Protection of Persons,

Animals and Property

By Bruce Perez

Why Should You Care?

Safety of Employees, bystanders, nearby
resident
Illness Complaints / Loss of Property
Growers, Residents, Environmentalists, Media
Investigations Takes People, Time, & $$$$$$$
$

Youre supposed to know this stuff already

Laws and Regulations, FAC
Its what We CAC enforce

What is Pesticide Drift?

Drift is the movement of a pesticide
through the air away from the intended
target
Mist, particles, vapor
Depends on weather, application site,
pesticide
Occurs in residential and household
pesticide applications too
Isnt limited to period during or immediately
after an application

How Drift Can Occur

Spray Drift and Post-application Drift
Spray Drift
During shortly after
Wind or Application equipment

Post-Application Drift
May be result of illegal application
Also may occur with correct applications

Some drift is unavoidable

Possible measures
Exercise a high degree of professionalism
in making decisions about applications
Ensure their equipment and techniques
produce a minimum of drift that is
below potentially harmful levels.
Make sure they dont apply pesticides
when conditions exist that make drift
more likely, for example, when it is too
windy

Is it Illegal?
California has strict standards
concerning drift
CAC direct enforcement activity
The law prohibits applications if there
is reasonable possibility to harm
people property
DPR finds drift from legal application
an unacceptable risk

Kings County Permit

Conditions

General
Ground Water Protection
Wellhead Protection
Herbicide Application Restrictions
Temik/Thimet
Paraquat (Preplant)

Kings County Permit

Conditions

Defoliants
Phenoxys
Methomyl (Grapes)
Thiodan
Furadan

Drift Mitigation Strategies

6416. Groundwater
Protection Restrictions.

(a) A permit is required for the possession or use of a pesticide

containing a chemical listed in section 6800(a) when the pesticide is:
(1) applied in an agricultural, outdoor institutional, or outdoor
industrial use within a runoff ground water protection area or in a
leaching ground water protection area, or
(2) restricted for purposes other than ground water protection.
(b) A permit is not required for the possession or use of a pesticide
containing a chemical listed in section 6800(a) when the pesticide is
used in a pest eradication program approved by the Department of
Food and Agriculture, unless the pesticide is also restricted for
purposes other than ground water protection.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of this article and Article 4, the
chemicals listed in section 6800(a) may be applied for research or
experimental purposes pursuant to a valid research authorization.
The applicant must provide the location of the research or
experimental site with the research authorization request. The
exemptions found in section 6268 do not apply when a person
wishes to use these chemicals for research or experimental
purposes.

Dont Do This

6426. Alternatives and

Mitigation Measures.
(a) Each licensed agricultural pest control adviser
and grower, when determining if and when to use a
pesticide that requires a permit, shall consider, and
if feasible, adopt any reasonable, effective and
practical mitigation measure or use any feasible
alternative which would substantially lessen any
significant adverse impact on the environment.
(b) Each licensed agricultural pest control operator
shall have available a copy of a written
recommendation covering each agricultural use
application of a pesticide that requires a permit,
and operate in accordance with a pesticide permit
issued by the commissioner. The standards for such
recommendations are established in Section 6556.

6600. General Standards of

Care.
Each person performing pest control shall:
(a) Use only pest control equipment which is
in good repair and safe to operate.
(b) Perform all pest control in a careful and
effective manner.
(c) Use only methods and equipment suitable
to insure proper application of pesticides.
(d) Perform all pest control under climatic
conditions suitable to insure proper
application of pesticides.
(e) Exercise reasonable precautions to avoid
contamination of the environment.

6601. General Application

of Standards.
(a) Whenever pesticide product labeling requires the
use of personal protective equipment or specifies
other restrictions or procedures be followed, the
application of that labeling requirement to an owner
or operator of the property to be treated, their
families, and others, shall be consistent with any
applicable standards for employeesin Subchapter 3,
commencing with Section 6700.
(b) It is not the intent of these regulations to require
separate or duplicate equipment or facilities.
Equipment and facilities provided for compliance
with the requirements of other agencies may also be
used for complying with these regulations provided
the equipment and facilities meet the requirements
of these regulations.

6609. Wellhead Protection

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the following activities shall

be prohibited within 100 feet of a well (including domestic, municipal,
agricultural, dry or drainage, monitoring, or abandoned wells):
(1) mixing, loading, and storage of pesticides.
(2) rinsing of spray equipment or pesticide containers.
(3) maintenance of spray equipment that could result in spillage of
pesticide residues on the soil.
(4) application of preemergent herbicides.
(b) Wells shall not be subject to the requirements in (a) if they are:
(1) sited so that runoff water from irrigation or rainfall does not move
from the perimeter of the wellhead toward the wellhead and contact
or collect around any part of the wellhead including the concrete pad
or foundation; or
(2) protected by a berm constructed of any material sufficient to
prevents movement of surface runoff water from the perimeter of the
wellhead to the wellhead.
(c) Application of preemergent herbicides shall be prohibited between
the berm and the wellhead.

6614. Protection of
Persons, Animals, and
Property.
(a) An applicator prior to and while applying a pesticide shall
evaluate the equipment to be used, meteorological
conditions, the property to be treated, and surrounding
properties to determine the likelihood of harm or damage.
(b) Notwithstanding that substantial drift would be prevented,
no pesticide application shall be made or continued when:
(1) There is a reasonable possibility of contamination of the
bodies or clothing of persons not involved in the application
process;
(2) There is a reasonable possibility of damage to nontarget
crops, animals, or other public or private property; or
(3) There is a reasonable possibility of contamination of
nontarget public or private property, including the creation of
a health hazard, preventing normal use of such property. In
determining a health hazard, the amount and toxicity of the
pesticide, the type and uses of the property and related
factors shall be considered.

