Date: Wed, 01 Mar 2000 17:35:44 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Lyndon Hawkins <hawkins@empm.cdpr.ca.gov>
State of California,
Department of Pesticide Regulation
Integrated Pest
Management
Dear Lyndon, I thought you might like to read an interesting e-mail I just received entitled----
Subject: CPR Project Impact Update
Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 10:52:09 -0800
From: Californians for Pesticide Reform <pests@igc.org>
To: pests@igc.org
Project Impact Update - Local Action for Statewide Reform
- Volume 8 January/February 2000
"Project Impact: Local Action for Statewide Reform" is
a campaign of the Pesticide Watch Education Fund and Californians for Pesticide
Reform (CPR). Project Impact supports and promotes local policies and programs
for safe and sustainable pest control. These local efforts serve as models
inspiring statewide reform to protect the public, workers, and the environment.
*****************************************
Toxic Cloud Spurs Action by Earlimart Residents
In response to a pesticide poisoning incident that sickened about 180 people, community members in Earlimart, CA, have formed a new group called Comité Pro-Bienestar de Earlimart (CPBE). CPBE works to ensure that everyone sickened in the incident receives health care and has their medical bills paid; to improve the county's response to pesticide incidents; and to prevent pesticide drift in the future.
On the evening of November 13, 1999, dozens of residents of the predominantly Latino farm worker community were evacuated after they complained of eye and skin irritation and breathing difficulty. Their symptoms were later traced to application of the poisonous fumigant metam sodium on fields 500 feet to three-quarters of a mile from town.
Metam sodium is a fumigant used to kill weeds, soil-borne diseases, and other pests in a broad variety of crops. It is listed as a chemical "known to the state of California to cause cancer and developmental toxicity." Follow-up studies after 50,000 gallons of metam sodium spilled into the Sacramento River in 1991 found that metam sodium caused asthma and respiratory problems in some people living nearby, exacerbated previously existing respiratory problems in others, and killed fish downstream for 45 miles.
CPBE members, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), Pesticide Watch, and other CPR groups charge that the Earlimart incident would never have happened if state and local officials had paid attention to similar problems in Santa Barbara and San Joaquin counties. In the Santa Barbara incident, the agricultural commissioners in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties mandated one-mile buffer zones for metam sodium sprinkler applications. Unfortunately, in Tulare County the buffer zone remained 500 feet, and even now has only been extended to a maximum of a half mile in certain cases.
When people in Earlimart continued to become ill several days after the incident, residents teamed up with the UFW and Pesticide Watch to hold a public meeting in the neighborhood church. Testimony from the 120 people who attended made clear that many more people had fallen ill than officials knew of, numerous residents were still ill but had been denied medical attention, and residents outside the official evacuation area had become sick. Residents reported that some illness occurred nearly a mile from the metam sodium application.
"What scares me are the long term effects," said Lucy Huizar, an Earlimart evacuee who was still suffering from the effects of the pesticide more than a week after the incident.
Residents talked of ongoing problems with pesticide air pollution and the need for long-term solutions to protect their neighborhood. "I'm very fearful about another contamination," said Earlimart resident Teresa De Anda.
Many residents left the meeting convinced that officials would do little to help unless they came together to demand action. Led by Huizar, they organized a committee to get medical help for those who needed it, make those responsible for the accident pay all medical bills, and ensure this incident would be the last of its type in Earlimart.
UFW and Pesticide Watch worked the phones to bring media to the meeting. Residents' concerns were covered by eight television stations and newspapers from across the region. In the ensuing months, this media attention, which CPBE members worked hard to sustain, proved critical in pressuring state officials and the pesticide applicator to take action.
In the days after the town meeting, volunteers from the UFW, Pesticide Watch Education Fund, and California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation joined committee members to canvass door to door in the neighborhood to look for sick people. Dozens were taken to the local clinic for evaluation, and volunteers helped a total of 180 people who had been sick file official complaints with the county agricultural commissioner.
The Tulare County Agricultural Commissioner has issued a notice of violation. He found that Wilbur Ellis violated several pesticide regulations by applying metam sodium "when there was a reasonable possibility of contamination of people not involved with the application and non-target property."
