Medical Professionals Join Campaign for Pesticide Reform
 dvocates for
pesticide reform in California are grappling with a bitter irony: as the body of evidence
linking pesticides with health problems continues to grow, so does the use of these toxic
substances.
"Although the public may be somewhat aware of the dangers of pesticides, the
common perception is that pesticide use is stringently regulated and people are adequately
protected," said David Chatfield, director of Californians for Pesticide Reform
(CPR), a broad-based coalition of 135 diverse organizations. "This misperception
could account for the heavy use of carcinogenic and other very hazardous pesticides."
Funded by a $100,000 grant from TCWF in 1998 and a two-year grant of $200,000 in 1999,
CPR is waging a full-scale educational campaign not only to correct misperceptions but
also to encourage policies that reduce the use of dangerous pesticides.
With its most recent grant, CPR hopes to engage more health and medical professionals
in this ambitious undertaking.
  "Polls indicate
that the public really trusts health and medical professionals on this issue," said
TCWF Senior Program Officer Ruth Holton. "So it's extremely important to increase the
number of health professionals and associations advocating for a reduction in pesticide
usage."
Several health organizations already belong to the CPR coalition and are spearheading
the outreach effort to educate and energize additional groups.
"We want to share the evidence we and others have gathered to bring about a shift
in the way the medical profession views the health impacts of environmental toxins such as
pesticides," said CPR Environmental Health Coordinator Martha Arguello, who also
represents Physicians for Social Responsibility on the coalition's steering committee.
"CPR is trying to give health organizations the informational tools they need to
become effective advocates for reducing pesticide use and promoting good health
practices."
One notable success of this outreach effort is the recent passage of a resolution by
the influential California Medical Association to support policies that minimize pesticide
use and improve the public's right to know about the use of hazardous chemicals. But CPR
still has a lot of work ahead to reverse a 127 percent increase in the state-reported use
of carcinogenic pesticides over a seven-year period and an overall increase in pesticide
use of 41 percent during this same reporting period (1991-98).
CPR is particularly alarmed about the health effects of escalating pesticide use on two
vulnerable groups-children and farmworkers.
"There are many places where Californians are unwillingly and unknowingly exposed
to pesticides, but we're most concerned about the use of dangerous pesticides in
agriculture (which accounts for about 80 percent of the use statewide) and in
schools," Chatfield said. "In most cases, safer alternatives work equally well
to control pests, even in agriculture."
CPR is spearheading a campaign to eliminate the use of dangerous pesticides on school
grounds. Major victories include agreements by the Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD), the state's largest school district, as well as the San Francisco Unified School
District and other districts to use less hazardous techniques to keep ants, weeds and
roaches in check on school property.
TCWF's Holton said that LAUSD's willingness to change makes a powerful statement and
sets the precedent for other school districts to reduce their use of pesticides.
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