Ban On Toxic Pesticide Chlorpyrifol Supported In Watsonville

WATSONVILLE, CA — The city of Watsonville passed a resolution Tuesday night in support of state Senate Bill 458 introduced by Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), which would prohibit the use of pesticide products in California that contain the toxic active ingredient chlorpyrifos. Watsonville's economy centers around the farming industry, so concern has mounted over the use of chlorpyrifos. Four public speakers at Tuesday's meeting offered support for the resolution, while Watsonville Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca Garcia said she has Gov. Gavin Newsom's assurance that if SB-458 arrives on his desk he will sign it. The bill has already passed through various state committees with bipartisan support.

In California, chlorpyrifos is mostly used to control pests in alfalfa, almonds, citrus, cotton, grapes and walnuts. The pesticide has been determined to cause serious health effects in children and other sensitive populations at lower levels of exposure than previously thought, according to recent findings by the state’s independent Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants. The effects include impaired brain and neurological development, according to the report. Chlorpyrifos has also been shown to be extremely toxic to bees, as well as certain crustaceansand insects.

In April, chlorpyrifos was formally listed as a “toxic air contaminant," which California law defines as “an air pollutant which may cause or contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious illness, or which may pose a present or potential hazard to human health.” So with the senate bill now also on the table, the California Environmental Protection Agency announced May 8 that the state's Department of Pesticide Regulation is working to ban the use of chlorpyrifos.

CalEPA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture also announced that the governor will propose $5.7 million in new funding in the May Revision budget proposal to support the transition to safer, more sustainable alternatives, and he plans to convene a working group to "identify, evaluate and recommend alternative pest management solutions." That process could take up to two years though, according to CalEPA. In the meantime, the state has enacted a ban on aerial spraying and has mandated quarter-mile buffer zones where the pesticide is used. The state also called for only using chlorpyrifol on crops where there are no other current alternatives to control pests.

“This action also represents a historic opportunity for California to develop a new framework for alternative pest management practices,” said CalEPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld.

Chlorpyrifos was introduced in 1965 by Dow Chemical Company. Today, there are dozens of agricultural products that contain the pesticide, according to CalEPA. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency prohibited residential use of chlorpyrifos in 2001.