The committee and its allies have taken action to guarantee payment of medical bills and ensure that pesticide poisoning events do not recur. For example, because county supervisors refused to meet with Earlimart residents-even after they attended the supervisor's weekly meeting and spoke about their ongoing problems- about 100 Earlimart residents and farm workers from across Tulare County staged a rally at a recent board meeting. This event was well-covered by the media.
In the wake of their rally, CPBE members met individually with several board members, including the supervisor for their district, Mel Richmond. Richmond refused to support CPBE's key demand-creation of a county commission to examine what went wrong in Earlimart and make recommendations to keep it from happening again.
In light of the board's near-total unresponsiveness, CPBE is reconsidering strategies to expose county officials' inaction and build more public pressure for solutions to Earlimart's ongoing problems.
CPBE recently received some better news when Earlimart resident De Anda attended a meeting between CPR member groups and DPR Director Helliker, focusing on pesticide air pollution and drift problems across the state. De Anda emphasized the importance of a strong response to the Earlimart incident as a deterrent to future pesticide drift violations. De Anda asked Helliker to refer the case to the attorney general, which would pave the way for much higher fines and more sweeping enforcement action. Helliker indicated to the group that he might do just that.
For more information: Lucy Huizar, CPBE, (661) 849-0808.
*****************************************
Santa Clara Group Takes on County Pesticide Use
Pesticide Alternatives of Santa Clara County (PASCC)
The group Pesticide Alternatives of Santa Clara County (PASCC) has launched an ordinance campaign in Santa Clara County to require all county departments to reform their pest control programs to better protect the public and employees. As a result of meetings with group members, Santa Clara County Supervisor Jim Beall has agreed to sponsor the ordinance.
The ordinance will include a ban of the most toxic pesticides, including Category I pesticides and all organophosphates and carbamates; an evaluation of all least-toxic and non-toxic alternatives before pesticide use; posted notification three days prior to and seven days after a pesticide application; a pesticide monitoring and reporting program; and education and training for employees involved in pest management. The ordinance will also require a preference for non-chemical use in pest management.
PASCC formed in June 1999 when a group of Santa Clara County medical doctors, environmental scientists, environmental engineers, county employees, community activists, and parents, concerned about pesticide use in their community, came together to form the new organization.
The group has also enlisted an advisory board which includes representatives of the Audubon Society, BayKeeper, CLEAN South Bay, National Resources Defense Council, Pesticide Watch, Pesticide Action Network, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Program, Santa Clara Occupational Health and Safety, Silicon Valley Pollution Prevention Center, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, and TDC Environmental.
For more information: Dr. Cindy Russell, PASCC, P.O. Box 70715, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (408) 996-1613 .
*****************************************
People's CORE Survey Finds Community Education a Must
The People's Community Organization for Reform and Empowerment (People's CORE) - Los Angeles
The People's Community Organization for Reform and Empowerment (People's CORE) has just finished compiling results from last year's "Pesticide Awareness Project" survey. Fifteen volunteers worked to collect information through a household survey in the spring of 1999. Nearly 150 people were interviewed in the Filipinotown area in Central Los Angeles and in Carson. The survey covered the following topics: what are pesticides; do you use pesticides; who does use pesticides (farmers, schools, etc.); are you using pesticides in your house or garden or on pets; and what pest problems do you have?
Survey results have just been released and confirm People's CORE's concern that area residents are not aware of the problems of pesticides in their homes and schools and do not realize that these chemicals are harmful to children. Of the people interviewed, the majority understood that pesticides are commonly used on farms, but did not realize that many are also used in the home. The survey also found that the most common pest problems included rats, roaches, fleas, and lice.
As a result of their findings, People's CORE is in the process of preparing multi-lingual educational brochures. These will include general information on the hazards of pesticide use.
For more information: Al Garcia, People's CORE, (213) 625-7705, Email: p_core@earthlink.net.
*****************************************
County Personnel Promote Park Pesticide Progress
More than three years after its passage in 1996, the San Francisco pesticide ordinance has nearly achieved its primary goal: stopping pesticide use with health and environmental impacts by San Francisco city and county departments. Use of the most hazardous pesticides has been reduced to practically zero, the public's right-to-know has increased significantly through posting of signs before and after application, and public awareness of pesticide problems and alternatives has increased.
