Sanchez, Zaydee. (2023, February 8). California’s new pesticide notification system aims to protect public health. Will it work?. Retrieved February 9, 2023, from https://www.ehn.org/pesticide-drift-2659335062.html

Governor Gavin Newsome has appropriated $10 million dollars to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for the creation of a statewide notification system about toxic pesticides. Farmworkers work in fields that are treated with toxic pesticides, and this has caused many people to fall ill with bleeding and rashes. However, there has never been a notification system alerting the public that a toxic pesticide has recently been used. The new notification system hopes to generate more awareness of pesticide exposure and strengthen the push for legislation limiting pesticide use in California. Furthermore, the notification system will help researchers to track the effects of pesticides. 

Given how harmful pesticides can be, I am shocked that there isn’t more information available to workers about pesticides and when they are used. Thus, I am relieved to know that this notification system is going to be implemented. I think it will be useful to the health of farmworkers, and to the fight against pesticide-use. The main drawback of this policy is that the notifications will only apply to restricted/proven-to-be-dangerous pesticides, not all pesticides. This is disappointing, but the notification policy is a solid start. This topic is related to environmental science because it has to do with awareness and regulation of pesticides, which are deeply harmful to soil and plant health.