The dangers of secondhand smoke are well documented — but what about secondhand pesticide? A new report by the same name contends that pesticides and herbicides drifting off of agricultural lands endanger the health of hundreds of thousands of Californians. The report, issued today by Pesticide Action Network North America, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, and Pesticide Education Center, criticized the lack of careful monitoring and strict controls on pesticides and herbicides, and reserved especially strong words for molinate, an herbicide frequently used by rice farmers. The California Rice Commission and the state Department of Pesticide Regulation called the report alarmist, but the U.S. EPA praised many of its recommendations.