The success of the San Francisco pesticide ordinance was the result of an initial organizing effort that combined the resources of GreenCorps and Pesticide Watch. The ordinance immediately banned the use of pesticides linked to cancer and reproductive harm, and those that are most acutely toxic; increased the public's right-to-know by requiring posting of most pesticide applications 72 hours before and after an application; established Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as the pest management framework for all departments; and banned all pesticides except for a list of approved pesticides which became effective January 1, 2000.
Since implementation of the ordinance, San Francisco has achieved concrete success in terms of reducing product toxicity and risk. All spray applications of pesticides used within public buildings have been replaced by other control methods-baits, insect growth regulators, exclusion, sanitation, and education. Pesticides linked to cancer and reproductive harm, and those that have been identified as the most acutely toxic are prohibited from use unless an emergency one-time application is approved by the city-wide IPM coordinator. Broadcast applications of pesticides have been eliminated from playing fields and parks.
Many staff have experimented with new and innovative ways to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides. For example, the public utility commission has engaged in a series of pilot projects-from installing weed barriers to an intensive gopher and mole monitoring and trapping program-to reduce need for chemical controls. In one heavy brush area, a fire road is being maintained using a set of experimental plots to test various mowing regimes and bulldozer blade removal techniques. The project goal is to convert the vegetation pattern within the fire access area from dense brushland to perennial grasses and wildflowers using the most efficient and chemical-free methodology.
In another example of positive change, the maintenance division that oversees public transit (MUNI) has not had a problem with insects since the ordinance took effect. Several years ago, buses were routinely sprayed with insecticides, whether insects were present or not. Now, improved sanitation has been combined with a baiting program and the results have proved a success. Baits are applied only twice a year, so the cost of pest control has been drastically reduced.
Public access to information has also improved. City department IPM coordinators maintain records and establish phone numbers for public access to pesticide use information. Also, all departments are required to submit annual reports to the county board of supervisors, thus holding them accountable for their pesticide use.
In spite of this progress, San Francisco's pest management still has a ways to go to achieve all of its goals. Many pesticides of concern, including glyphosate (RoundUp) and several pre-emergent herbicides, continue to be used at relatively high levels. As the acreage of parks in the system increases, tight budgets and decreased staffing have resulted in less time to manage the park system. Also, lack of staff knowledge of alternatives contributes to continued use of pesticides. Fortunately more staff trainings on how to implement non-toxic alternatives are currently in the works. They are essential for staff to be effective in reducing pesticide use. Changes in behavior begin slowly and build in momentum as each barrier falls.
For more information: Debbie Raphael, City of San Francisco, Department of the Environment, Pesticide Reduction Program Coordinator, (415) 554-6399, Email: debbie_raphael@ci.sf.ca.us.
*****************************************
San Francisco Schools Moving toward Zero Use
A Pesticide Watch Education Fund survey in the fall of 1999 showed that the San Francisco Unified School District's 1998 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policy has achieved its goal of banning use of the most dangerous pesticides-at least for indoor pests. No pesticides that cause cancer, reproductive harm, or acute nerve damage were used indoors from March through August of 1999. By comparison, between March and August 1997-before passage of the district's policy-Dursban PT and Empire 20 were applied 57 times. These insecticides contain the organophosphate chlorpyrifos, an acute nerve poison that has also been identified as an endocrine disrupter and fetotoxin.
The oversight the Director of Facilities Management, John Bitoff, and the dedication of the district's pest management contractor (Applied Pest Management [APM]) resulted in this dramatic reduction. Instead of using broadcast application of pesticides, APM employs traps and baits and makes recommendations for sanitation and exclusion improvements. Lack of funding sometimes impedes these improvements but the district remains adamant about not using pesticides banned by the policy.
Implementation of other components of the policy, such as notification of pesticide use, is still in process, but recently some important progress has been made. First, Bitoff completed and printed both a District IPM site manual and a pesticide use notification form in English, Spanish, and Chinese. These will be distributed to all school assistant superintendents at an upcoming meeting.
The district also recently approved funding for a half-time IPM coordinator to implement their IPM program. The coordinator will work with the director of facilities management to oversee all aspects of the program, including conducting outreach and training activities for school personnel.
