Comment period ends April 4

 

Now's the time to let the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) know: 

California's kids go to school to get smarter, not sicker.

DPR's modifications to their proposed rule on pesticide use near schools don't add any protections and actually make the regulation weaker, by removing the provision that growers must let schools know before they use pesticides nearby. 

And there will still only be a quarter-mile part-time buffer zone - far less than the full-time, one-mile buffer that scientists say is needed to provide protection from chemicals linked to cancer, asthma, reproductive and developmental harm, and IQ loss.

This isn't good enough. California leads the nation both in agricultural production AND use of harmful pesticides - so we must also lead the way in making sure the people who grow our food don't have to sacrifice their health and potential. 

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Sign our petition!

Or even better, send your comments by email to  dpr16004@cdpr.ca.gov:

 - Kids deserve better protections, including a one-mile, full-time buffer. Buffers must at least be in place whenever children are present, even at weekends.

 - Communities deserve to know when pesticides are going to be used near schools. At the least, County Ag Commissioners must post 48-hour notice on their website. 

- Organophosphate pesticides are among the worst of the worst, linked to cancer, autism and brain damage. Like fumigants, they should not be used within 36 hours before the start of school.