Health and Policy
— in home and community

This California Policy Seminar (CPS) report analyses the risks of, and policy alternatives to, urban pesticide use. Public policy has tended to focus on agricultural uses and the health risks of pesticide residues in food. The report presents information on urban pesticide application patterns, pesticide toxicology, pesticide-associated illnesses among workers, consumers and children, and exposure data on chronic health risks. It surveys strategies to manage pesticide risks, including worker training, consumer education, and economic incentives. A final section explores public policy governing urban pesticide use, comparing the conventional regulatory approach with approaches that emphasise integrated pest management and a prevention strategy for limiting pesticide-related illness.
    The long-term goal, say CPS, is elimination of pesticides with adverse ecological and health impacts. Interim targets need to be established based on the projected availability of alternatives in each sector. They recommend a broad range of instruments, including increased sales taxes on high-hazard pesticides, expanded resources for developing less-toxic pest control methods, and improved information dissemination about pesticide hazards and alternatives.

Pesticides in the Home and Community: Health Risks and Policy Alternatives, J. Robinson, W. Pease, D. Albright, R. Morello-Frosch, California Policy Seminar—a joint programme of the University of California and State Government, 2020 Milvia St., Suite 412, Berkeley, CA, 94704, US, 1994, $15, 108pp.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 24, June 1994, page 17]