Review of Scientific Literature Relevant to Pesticide Buffer Zones
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Hawai’i is home to extensive cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) crops, primarily corn, which involves intensive use of pesticides. While overall pesticide use in Hawai’i is not known, sales data from the Hawai’i Department of Agriculture show that 123,000 pounds and 57,000 gallons of especially toxic “restricted use pesticides” (RUPs) were applied statewide in agriculture in 2013 (Enright 2014), the majority by five major pesticide/biotechnology firms. On Kaua’i, one company (DuPont-Pioneer) sprays pesticides on 2 of every 3 days of the year; and makes on average 8.3-16 applications per application day (Jervis and Smith 2013). This intensive spraying far exceeds anything found on the mainland.
Hawai’i residents have legitimate reasons to be concerned about pesticide exposure. Many live quite near test fields, and pesticides frequently drift, particularly in windy conditions common in Hawai’i. In at least six episodes since 2006, dozens of teachers and schoolchildren have reported being sickened by chemicals, in all or most cases pesticides drifting from neighboring fields. Symptoms ranged from headaches, dizziness and respiratory distress to nausea and vomiting, some requiring treatment at hospitals (Leone 2008, Hillyer 2008, Kalani and Fujimori 2014). Because Hawai’i (unlike 11 other states) does not have a program to track pesticide poisoning incidents, these media reports likely represent a small fraction of actual cases.
Physicians concerned about pesticide drift in west Kaua’i report that their patients are frequently afflicted with respiratory problems (including asthma), neurological impairment, and recurring nose bleeds and dermatitis, among other conditions (Kaua’i Physicians 2013). More seriously, they suspect that pesticides may be responsible for the extremely high rates of rare cardiac birth defects and cancer in Westside residents (Raelson 2013).
There is a large and growing scientific literature on the health harms of pesticides. Farmers and children are at greatest risk. People are exposed to certain pesticides in their food and water; farmworkers take in pesticides via dermal contact and inhalation of spray. Pesticide drift represents an important additional exposure pathway (Goldman et al 2009). Medical science has established strong links between pesticide exposure and cancers (Schinasi and Leon 2014, Blair and Zahm 1995, Koutros et al. 2009, Mills et al 2005),
Parkinson’s disease (Priyadarshi et al. 2000, Brown et al. 2006, van den Mark et al. 2012), autism (Shelton et al. 2014, Roberts et al. 2007), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (Bouchard et al. 2010) and depression (Beard et al. 2014, Weisskopf et al. 2013, Bienkowski 2014), among other conditions.
It is well-established that the young are more susceptible to the harmful effects of pesticides than adults (National Research Council 1993, Roberts and Karr 2012), because even low-level exposure during fetal (Rull et al., 2009), neonatal (Chevrier et al., 2011) and infant life can disrupt critical developmental processes (Shelton et al., 2014). In an exhaustive review of the medical literature entitled Pesticide Exposure in Children (Roberts and Karr 2012), the American Academy of Pediatrics singles out childhood cancers (Infante-Rivard et al. 1999), neurological impacts such as reduced IQ (Rauh et al. 2011, Bouchard et al. 2011, Engel et al 2011), birth defects and other adverse birth outcomes (Garry et al. 1996, 2002), and asthma (Salam et al 2004) as the most important and best-supported impacts of pesticides on our children’s health.
A study of pesticide exposure at schools shows that many children are exposed via pesticide drift from neighboring farmland (Alarcon et al 2005). Exposure to pesticide drift causes numerous short-term impacts that include headaches, dizziness, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, weakness, chest pain, fatigue, rashes, and eye ailments (Owen and Feldman 2004, CA PISP 1992-2011). While it is often assumed that people suffer no permanent harm from a single (acute) pesticide exposure, research is proving that this is often not the case. For instance, scientists have found increased rates of depression (Stallones and Beseler 2002) and impaired cognitive functioning (Rosenstock et al 1991) in people exposed acutely to certain toxic pesticides. Longer-term exposure to drift is also hazardous. Epidemiological studies show greater risk of diseases such as autism (Roberts et al. 2007), Parkinson’s disease (Costello et al. 2009) and childhood leukemia (Rull et al. 2009) in people living near agricultural fields sprayed with pesticides, suggesting that exposure via drift is responsible. Indeed, monitoring in California and Washington has found that airborne pesticide levels sometimes exceed acceptable health standards (Goldman et al. 2009).
