DECEMBER 2017

IN THIS ISSUE

 It's official: Chlorpyrifos is a Prop.65 chemical, causes reproductive toxicity

Al Jazeera: Trump's cozy relationship with Dow kept chlorpyrifos on the market

What to do in case of pesticide exposure: Our new community response guide

Caught in the Drift: Stories from the frontlines



California lists chlorpyrifos as a 
Prop. 65 chemical 
State scientists strongly endorse the science behind US EPA's recommendation to ban

A significant step was just taken toward building support for a ban of chlorpyrifos in California with the listing by a panel of independent scientists of chlorpyrifos as a developmental toxicant. After considering the large and growing body of scientific evidence, the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) made its decision in front of a standing-room only crowd of residents from California's agricultural frontlines, many of whom testified about their personal experience with the chemical's devastating health consequences. 

Setting the stage for a looming showdown within CalEPA, the DARTIC scientists praised as "very well-designed" the Columbia epidemiological study, which linked even low to moderate levels of exposure to chlorpyrifos during pregnancy to long-term, potentially irreversible changes in the brain structure of the child. The study is a critical piece of evidence in support of eliminating chlorpyrifos from California's fields. They also described the modeling on which the US EPA based their November 2016 recommendation for a total federal ban as "elegant and showing an astoundingly low dose response." The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) discounted the Columbia study and ignored the US EPA's 2016 model in their draft risk assessment. 

Miriam Rotkin-Ellman, MPH, Natural Resources Defense Council senior scientist, said, "With this decision, California affirms the extensive scientific evidence that chlorpyrifos is harmful, particularly for pregnant women and children. California now has a mandate to ensure that all actions to evaluate and address risk from this pesticide must protect children."

Emily Marquez, PhD, Pesticide Action Network's staff scientist who attended the hearing, said, "The committee made the right decision in light of the scientific evidence. State regulators should follow today's decision by finally taking this chemical off the market."

Raul Garcia, a Porterville resident and outreach coordinator for Tulare County Coalition Advocating Pesticide Safety, said, "Our families have been unfairly exposed to this neurotoxic pesticide for decades. Today's decision affirms the importance for California to follow the science and protect our communities by keeping this chemical out of our fields and bodies."

Al Jazeera: Trump and Dow's cozy relationship led to reversal of chlorpyrifos ban
Damning story of lies and corporate malfeasance 


Check out Al Jazeera's report on the Trump Administration's war on the environment, The Rollback: Trump's Toxic War . The segment on chlorpyrifos begins at 15:56, and features Pesticide Action Network's Paul Towers and Tulare resident Claudia Angulo.

Watch to the very end, as Trump hands Dow CEO Andrew Liveris the signing pen he used to roll back a slew of Obama-era environmental protections. It's chilling.

Introducing our new guide: "What to do in case of pesticide exposure"
Pocket guides for farmworkers and community members in English and Spanish now available   









  
CPR is proud to introduce our new pocket guide in English and Spanish: "What to do in case of pesticide exposure: A community response guide," now available for you to download and print. The guides are available for the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Coast, in English and Spanish. 

The drift guides were produced in response to several drift incidents in Kern, Monterey, Santa Cruz and Merced this spring and summer. The guides are intended to help residents and farmworkers looking for information on protecting themselves and their families, recognizing symptoms, seeking medical help and compensation, and reporting incidents.

You can download them here:

San Joaquin Valley
La valle de San Joaquin
Central Coast
La costa central

Our organizers will be distributing printed copies to coalition members and residents. 

The original full-length Drift Guide has been updated and is available online.

Caught in the Drift: Sandra Garcia
Tulare County resident became an advocate after her mother's death was linked to pesticides


Introducing the first in a series of photo essays featuring residents, teachers, farmworkers and farmers from California's agricultural heartland. Sandra Garcia is a resident of Poplar and co-founder/co-director of Campesinas Unidas del Valle de San Joaquin. She began working as a promotora (community health and legal advisor) after her mother's death, when test results revealed pesticide residue in her lungs. Sandra received training in pesticide safety from California Rural Legal Assistance, an eye-opening experience for her despite her experience as a farmworker.

"We didn't know what pesticides were until the training," she said. "Back then, farmers still sprayed with planes or trucks. Workers would be told to pick grapes still dripping with milky white pesticide."

For the past 40 years, Sandra Garcia has been teaching and advocating to improve the lives of California's farmworkers. You can read about Sandra's story here . 

Meet the Photographer: Joan Cusick


We're working with acclaimed photographer and journalist Joan Cusick to connect the issues we work on here at CPR with the people most impacted by them. Joan was the photographer for our Days of Action in Sacramento this year and last, an experience that touched her deeply. She reached out to us to go deeper into the stories of Californians living on the frontlines of industrial ag, and the result is "Caught in the Drift," an ongoing series of profiles that we're proud to launch here. As well as these community stories, Joan will be creating photo-essays of Valley farmers of color practicing sustainable methods, thanks to a grant from the Central Valley Community Foundation.

Know someone with a story to share? Email [email protected].

Joan is a member of Professional Photographers of America and National Press Photographers Association. She holds a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and is a regular contributor to Comstock's magazine. Her work may be viewed at joancusick.com and caughtinthedrift.com.

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