The wine industry admits to their over 2 million pounds of chemicals in Sonoma County they use yearly in the following article. Napa is number one in childhood cancer rates and Sonoma is not far behind. The Dept. of Pesticide Regulations acknowledges that drift cannot be stopped when spraying. Our entire ecological world is being affected by chemical viticulture.
You can view articles on this website that show glyphosate in breast milk, wine and the 5 top children’s vaccines. What happened to “better be safe than sorry”?
excerpt:“In 2014, out of the 2.2 million pounds of pesticides used in Sonoma County, 1.4 million pounds were sulfur, according to the department’s database.
The other main pesticides used in Sonoma County include those that come from petroleum (154,542 pounds), mineral oil (115,625 pounds) and various glyphosphates (94,152 pounds), an herbicide category that includes the weed killer known as Roundup, deemed safe by the EPA if used according to directions but criticized by some health groups.”
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/6406059-181/sonoma-county-parents-farmers-lobby
Sonoma County parents, farmers lobby state over pesticide use near schools
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | December 8, 2016
Lobbying groups have been making last-minute pitches to an obscure state agency on an issue that has ramifications throughout the state and particularly in Sonoma County: To what length should farmers go to protect schoolchildren from sprayed pesticides?
The state Department of Pesticide Regulation has proposed a rule that would ban pesticide applications within a quarter-mile of schools and day care centers on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Comments are due Friday and the department has received about 500 from various groups, said spokeswoman Charlotte Fadipe.
DPR Director Brian Leahy has said the proposal “builds in additional layers of protection for students and school staff that are located in agricultural areas” as well as ensures better communication.
Parents and anti-pesticide advocates tend to believe the proposal should crack down harder on spraying. Ag groups that include grape growers fear the regulation is overreach, not supported by science.
A study by the state Department of Public Health found 36 percent of 2,511 California schools surveyed in agricultural zones in 2010 had 144 “pesticides of public health concern” sprayed within a quarter mile. It did not determine whether children were actually exposed to such pesticides. The National Pesticide Information Center contends that infants and children are more sensitive to the toxic effects of pesticides than adults, and that parents should take steps to minimize their child’s exposure to them.
Spraying by aircraft, sprinklers, air-blast and all fumigant applications would be covered under the proposed rule. It also would prohibit most dust and powder pesticide applications including sulfur, which is a popular product used generously on Sonoma County farms to combat diseases such as powdery mildew on grapevines. A natural product, sulfur is allowable in organic farming.
In 2014, out of the 2.2 million pounds of pesticides used in Sonoma County, 1.4 million pounds were sulfur, according to the department’s database.
The other main pesticides used in Sonoma County include those that come from petroleum (154,542 pounds), mineral oil (115,625 pounds) and various glyphosphates (94,152 pounds), an herbicide category that includes the weed killer known as Roundup, deemed safe by the EPA if used according to directions but criticized by some health groups.
Some counties in California have various requirements that schools be notified of pesticide applications nearby, but Sonoma County does not, said Agriculture Commissioner Tony Lineager.
“Sonoma County growers who farm near schools for the most part have already developed a relationship with the schools,” Lineager said. “While this regulation may help, it’s something in a lot of ways we were already doing.”
And that’s what Mark Houser has been doing.
Houser, vineyard manager at Hoot Owl Creek Vineyards and Alexander Valley Vineyards, has the usual litany of concerns as he manages 300 acres of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay and other grapes — cold, heat, rain, drought, mildew, bugs, weeds. But foremost on his mind is that his property surrounds Alexander Valley School, the K-6 campus on Highway 128.
Its affects when and where his workers mow or burn a pile of vines. He pays special attention to the chemicals and has an agreement with the school that they will be only applied at night or on the weekends. He always provides 48 hours’ notice.