"A study by the UC Berkeley Center for Environmental Research and Environmental Health published in the peer-reviewed online journal BMC Public Health Tuesday delivered a new statistic. It found that while the overall amount of organophosphate pesticide use in California decreased between 2016 and 2021, the amount of pregnant people living within 1 kilometer of fields that use organophosphate pesticides was at 7.5%."
"The study calculated the absolute change in the use of agricultural organophosphate pesticides in California between 2016 and 2021, taking into account the state's 2020 ban on chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide that was commonly used in California until it was banned due to its link to children's developmental disabilities."
Organophosphate pesticide use in California declined between 2016 and 2021 while exposure risk persisted for nearby residents. 7.5% of pregnant people lived within 1 kilometer of fields that applied organophosphate pesticides. Monterey County recorded 50% of births in 2021 from people living within that radius, and Santa Cruz County recorded 29%, ranking fourth among counties. Between 2021 and 2023, 38,287 pounds of organophosphates were recorded, with malathion accounting for 26,528 pounds. The state's 2020 ban on chlorpyrifos was taken into account. Latino and younger residents and Central Coast residents faced higher proximity exposure, and advocates called for discontinuation of all organophosphates.
Read at www.santacruzsentinel.com
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