coordinator at the center.

In Ventura County, the group will document complaints about pesticides, including methyl bromide, a highly potent fumigant used in strawberry fields as well as on grapes, tomatoes, almonds and vegetables, said Eileen McCarthy, a staff attorney of California Rural Legal Assistance.

The chemical will be banned nationwide in 2001 because it depletes the Earth’s ozone layer. A California ban because of safety concerns was sidestepped in 1996 after Gov. Pete Wilson, citing job and economic losses, asked the Legislature to extend the time limit on the chemical’s use.

Project officials said they will spend the bulk of their time trying to educate the public about pesticides. This will include educating doctors about what they should look for to diagnose pesticide poisoning. It will also involve talking to farm workers about their rights regarding pesticide problems and educating communities near farm areas about what to expect from pesticides.

“Workers should know their rights; communities should know their rights. Pesticide drift is illegal and not something you should have to put up with,” Schiraga said.

Project officials plan to document all reported cases involving problems with pesticides. They said reported cases of pesticide poisoning are far lower than they should be because many farmers fear reprisal from their employers.

“So, I think, unfortunately, the low numbers of pesticide reporting leads to an erroneous conclusion that there are not pesticide poisonings, when that is not the case,” McCarthy said.

Project officials will assist in the reporting of pesticide poisoning to the counties’ agricultural commissioners, she said.