KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii is one step closer to buffering the use of several pesticides around schools, while outright banning the use of another throughout the state.
The Legislature Friday afternoon passed out of conference committee Senate Bill 3095 SD1 HD1 CD1, sending the measure to final votes on both the House and Senate floors.
The bill would prohibit the use of all pesticides within 100 feet of any public, private or home school between 7 a.m.-4 p.m. on school days. It would also ban the use of chlorpyrifos beginning Jan. 1, 2019, making Hawaii the first state to do so.
The measure would afford the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) the right to extend three-year exemptions to agricultural businesses to transition to another form of crop treatment.
“This bill is an important statement by our state that has national implications,” Agriculture Committee Chair Richard Creagan, D-Hawaii Island, said in a Hawaii House of Representatives press release. “It will bring attention to the risk to pregnant women from chlorpyrifos. It will also send a message to the 100 countries still using chlorpyrifos that tens of millions of their babies’ and children’s brains are at risk and show them how to reduce that risk.”
Farmers around the state fought the ban.
The Hawaii Farm Bureau, through its president Randy Cabral, testified that a blanket ban was unnecessary and would disadvantage Hawaii farmers.
The HDOA also testified against the ban during the state’s legislative process.
John McHugh, manager of the Pesticide Branch at the HDOA, said chlorpyrifos use has dropped 70 percent in Hawaii over the last four years and is generally considered safe when used according to instructions on the label.
Chlorpyrifos was once the most widely used pesticide in the United States but has been shown across multiple studies in recent years to have adverse effects on fetuses. Children exposed to the chemical suffered at a higher rate from developmental delays and disorders, as well as other issues like attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity.
According to the release, chlorpyrifos is responsible for the deaths of roughly 10,000 people around the world each year.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned indoor use of chlorpyrifos in most contexts in 2000, while banning or restricting its use on several crops over the course of the following two years.
In 2012, the EPA lowered chlorpyrifos application rates and developed no-spray buffer zones around public and residential areas.
The EPA was recently considering a nationwide ban on the chemical before leadership changes at the department led to re-prioritization of the issue. Chlorpyrifos is already banned in Europe.
“Protecting the health of the people in our communities is paramount,” House conference committee co-chair Rep. Chris Lee, D-Oahu, said in the release. “This bill strikes a thoughtful balance that protects the health of Hawaii’s children and families and also helps ensure agricultural companies use pesticides responsibly to prevent unintended consequences.”
SB 3095 comes with a stipulation that commercial agriculture entities must provide regular reports of pesticide use.
The bill also appropriates $300,000 from general revenues for a pesticide drift monitoring study at three schools throughout the state, as well as another $300,000 from the Pesticides Revolving Fund to fund the measure, including education and outreach.
Complete ban is the delusion of purist thinking madness.
Controlled use of pesticides and herbicides is sustainable reality.
If they can still buy the poison, they will use it. It’s that simple.
Mankind has practiced agriculture for thousands of years without
the (perceived, urgent) need to use Chlorpyrofos and many other
un-necessary pesticides. Growing food the old-fashioned way –
organically – just takes a bit more brains and physical effort.
A Big Mahalo to Dr. Creagan for pushing this important issue
and saving young brains from (clearly documented) permanent
damage.