Luis Medellín, a Tulare county resident, knows firsthand how pesticides can drift away from fields—into nearby homes and schools. He recalls waking up with his family one night with headaches, nausea, and vomiting. Pesticides being sprayed in the orange grove next to his home were going into the family’s bedrooms. When he found out from his aunt how long-term exposure to pesticides could affect his siblings’ health and the health of his pregnant mother, he got involved with Californians for Pesticide Reform.

Together with county residents, the Californians for Pesticide Reform coalition pushed for—and won—regulations that create a quarter-mile buffer zone between pesticide spraying and schools, residential neighborhoods, preschools, and farm labor camps. Tactics included:

Community training: Volunteers learned how to test for pesticides in the community. Medellín and others learned to use a drift catcher (a community air-monitoring device).

Collecting data: During the 2004–2006 peak spray seasons, residents found their air had high levels of an insecticide applied to citrus trees. A quarter of the people surveyed in 2005 said their children attended schools near fields and complained about pesticide spraying—but they didn’t know how to report pesticide drift. Community members also got tested for pesticides in their bodies (called bio-monitoring). Over 91% of the people tested—including Medellín—had “higher than normal” amounts of pesticides in their bodies. Residents compiled this data into reports to give to local officials.

Outreach: Residents performed skits for parents, children, and the elderly at the homes of volunteers. The performers wanted everyone in the community to understand the dangers of pesticides and effects they could have—such as itchy skin, asthma, diarrhea, vomiting, migraines, and rashes. The skits also showed the “high importance of protection zones around communities,” says Medellín.

Reaching out to schools: Medellín and other volunteers went to nearby school districts to “see if parents wanted to take part” in the campaign, he says. They also spoke out at school board meetings to build support for the campaign. Medellín says he reached out to parents, saying, “If they find high levels of pesticides in me, imagine what they will find in your children!”

Community petition: Residents went to community events to collect signatures on a petition for a pesticide buffer zone. They pointed out that AB 947, a California law, gives agricultural commissioners the ability to regulate pesticide use near schools. Community members delivered the petition to the Tulare County commissioners’ office.

Success

In January 2008, the agricultural commissioner mandated pesticide protection zones in Tulare county within a quarter mile of schools, residential communities, or sensitive areas, such as preschools and farm labor camps. “This is tangible fruit of all our hard work,” says Teresa DeAnda, Central Valley representative for Californians for Pesticide Reform and mother of seven children between 10 and 30.

Californians for Pesticide Reform is now campaigning for protection zones in other counties, especially in Stanislaus and Madera. Medellín says things will get better for children when they can “breathe healthier, safer air.”

• Californians for Pesticide Reform, 888-CPR-4880, www.pesticidereform.org 
• To see a slideshow on this campaign, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv57LEvu8BI

Extra resources from the Children’s Advocate bulletin

• The Threat of Pesticides in Our Air: A Community Response Guide, from the Pesticide Action Network, provides information on pesticide drift, what to do if exposed, and your rights. In English and Spanish.

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