"Will New California Buffer Zones Protect Children From Pesticides?"

"Lawmakers have proposed pesticide-free zones around schools and daycare centers. Environmental and community activists say they fall short, given pesticides’ reach and persistence; pesticide manufacturers say they're unwarranted."

"Tens of thousands of California children attend schools located within a quarter mile of a farm field where pesticides are used. Now the state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is proposing the first regulations that would restrict this use.

California produces about half of all fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States, so environmental health advocates argue that the children in question are being exposed disproportionately to these chemicals, simply because they live in farm communities.

The proposed regulations would bar spraying pesticides—from aircrafts, sprinklers or otherwise—within a quarter mile of all public schools and child daycare facilities from Monday through Friday between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. They would require growers and others applying pesticides at these locations to notify schools and daycare centers 48 hours before the application actually occurs. Schools and daycare centers would also have to be told the names of pesticides being used; where, when and how they’ll be applied; and given a map of the location."

Elizabeth Grossman reports for Civil Eats October 19, 2016.