Lindsay, CA. A new report from researchers at the UCLA School of Law and the UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics calls for urgent reforms to California’s pesticide regulatory system, including stronger oversight of chemical mixtures and new legislative action to address cumulative health and environmental risks.
The report, Building Capacity for Robust Pesticide Regulation: Part I – Cumulative Impacts, was co-authored by Professor Timothy Malloy of UCLA School of Law and Dr. Patrick Allard of the UCLA Institute for Society and Genetics. It is the fourth in a series of UCLA reports highlighting deficiencies in pesticide governance, including the failure to adequately regulate the cumulative impacts of pesticides.
California law requires state and county regulators—the Department of Pesticide Regulation and County Agricultural Commissioners (CACs)—to consider cumulative impacts during pesticide registration at the state level and in permitting decisions at the county level. Yet an earlier UCLA report Governance on the Ground documented how CACs receive no guidance from DPR and do not consider cumulative exposure during the permitting process. DPR, with limited exceptions, also does not evaluate the cumulative health impacts of pesticides during the registration process.
The consequences of this regulatory gap are significant. Pesticides are used in California in huge amounts: in 2023 alone, 176 million pounds of pesticides were applied to 98 million acres. The result is that Californians, especially in agricultural areas, are frequently exposed to multiple pesticides at once—with serious health impacts.
“Families aren’t exposed to just one pesticide at a time—they’re exposed to mixtures. Yet our regulatory system still evaluates chemicals one by one, as if people live in a lab instead of the real world,” said Mayra Sánchez, Associate Director of the statewide non-profit coalition Californians for Pesticide Reform.
Although cumulative exposure to multiple pesticides is a statewide concern, studies from the Monterey Bay region show just how damaging these combined exposures can be. A decades-long collaboration between University of California researchers and community residents has produced some of the strongest evidence yet of the health impacts of cumulative pesticide exposure. UC Berkeley researchers have consistently shown that exposure to multiple pesticides during pregnancy resulted in reduced IQ test scores, and more attention and behavior problems in children and teens. One study of Salinas teens found that they were exposed to an average of eight different pesticides in just a week’s time.
A group of pesticides called organophosphates is particularly concerning. They are all toxic to the nervous system and used on some important California crops, including almonds, citrus, and lettuce. Over seven percent of pregnant California moms live near organophosphate pesticide use, and in agricultural counties the percentage is much higher, up to 50 percent. Yet California still regulates pesticides one chemical at a time, even as communities face the reality of combined, ongoing exposure.
The UCLA report released today recommends a hybrid assessment approach for evaluating pesticide mixtures, combining whole-product testing with component-based analysis. It also proposes the development and implementation of new modeling tools to help county agricultural commissioners assess risks in real time when issuing permits for restricted pesticide use. Implementation of these recommendations will make California a healthier state for all Californians.
For more information or to request a hard copy of the report, please contact:
Evan George, Director of Communications, Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment at UCLA School of Law, [email protected], 323-877-8404
Timothy Malloy, Frank G. Wells Endowed Chair in Environmental Law, UCLA School of Law, [email protected], 310-794-5278
Full report Building Capacity for Robust Pesticide Regulation: Part I – Cumulative Impacts available here.
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Californians for Pesticide Reform, is a diverse, statewide coalition of 200+ member groups working to strengthen pesticide policies in California to protect public health and the environment. Member groups include public and children’s health advocates, clean air and water groups, health practitioners, environmental justice groups, labor, education, farmers and sustainable agriculture advocates from across the state.