For over ten years farmworkers have advocated for the ‘Right to Know,’ movement demanding that they be alerted when harmful pesticides will be sprayed around their communities asking for an online alerting system.
Through the advocacy efforts in Shafter, CA, which took over five years, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation launched the statewide notification system, Spraydays.
“Right here in Shafter, five years ago, our community called Ag Commissioner to give us advanced notice of cancer-causing fumigant applications but he refused,” said Byanka Santoyo, an organizer with the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment. “We kept pushing and pushing at AB 617… Now, not just Shafter, but the whole state will have access to upcoming pesticide information.”
AB 617 requires the State Air Resources Board to report their yearly emissions of harmful pollutants and toxins to the state, which will create a standard system for this reporting– a system called SprayDays that will now provide information on fumigations 24-48 hours in advance as well as a pesticide map.
“There are a lot of interesting things about this system… I want to highlight besides notifications the website itself provides a lot of really good information and context around how pesticides are regulated in California as well as health and safety tips around pesticide exposure” said Juvenio Guerra, SprayDays California Outreach Lead
Guerra encouraged folks who want to learn more about pesticides and take additional measures to check out the website and learn additional information.
For Shafter residents, the concern of pesticides in their community is always a concern, as farm towns are often the most at risk to be exposed to the harmful chemicals.
“We didn’t know what to watch out for… but today we have the hope that with this notification they tell us the day they’re spraying and what they’re spraying and what times,” said Anabel Marquez, president of the committee for a better Shafter . “And parents, since they have houses near the fields will be able to clean their kid’s toys, their swings, so that their kids don’t get
contaminated with those chemicals.”
This new system will not only inform people, but also provide ample time for community members to take extra precautions, such as ensuring their homes and outdoor spaces are safe, reducing the risk of chemical exposure, and ultimately helping families feel more at ease in their environment.
You can check out the California SprayDays information att: https://spraydays.cdpr.ca.gov/
