California Regulators Release Guidelines Geared Toward Curbing Use Of Controversial Pesticide
The new restrictions on chlorpyrifos -- which has been linked to developmental disabilities in kids -- are temporary while the state works on permanent regulations for chlorpyrifos, a process that’s expected to take two years.
The California Health Report:
State Steps Up Restrictions On Pesticide Linked To Brain Harm In Kids
State regulators this week called for tighter restrictions on the use of a controversial pesticide linked to developmental disabilities and health problems in children, but advocates for farmworker communities called the proposal inadequate. On Thursday, the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) released recommendations urging county agricultural commissioners to curb farmers’ use of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide applied to a variety of crops throughout the state and the subject of a legal battle in federal court over efforts to outlaw the chemical nationwide. DPR recommended counties ban all aerial applications of chlorpyrifos, limit its use to a narrower range of crops than presently allowed, and require a quarter-mile buffer zone around application sites where no unauthorized person can enter for at least 24-hours after the chemical is used. Farmers would also ensure that applications occur at least 150-feet away from homes, businesses and schools, the agency said. (Boyd-Barrett, 11/16)
In other news —
Reuters:
California Judge Orders Next Monsanto Weed-Killer Cancer Trial For March
A California judge on Thursday granted an expedited trial in the case of a California couple suffering from cancer who sued Bayer AG's Monsanto unit, alleging the company's glyphosate-containing weed killer Roundup caused their disease. The order by Superior Court Judge Ioana Petrou in Oakland, California, comes on the heels of a $289 million verdict in the first glyphosate trial in San Francisco, in which a jury found Monsanto liable for causing a school groundskeeper's cancer. (11/16)