Tell the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to restrict the CANCER-CAUSING pesticide Telone by the January 24^th public comment deadline!

Telone has long plagued California farm workers, but it also has widespread impacts. Communities neighboring agricultural operations are exposed to this toxic pesticide too – and these communities are disproportionately Latino and Indigenous.

In fact, the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) tested air quality in California farm communities in 2023. They found 80% of the samples contained pesticide residues – including the cancer-causing Telone!

Despite these horrific findings, the DPR has just announced a new rule that would allow exposure to Telone at FOURTEEN TIMES California’s official cancer risk level!

Department

California Department of

Pesticide Regulation

California Department of Pesticide Regulation

California Department of Pesticide Regulation,

I am deeply concerned about the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (DPR) draft regulation for the cancer-causing pesticide 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D, also known as Telone). The draft continues to allow for exposure levels that are fourteen times higher than the State's official cancer risk level, perpetuating environmental racism and endangering vulnerable communities.

DPR’s proposal applies separate and unequal standards for different groups, allowing children and adult residents near agricultural fields to be exposed to significantly higher cancer risks than workers in neighboring fields – the "occupational bystanders." This discrepancy is unjustifiable and fails to uphold the principles of equity and environmental justice.

For decades, 1,3-D has harmed communities, particularly Latino and Indigenous populations, who are disproportionately exposed to the pesticide. The State’s own toxicologists at the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) have set a cancer risk exposure level of air concentrated with 1,3-D at 0.04 parts per billion (ppb) per day. Yet, DPR has adopted one regulation and is proposing another for the same pesticide: one adopts the 1,3-D manufacturer Dow Chemical’s preferred exposure standard of 0.56 ppb per day for residents and children, while the other uses the OEHHA standard for occupational bystanders. Even for occupational bystanders, by disregarding off-the-clock exposure, DPR proposes implementing only 100-foot buffer zones, entirely inadequate for protections against a fumigant that can drift for miles at harmful levels.

I demand that DPR adopt a single health-protective standard of 1,3-D air concentrations of 0.04 ppb for all Californians, ensuring equal protection from this carcinogenic pesticide. Regulations should be grounded in science, not corporate profit, and must prioritize the health and safety of California’s most vulnerable residents.

Thank you,
{user_data~First name} {user_data~Last name}
{user_data~City}, {user_data~State} {user_data~Postcode}

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Tell the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to restrict the CANCER-CAUSING pesticide Telone by the January 24th public comment deadline!

Tell the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to restrict the CANCER-CAUSING pesticide Telone by the January 24^th public comment deadline!