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Regulators are failing to study the effects of mixed pesticides, even though a growing body of science is showing they could present greater health hazards than the individual pesticides that are monitored.
Since outcry over pesticide use began in Ventura County, California, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation has responded to the community’s questions with statements that contradict the findings of its own scientists and exaggerate its own policies.
Residents in California farming counties such as Kern, Fresno and San Joaquin are being put at a higher risk of cancer than state scientists believe to be acceptable, internal documents and interviews show.
Ventura County Supervisor John Zaragoza is calling for an investigation into pesticide use around Rio Mesa High School after our story found that a loophole created by the state’s pesticide regulator put people in more than 100 communities statewide at greater cancer risk.