ACLU: State pesticide report doesn’t cover risks to farmworkers enough
A new state report about the dangers of an aerial-sprayed agricultural pesticide is catching heat after critics say it doesn’t dig deep enough on risks to farmworkers.
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s draft report on chlorpyrifos, which is used on fields in the Salinas Valley, assessed the risks from the pesticide earlier this year.
But the report needed to delve into its risks for farmworkers, who are especially vulnerable to the chemical drifting from its original field after being sprayed, said Abre Conner, staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.