For more information: Elisa Lynch, Pesticide Watch, (415) 292-1489, Email: bayarea@pesticidewatch.org
*****************************************
Other Project Impact Groups
Albany Coalition for Environmental Health (ACEH)-Bay
Area
For more information: Dorothea Dorenz, ACEH, (510) 525-8717,
Email: ddorenz@jps.net
Beyond Pesticides Santa Clara (BPSC)
For more information: Cynthia Torres, BPSC, (650) 967-6670.
California Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (CCAP)-
Nevada City
For more information: Lee Hudson, CCAP, (530) 265-5001.
California Communities Against Toxics (CCAT)-Rosamond
For more information: Jane Williams, CCAT, (661) 256-0968,
Email: dcap@qnet.com
Community and Children's Advocates Against Pesticide Poisoning
(CCAAPP)-Ventura
County For more information: Deborah Bechtel,
CCAAPP, (805) 654-4186, Email: secondpest@aol.com.
Davenport Citizens Association (DCA)-Santa Cruz County
For more information: Robin Rooke, DCA, (813) 454-0729.
Farm Without Harm-Watsonville
For more information: Jim Scott-Behrends, Farm Without
Harm, (831)728-9138, Email: jsbehrends@aol.com.
Fresno Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides (Fresno
CAMP)
For more information: Jeremy Hofer, Fresno CAMP, (559)
229-5804, Email: jhofer@hotmail.com..
Group Against Toxic Spraying (GAToS)-Santa Clara
For more information: Bill Green, GAToS, (408) 295-4846,
Email: wmgreen@ix.netcom.com.
Jumping Frog Institute (JFI) & People For Healthy
Forests (PHF)-Sonora
For more information: Bob Stack, JFI, (510) 769-6308,
Email:
jumpingfrog@earthlink.net.
La Selva Environmental Concerns Committee (LSECC)-Santa
Cruz
For more information: Ron Smith, LSECC, (831) 684-0674.
Los Angeles Safe Schools Coalition (LASSC)
For more information: Sandy Schubert, LASSC, (310) 458-2255,
Email: buliblue@earthlink.net.
Marin Beyond Pesticides Coalition (MBPC)
For more information: Virginia Souders-Mason, MBPC, (415)
456-2849, Email: calpac@best.com.
Midway Residents Against Pesticide Poisoning (MRAPP)-Madera
For more information: Justin Ruben, (559) 486-0165, Email:
fresno@pesticidewatch.org.
Oakland Education Association (OEA)
For more information: Mark Rendon, OEA, (510) 647-3656,
Email:
mrendon@ousd.k12.ca.us.
Philippine Action Group for the Environment (PAGE)-Los
Angeles
For more information: Fe Koons, PAGE, (310) 513-1030,
Email:
fekoons@aol.com.
San Francisco Safe Schools Coalition
For more information: Beverly Koenig, San Francisco Safe
Schools Coalition, (415) 648-4916.
Toxics Action Coalition of Monterey Bay (TAC)
For more information: Jim Scott-Behrends, TAC, (831)
728-9138, Email: jsbehrends@aol.com.
Volunteers for a Healthy Valley (VHV)-Lompoc
For more information: George Rauh, VHV, (805) 736-5239,
Email: grauh@cocentric.net.
*****************************************
To join Project Impact, to submit an update, to reach a local Pesticide Watch organizer in your area, or for more information contact Pesticide Watch Education Fund or CPR.
Pesticide Watch Education Fund
450 Geary Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone: (415) 292-1488
Email: info@pesticidewatch.org
www.pesticidewatch.org
Californians for Pesticide Reform
49 Powell Street Suite 530
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 981-3939
Email: pests@igc.org
www.igc.org/cpr/
Kelly Campbell
Californians for Pesticide Reform
49 Powell Street, Suite 530
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone 415-981-3939 ext. 6
Fax 415-981-2727
pests@igc.apc.org
www.igc.org/cpr
Well Lyndon, it does seem to me that a lot of Californians really would like to find safe and effective alternatives to your dangerous "registered" POISONS. Why not reform, and give everyone a break and allow the "legal" use of (unregistered) safe and effective alternatives to actually control pest problems in California?
Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten
Please!
TOP
If you would like to be included in our mailing list for continuing
information on pesticides, Email Us.
with "subscribe" in the subject line.