Sacramento, CA. Environmental groups earned a huge victory for the health of Californians and our waters when the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued a notice on Thursday to begin re-evaluating the toxin diazinon and its harmful impacts on the environment. The agency made its welcomed decision in response to approximately 50 scientific studies submitted on December 1 by San Francisco BayKeeper and DeltaKeeper, projects of WaterKeepers Northern California, and Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATS).
"We submitted the results of numerous studies conducted by state and federal agencies and universities, which unequivocal established that diazinon is the most pervasive source of aquatic life toxicity in Central Valley waterways," explained DeltaKeeper Bill Jennings. "We’re delighted that DPR has belatedly recognized the necessity of addressing the issue."
Diazinon is primarily applied during the rainy season on dormant orchards in the Central Valley to control for hole-boring insects. These two months of application contribute to massive polluted rain runoff into the two largest watersheds in California, the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Scientific studies show that even low levels of diazinon runoff from orchards directly harms fish, many of which are endangered species, by disrupting the food chain and the endocrine system, which can lead to abnormalities during development and a weakened immune response.
"We’re going to be watching DPR’s reevaluation of diazinon carefully," stated Patty Clary, Executive Director of CATS, "to make sure the agency quickly and efficiently conducts the process in a way that protects California’s threatened environment."
For years, DPR has ignored California’s statutory mandates requiring reevaluation of toxic pesticides. By law, pesticide manufacturers must register active ingredients with DPR, and these registrations must be annually renewed. Both DPR regulations and California law mandate, however, that the agency can only renew the registration of a pesticide ingredient if it first finds that a reevaluation of the harmful impacts is not required. Reevaluation is required when DPR has evidence that the chemical is causing an adverse impact on the environment or human health. In response to the evidence submitted by WaterKeepers and CATS regarding the damaging impacts of the toxin diazinon, DPR decided to undergo the reevaluation process for diazinon products.
"We’re glad DPR finally had an epiphany," said Sejal Choksi pesticide attorney for WaterKeepers. "When they stop shirking their responsibility and start taking the evidence against all dangerous pesticides seriously, we won’t have such harmful toxins on the market and in our environment."
