"Salinas Valley Schools Perched Near Pesticide-Sprayed Farmland"

"When schools use pesticides on campus, they post a warning a day before.

But when acres of farmland next to classrooms are sprayed with industrial-grade chemicals, often no sign goes up.

"If you spray pesticides on school grounds, you have to do all sorts of things," said Sheila Steinberg, a California State University, Humboldt, sociology professor who co-authored a study mapping pesticide use in Monterey County. "As soon as you are on the other side of the chain-link fence in a field, there aren't as many rules."

While the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner's office often restricts pesticide use near sensitive locations, such as schools, beyond what the law requires, some worry the limits aren't enough."


Leslie Griffy reports for the Salinas Californian November 7, 2009.

See Also:

"EPA Proposes Labeling to Control Pesticide Drift, Evaluates Petition" (Environment News Service)