Ag communities react to the first-of-its-kind pesticide notification system
GREENFIELD, Calif. (KION-TV) -- A first-of-its-kind pesticide notification system SprayDays has been launched in California.
With the new system, communities now receive notices about upcoming pesticide use.
In a place where ag lands surround schools, parks, and homes, people have been calling for transparency on when and where toxic pesticides are sprayed. SprayDays just launched yesterday and will do just that.
"If I would have had this amazing app now or this system, I would've been able to prevent him from ending up in the hospital," Safe Ag Safe Schools Yanely Martinez said.
It was in 2017 when Yanely's son suffered an asthma attack at 10 years old. It was discovered later that toxic pesticides were sprayed near where they lived.
"There wasn't a way of me knowing what he encountered up until I had to request a report with the ad commissioner. And that's how I was able to be notified that there were 10 pesticides applied that morning. And out of those 10, 7 induced asthma attacks, and my son was asthmatic," Martinez said.
Over five years in the making, SprayDays officially launched Monday, giving people who live near agriculture areas a heads up on when pesticides will be sprayed.
"We do have the right to know, and now we do know. And so if I know that they're gonna be applying pesticides near my son's school, then definitely I will change his schedule around and he wouldn't attend school that day," Martinez said.
The pesticides map focuses on restricted material pesticides… Some can cause cancer — brain — and lung damage.
Former farmworker Juan Manuel who worked alongside Caesar Chavez in grapevines, says people should be aware when pesticides are sprayed in vulnerable areas.
"For example, here we are close to Patriot Park, so sometimes on Saturdays and Sundays the family comes here to the park. So they don't know that maybe here at this end, look, there is a cinema. We don't know when they put [the pesticide] up," UFW coordinator Juan Manuel said
Currently on the map at this time of writer, there are 13 scheduled pesticide applications from Gilroy to Gonzalez.
"I work here and we're right next, I'm surrounded by fields and I don't know when they are being sprayed, so with the app will help us be more aware of when these things are sprayed and will help us keep. Keep us safe and make better choices whether we want to spend time outside or not," Greenfield worker Monica Andrade said.
People will have up to a 48-hour advance notice on when pesticides will be sprayed.
To find out where pesticides are sprayed near you, use the website spraydays.cdpr.ca.gov.
You can click the area to see the estimated date and time as well.
California for pesticides reform co-director Angel Garcia, says that California uses more pesticides than any other state. Yanely urges people to utilize this resource so what happened to her family doesnt happen to anyone else.
"It's been a long process, and like any other organization that's working to improve the lives of community members, whether it's the social justice movement, environmental justice movement," Martinez said.
People can also sign up for notifications. All that's needed is a California address and you can choose the language you want the notifications in.
First-ever online pesticide alert system SprayDays launches
SHAFTER, Calif. (KION-TV) -- SprayDays, a first-of-its-kind pesticide notification system, has launched in California alerting communities about upcoming pesticide use.
After decades of communities calling for an online alert system to give residents a heads-up, the system launched by the Califonia Department of Pesticide aims to answer that with the new website.
SprayDays shows a map of upcoming uses of pesticides 48 hours in advance via their website.
Those looking for the site can type it up on their mobile device or at home on a desktop. People visiting the site can also sign up for notices in their area via text and email.
The pesticide map focuses on restricted material pesticides only as some can cause cancer, and brain and lung damage.
“Since California uses more pesticides than any other state, including more than 130 pesticides that are not approved in the European Union, farmworker communities have demanded a ‘heads up’ in order to take measures to reduce the risk of exposure to our loved ones," CPR Co-director Angel Garcia said in a release. "We need far better protections from the State, but this is a giant step forward toward transparency about toxic pesticide use.”
A live stream presentation on Spray Days is set for 4 p.m. in Shafter, a community that had called on the Ag Commissioner to give advance notice on pesticides.
"We kept pushing and pushing at AB 617 meetings, at public hearings, at news conferences and protests. Now, not just Shafter, but the whole state will have access to upcoming pesticide information," Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment organizer Byanka Santoyo said.
The website is available through the California Department of Pesticide Regulation's website.
