California finds toxic pesticides in nearly 80 percent of air samples

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Roughly four out of five air samples collected throughout 2023 in four of the most agriculture-intensive communities had detectable levels of pesticides, according to the state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, or CDPR.

Health risks from pesticide exposure are a significant concern for people working on fields where they are applied, as well as for those living or working nearby, including children at schools close to agriculture. While pesticide-related health problems vary, some of these chemicals can cause respiratory harm or might increase the risk of developing certain cancers.

The CDPR collected the 207 air samples in the four communities – Oxnard, Santa Maria, Shafter and Watsonville – over 24-hour periods once a week over the course of last year. The results of this air monitoring, released in October, show that 163 of the samples, or about four in five, showed at least one quantifiable or trace detection of a pesticide.

Location	Air samples collected	Samples with detectable pesticides	Percentage of total samples
Oxnard	52	47	90.4
Santa Maria	52	42	80.8
Shafter	52	44	84.6
Watsonville	52	30	58.8

Source: CDPR Draft Air Monitoring Network Report Results for 2023. 

“The latest air sampling results continue to show pesticides sprayed on fields drift off site and contaminate the air nearby, a serious concern for those who live, go to school or work near farm fields,” said Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., an Environmental Working Group senior toxicologist.

“Some pesticides can drift several miles from fields, putting many people at risk, including farm workers and vulnerable populations like young children, pregnant people and the elderly,” said Temkin.

All four sampling locations are located on school grounds. 

Five prominent pesticides

In total, the air monitoring samples detected 19 pesticides – almost half the total chemicals the CDPR tried to detect. The department chose the chemicals based on their potential human health harms and possible high exposures in communities.

Five pesticides were found in more than one in five samples. The herbicide pendimethalin was detected in about a third of them, or 31.2 percent. Among the four fumigants, 1,3-dichloropropene, or Telone, was found in about a fifth of the samples. Chloropicrin was detected in just over a quarter of the samples, or 27.7 percent. And both methyl isothiocyanate, or MITC, and methyl bromide were found in about three in 10 samples, or about 30 percent. The chemicals detected in the air monitoring samples have been linked to short-term health issues that can include nausea, shortness of breath, and irritation to the eyes and respiratory system, as well as long-term health effects like cancer and other harms.

Widespread problems

Pesticide pollution of California’s air is a long-running issue. A 2022 analysis by EWG found more than 32 million pounds of toxic pesticides, including many linked to cancer and respiratory and developmental problems, were used on Ventura County farm fields from 2015 to 2020, including near schools and homes. Oxnard is in Ventura County.

EWG’s related peer-reviewed publication, which evaluated the county’s pesticide use found greater pesticide application near communities with higher percentages of the population that identify as Latino, Black and Asian American.

Most recently, EWG worked with a number of other advocacy groups to document the environmental racism of California pesticide application. The study, published this month in the peer-reviewed journal Environment, is the combined work of Californians for Pesticide Reform, UC Irvine’s Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources, Golden Gate University and EWG.

The CDPR issued a somewhat misleading press release on October 14 announcing the latest pesticide air monitoring tests. The headline, “2023 Air Monitoring Report Finds No Detectable Pesticides in 95% of Sample Analyses,” fails to emphasize  the detection of pesticide in almost 80 percent of samples in the four communities.

The samples show pesticide levels below the state’s health-protective or regulatory targets. But these levels might not align with the latest independent scientific research, which often shows health risks from toxic chemicals could occur at lower levels than what California regulators consider legal and safe – and there are no legal limits on pesticides in air.

“The fact is nearly 80 percent of the air samples contained detectable pesticide levels, raising concerns for residents, workers, and students in these communities,” said Temkin. “Those living in California’s agricultural regions deserve transparency, not misleading messages from the state’s pesticide regulators that may downplay the risks to human health.”

Credit: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2024/10/california-finds-toxic-pesticides-nearly-80-percent-air-samples