In recognition of its failure to adequately prevent pesticide drift and its harms, EPA proposed stronger regulations in 2001 (EPA 2001), but these regulations were never finalized and are not in effect, leading public interest and farmworker groups to formally petition EPA to establish regulations to protect children from pesticide drift (Goldman et al 2009). The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical scientists recognize pesticide drift as a health threat to children and recommend no-spray zones for schools (AAP 2012; Alarcon et al 2005). A growing number of states and counties have established no-spray buffer zones around schools, hospitals, nursing homes, public parks and playgrounds to protect their citizens and especially children from pesticide drift (Owens and Feldman 2004, CPR 2010, Hurley et al 2014).
In this review, Center for Food Safety summarizes the available information on the use and adverse impacts of pesticides in Hawai’i, and discusses some of the scientific literature on the impacts these pesticides can have on public health, particularly children. It is our hope that legislators will inform themselves about this serious health threat and establish buffer zones around schools to ensure the health and well-being of Hawai’i’s keiki.
PESTICIDE USE AND GE CROPS
Hawai’i has had more field tests of genetically engineered crops than any other state
(ISBa, 2014). In 2013 alone, 178 permits were issued for GE crop field tests on 1,124 sites statewide (ISBb, 2014). Because Hawai’i is much smaller than Midwestern states that have experienced nearly as many releases (e.g. Illinois), it has a much higher density of field tests. This means that many of the state’s citizens live in dangerous proximity to pesticide- intensive GE crop fields.
Corn is by far the dominant GE crop grown in the state, and it is produced for seed, not for food. Corn production involves large applications of pesticides and fertilizers, and growing GE corn for seed is still more chemical-intensive (Thomison undated). Many GE crops grown on Hawai’i are engineered to withstand heavy application of weed-killing pesticides (i.e. herbicides), increasing pesticide use and exposure still more. A recent study using data from U.S. Department to Agriculture pesticide use found that only the first 5 years of agriculture production of Herbicide Resistant (HR) crops showed a reduction in herbicide application. After 5 years GE crops had an increase of pesticide application. The sixth year of HR crop cultivation alone recorded an increase of pesticides that was double the cumulative amount which had been reported during the initial 5 year period (Benbrook, 2012). While in line with this study according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, soybean producers have been steadily increasing their acreage GE crops since 1996. Herbicide use for soybean crops has also increased from 61 million pounds in 1996 to 133 million pounds in 2012 (USDA, 2014). Hawai’i’s climate allows for multiple plantings of GE corn and other crops each year, facilitating year-round pesticide use.
Pesticide is a generic term for any chemical used to kill an unwanted pest, and it includes herbicides and fungicides as well as insecticides. Records obtained from DuPont- Pioneer in the context of a lawsuit on behalf of Kaua’i residents show that this single company sprayed pesticides on its GE corn fields in Kaua’i on two-thirds (65%) of the days from February 2007 to the end of 2012 (Jervis and Smith 2013); and that an annual average of 8.3 to 16 applications were made per application day in various years of this period. Even if one accounts for the fact that these applications were made to only portions of DuPont- Pioneer’s overall test fields, this represents extremely intensive pesticide use. The third-most frequently applied group of pesticides was also among the most toxic: organophosphate insecticides such as chlorpyrifos (discussed below), which were sprayed on average 91 days each year (see Figure 1 and Table 1). The records also show that DuPont-Pioneer applied over 90 pesticide formulations containing 63 different active ingredients (Jervis and Smith 2013). In contrast, field corn on the mainland is treated much less intensively: while nearly all (98%) of field corn is treated with herbicides, only 8% and 12% of corn acres are sprayed with fungicides and insecticides, respectively (USDA NASS 2011).
EPA designates pesticides as either general use or restricted use. The restricted use category is reserved for pesticides whose “toxicity exceeds one or more … specific hazard criteria.”1 Due to the greater hazards they pose, restricted use pesticides (RUPs) can only be applied with protective equipment by those specially licensed to apply them, though it should be noted that general use pesticides can also be harmful. Sales data released by the Hawai’i Department of Agriculture show that “private applicators” applied 122,885 pounds and 57,067 gallons of restricted use pesticides (RUPs) in Hawai’i in 2013 (Table 2). Usage was particularly high in Maui and Oahu, though considerable quantities of RUPs were also applied on Kaua’i and the Big Island.2
View the full report Review Buffer Zones Hawaii
View the testimony given by Dr. Ryan Lee