individuals and sensitive sites to the pesticide application, the amounts of pesticide
drift, and the toxicity of the pesticide are important factors in determining the poten-
tial impacts from drift. The drift of spray from pesticide applications can expose peo-
ple, wildlife, and the environment to pesticide residues that can cause health and
environmental effects as well as property damage.
Controlling drift is important for both commercial and private applicators. To be
effective, the pesticide must be applied precisely on the target at the correct rate, vol-
ume, and pressure. Drift of herbicides can damage nearby crops, forests, or landscape
plantings. Poorly timed applications can kill bees and other pollinators in the area.
Beneficial parasites and predators that help control pests may also be killed. Indoor
drift can also be a problem. Pest control operators must be aware that forced air heat-
ing systems and air conditioning units can transport sloppily applied pesticides.
Enforcement and Compliance of Laws
When individuals have complaints about off-target spray drift, they should report
them to the state or tribal government agency (either agriculture or environmental
protection) that is responsible for enforcing the proper use of pesticides for their state
or tribe. These agencies are responsible for enforcing lawful use of pesticide products
by investigating complaints and, when appropriate, issuing penalties for improper
use. When necessary, the EPA will assist these agencies with investigations.^3
Agricultural Spraying and Children’s Exposure
Growing evidence exists that chronic exposure to low levels of organophosphate
pesticides (OPs), widely used both in agriculture and residential settings, can cause
adverse health effects in children. Despite these concerns, few studies have evaluated
children’s long-term exposure to OPs. A recent study examined year-long fluctuations
in OP metabolite concentrations in a group of low-income children living in an agri-
cultural community. The study found that regardless of their families’ proximity to
treated orchards or parental work exposure to pesticides, metabolite levels increased
in children’s urine during the spring and summer spraying months. Because OPs have
a relatively short half-life in the body, levels declined (but were still detectable) in the
fall and winter after agricultural spraying ended. Study results support the theory that
children are continuously exposed to low levels of OPs in their diets, with episodes of
higher exposures resulting from residential and agricultural pesticide use.^4
Stricter Spray Drift Regulations
In mid-2002, the EPA announced its intention to restrict where and how farmers
may spray their crops to prevent pesticides from poisoning farmworkers and residents
of suburbs rapidly expanding into agricultural areas.
Pesticide companies fought the proposal, alleging that standards sought by the
EPA were unwarranted and would cause 7 million acres of farmland to be taken out
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