Pesticide complaints? California…

                             Pesticide complaints?
California Department of
  Pesticide Regulation
      10O1 I Street
                             You have the right to...
      P.O. Box 4015
Sacramento, CA 95812-4015
      916-445-4300           Reporting complaints                             Who uses pesticides?
    www.cdpr.ca.gov          about pesticide use                              Many people and companies use pesticides,
                             Cal/EPA's Department of Pesticide Regulation     including farmers and ranchers, structural pest
        BRANCHES:            and your local county agricultural commis-       control services, agricultural pest control
                             sioner share joint responsibility for monitor-   businesses, landscape gardeners, janitorial
       Enforcement
                             ing and regulating the use of pesticides to      companies, water purveyors, swimming pool
       916-324-4100
  Northern Regional Office   protect the safety of workers, the public, and   maintenance services, health care personnel,
       916-324-4100          the environment. Through state and county        and government agencies. Because many
   Central Regional Office   pesticide regulatory programs, DPR evaluates     cleaning products you use around your home
       559-243-8111          pesticides before they are sold or used in the   as well as insect and garden sprays are all
  Southern Regional Office
                             state, conducts air and water monitoring         likely to be registered as pesticides, consumers
       714-279-7690
                             studies, samples produce for pesticide           also use a variety of pesticides.
Environmental Monitoring     residues, and with the commissioners, trains,
      916-324-4039
                             licenses and inspects professional pesticide
     Fiscal Operations       applicators. An essential element of this
       916-324-1350          program is to respond to public complaints
 Information Technology      and questions about the use of pesticides.
      916-445-4110
    Medical Toxicology
                             What is a pesticide?
      916-445-4233           "Pesticide" describes many substances
     Mill Assessment         used to control pests. "Pests" are
      916-445-4159           organisms that cause
                             damage or economic
     Pest Management
       and Licensing         loss, or transmit
       916-445--3914         disease. Pests
  Licensing/Certification    include insects,
        916-445-4038                                                          What does the law require?
                             weeds, plant
                             diseases, rodents,                               It is important to know what is and what isn't
        Personnel
       916-322-4553          algae, viruses, and                              allowed when using, storing and disposing of
                             bacteria. Pesticides include                     pesticides. Federal and State laws require that
  Pesticide Registration
                             insecticides, herbicides, fungi-                 all pesticides be handled strictly according to
       916-445-4400
                             cides, rodenticides, disinfectants,              their label instructions. Pesticides must not be
 Worker Health and Safety                                                     allowed to drift, run off or move off target, or
      916-445-4222           and other kinds of pest-controlling chemi-
                             cals, including many household products.         be used in any way not approved by the label,
                                                                              law, or regulation. Moreover, some agricultural
                            and professional structural pesticides require    commissioner's office. Structural pest control
                            that users get a special permit from the          companies also file reports on pesticide use.
                            county agricultural commissioner (who has         Most records kept by agricultural commission-
                            the authority to strictly control how, where ­    ers are public information; if you want to
                            or even if ­ these pesticides are used).          review documents or get copies, you should
                                                                              ask your commissioner's office about the
                            Businesses hired to apply pesticides must be
                                                                              procedure it uses to provide this information.
                            licensed by DPR and registered with the
                                                                              Annual summaries of statewide pesticide use
                            agricultural commissioner before performing
                                                                              are also available on DPR's Web site.
                            pest control work. They must have permission
                            to treat someone's property and they must
                                                                              How will your complaint
                            give the property owner information about the     be investigated?
                            chemicals being used. Commercial applicators
                                                                              DPR and the county agricultural commission-
                            include landscape gardeners and agricultural
                                                                              ers respond to all pesticide-related complaints
                            and structural pest control companies.
                                                                              from both the public and industry. If they find
                            Anyone who uses pesticides ­ be it farmer,        a violation, appropriate corrective or enforce-
                            structural pest control company, or a             ment action will be taken. (However, legal
                            neighbor ­ is required to use due care when       actions can only be taken against violations of
                            applying pesticides, to avoid harming             laws and regulations over which the commis-
                            themselves, anyone else, or the environment.      sioner or DPR has authority.) These are the
   If you suspect a
                                                                              steps a commissioner generally takes to
pesticide is being used     What if you have a complaint?                     investigate a pesticide-related complaint:
                            If you suspect a pesticide is being used
improperly, notify your                                                       · Contact the parties involved.
                            improperly, notify your county agricultural
 county agricultural        commissioner's office as soon as possible.        · Determine if a pesticide has been used.
                            (You can find the phone number on DPR's
                                                                              · Determine if a violation has occurred.
commissioner's office       Web site  and in the county
                            government section of your phone book white       · Take appropriate corrective or enforcement
 as soon as possible.                                                           action if there is proof of a violation.
                            pages.) The commissioner's office will investi-
                            gate your complaint. Be prepared to provide
                                                                              · If appropriate, facilitate voluntary
                            specific details ­ for example, where the
                                                                                cooperative measures to avoid future
                            incident occurred, the time of day, what you
                                                                                problems.
                            saw, and who was involved. You can ask to
                            remain anonymous.                                 What if you think pesticide
                            The county agricultural commissioners and         exposure made you ill?
                            their staffs have primary responsibility for      The commissioner, with technical help
                            local enforcement activities. Training,           from DPR, investigates all pesticide-related
                            coordination, oversight, and technical and        illnesses. If you have symptoms you believe
                            legal support is provided by DPR staff at         are related to pesticide exposure, it is
                            headquarters in Sacramento and at regional        important that a doctor examines you.
                            and field offices in Anaheim, Fresno, Ventura,    Doctors in California are required to report
                            West Sacramento, Bakersfield, and Watsonville.    all pesticide-related illnesses. Medical
                            If you still have questions after talking to      documentation of an illness is very helpful
                            your county agricultural commissioner, you        in investigating a possible pesticide violation.
                            can call DPR's regional or field office in your   You can also call the poison control center
                            area for further information and assistance, or   toll-free, 1-800-876-4766. Specialists there
                            call DPR headquarters in Sacramento.              will provide you free infomation on whether
  Single copies of this
 handout are available                                                        your symptoms may be related to pesticide
                            In addition, people who use pesticides in an
     by calling your                                                          exposure and give you advice on treatment.
                            agricultural setting must file detailed reports
   County Agricultural
 Commissioner's office,     on their pesticide use monthly with their
       from DPR at
      916-445-3974,
 or can be downloaded
  from DPR's Web site,
    www.cdpr.ca.gov,
"Consumer Fact Sheets.  "
                                      DPR: A Department of the California Environmental Protection Agency
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