{"id":17519,"date":"2016-02-19T00:01:06","date_gmt":"2016-02-19T04:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=17519"},"modified":"2023-01-05T14:49:57","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T19:49:57","slug":"hazards-associated-with-pesticide-mixtures-still-unregulated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2016\/02\/hazards-associated-with-pesticide-mixtures-still-unregulated\/","title":{"rendered":"Hazards Linked to Still Unregulated Pesticide Mixtures"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides,<\/em> February 19, 2016) Pesticide mixtures are more harmful than individual pesticides, according to a University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) study that focuses on three commonly used fumigants \u2014 chloropicrin, Telone<\/a>, and metam salts<\/a>. The study also concludes that, while California law requires the Department of Pesticide Regulations (DPR) and county agricultural commissioners to assess these kinds of cumulative risks when regulating pesticides, they have so far failed to do so.<\/p>\n

\"drift\"The report, titled Exposure and Interaction \u2014 The Potential Health Impacts of Using Multiple Pesticides: A Case Study of Three Commonly Used Fumigants<\/a>, was published by the Sustainable Technology and Policy Program, based in the UCLA School of Law and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. The case study of the three fumigants, which are commonly applied together in California on high value crops, such as strawberries, tomatoes, tree nuts, and stone fruits, finds that:<\/p>\n

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  1. These pesticides may interact to increase the health risk for California farm workers and residents,<\/li>\n
  2. Workers and residents are regularly exposed to two or more of these pesticides simultaneously, and<\/li>\n
  3. DPR does not regulate the application of multiple pesticides to prevent or decrease risks to human health, despite having authority to do so.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While chloropicrin, Telone (also known as 1,3-D), and metam salts are toxic when used individually, the UCLA report demonstrates that their combined effect may be even greater because the pesticides may interact to increase damage to cells, leading to an \u00a0increased risk of cancer. The report notes that the fumigants analyzed in the study can reduce the body\u2019s ability to remove or neutralize toxic substances. The study hypothesizes that pesticide mixtures may increase the possibility of gene mutations and decrease the body\u2019s ability to repair damaged DNA.<\/p>\n

    \u201cPeople are exposed throughout their lifetimes to mixtures of chemicals and other agents, including pesticides,\u201d said Timothy Malloy, a professor at the School of Law, faculty director of the Sustainable Technology and Policy Program and one of the report\u2019s authors. \u201cIncreasingly, research shows that pesticide mixtures can interact to cause larger-than-anticipated impacts on public health. Farm workers and local residents are especially at risk, given that they may be exposed to two or more pesticides simultaneously or in sequence.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The report also shows that some California communities are being exposed simultaneously to these chemicals. Using data from the Pesticide Research Institute, which collaborated with UCLA, the report examines the area near Rio Mesa High School in Ventura County from July 26 to August 3, 2013. The model shows exposure to multiple pesticides at locations including \u00a0schools, day care centers, and parks.<\/p>\n

    \u201cFumigant pesticides are highly toxic chemicals that are likely to vaporize and drift away from the farms where they\u2019re applied and affect people in surrounding schools, houses, businesses and fields,\u201d said John Froines,Ph.D., an author of the report and a professor emeritus of environmental health sciences at the Fielding School of Public Health.<\/p>\n

    The report acknowledges that assessing the risks of multiple exposures is challenging, but it also finds that it is essential for fully understanding potential adverse effects. The report recommends that DPR and agricultural commissioners evaluate pesticide mixtures and implement regulations to more adequately protect human health, including:<\/p>\n