Bees

6650. Pesticides Toxic to

Bees.
(a) Pesticides toxic to bees are those that include the words
"toxic to bees" on the labeling of the pesticide, regardless of
modifying words on the label that state "highly" or
"moderately."
(b) Bees are considered to be inactive from one hour after
sunset to two hours before sunrise or when the
temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The sunset
and sunrise times will be those indicated in the local
newspaper.
(c) Residual toxicity (RT) time is that period of time after
completing a pesticide application until there is minimal toxic
effect to bees. The RT time is specified on product labeling and
is based upon Residual Toxicity25 (RT25) studies. RT25 studies
determine 25 percent bee mortality based on the test bee
population exposed to the formulated pesticide product applied
to foliage.
NOTE: Authority cited: Section 29102, Food and Agricultural
Code.

6652. Availability for

Notification.
(a) Each beekeeper who desires advance notice
of applications of pesticides shall inform the
commissioner of a two-hour period between 6
a.m. and 8 p.m. each day, during which time the
beekeeper shall be available for contact, at the
beekeeper's expense, to receive advance notice
from persons intending to apply pesticide(s).
This request for notification shall expire on
December 31 each year.
(b) This Section shall apply statewide. However,
from March 15 through May 15 in a citrus/bee
protection area, if there are conflicts between
the provisions of this Section and those of
Section 6656, Section 6656 shall prevail.

6654. Notification to
Beekeepers.

(a) Each person intending to apply any pesticide toxic to bees to a

blossoming plant shall, prior to the application, inquire of the
commissioner, or of a notification service designated by the
commissioner, whether any beekeeper with apiaries within one
mile of the application site has requested notice of such
application.
(b) If the person performing pest control is advised of a request for
notification, he or she shall notify the beekeeper, at least 48 hours
in advance of the application, of the time and place the application
is to be made, the crop and acreage to be treated, the method of
application, the identity and dosage rate of the application to be
applied, and how the person performing pest control may be
contacted by the beekeeper. This time may be increased or
decreased by the commissioner, or by an agreement of both the
beekeeper and the person performing the pest control work.
(c) This section shall apply statewide. However, from March 15
through May 15 in a citrus/bee protection area, if there are conflicts
between the provisions of this section and those of section 6656,
section 6656 shall prevail.

Storage, Transportation and

Disposal

6670. General
Requirement.
Pesticides, emptied containers or parts
thereof, or equipment that holds or has
held a pesticide, shall not be stored,
handled, emptied, disposed of, or left
unattended in such a manner or at any
place where they may present a hazard
to persons, animals (including bees), food,
feed, crops or property. The commissioner
may take possession of such
unattended pesticides or emptied
containers to abate such hazard.

6672. Security of Pesticides

and Pesticide Containers.

(a) No person shall deliver a container that holds, or has held, a

pesticide to a property unless he stores it in an enclosure or
closure complying with the requirements of this Section or delivers
it to a person in charge of the property or his agent, or a pest
control operator or his employee. The person receiving the
container shall control access to it in accordance with this Section.
(b) Each person who controls the use of any property or premises
is responsible for all containers or equipment on the property that
hold, or have held, a pesticide. Unless all such containers are
under his personal control so as to avoid contact by unauthorized
persons, he shall:
(1) Provide a person responsible to him to maintain such control
over the containers at all times; or
(2) Store all such containers in a locked enclosure, or in the case
of liquid pesticides in a container larger than 55 gallons in
capacity, the container shall have a locked closure. Either shall be
adequate to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to
any of the material.

6674. Posting of Pesticide

Storage Areas.
Signs visible from any direction of probable approach
shall be posted around all storage areas where
containers that hold, or have held, pesticides required
to be labeled with the signal words "warning" or
"danger" are stored. Each sign shall be of such size
that it is readable at a distance of 25 feet and be
substantially as follows:
DANGER
POISON STORAGE AREA
ALL UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS KEEP OUT
KEEP DOOR LOCKED WHEN NOT IN USE
The notice shall be repeated in an appropriate
language other than English when it may reasonably
be anticipated that persons who do not understand the
English language will come to the enclosure.

6676. Container
Requirements.
Except as provided in the Food and
Agricultural Code pertaining to service
containers, any container that holds, or
has held, any pesticide, when stored or
transported, shall carry the registrant's
label. All lids or closures shall be securely
tightened except when the procedure
described in Section 6684 has been
followed. This Section shall not apply to
measuring devices that are not used to
store or transport a pesticide.

6678. Service Container

Labeling.
Service containers, other than those used
by a person engaged in the business of
farming when the containers are used on
the property the person is farming, shall be
labeled with:
(a) The name and address of the person or
firm responsible for the container;
(b) The identity of the pesticide in the
container; and
(c) The word "Danger," "Warning," or
"Caution," in accordance with the label on
the original container.

6680. Prohibited
Containers for Pesticides.
In no case shall a pesticide be placed
or kept in any container of a type
commonly used for food, drink or
household products.

6682. Transportation.
(a) Pesticides shall not be transported in
the same compartment with persons,
food or feed.
(b) Pesticide containers shall be secured
to vehicles during transportation in a
manner that will prevent spillage onto
the vehicle or off the vehicle. Paper,
cardboard, and similar containers shall
be covered when necessary to protect
them from moisture.

6684. Rinse and Drain

Procedures.

6686. Exemptions.
(a) Sections 6672, 6674, 6682, and 6684 shall not
apply to containers that hold or have held pesticides
packaged, labeled, and used for home use when in the
possession of a householder on his property.
(b) Sections 6670 and 6672(b) shall not apply to
exempt materials specified in Section 6402 except
where the commissioner, or the director in any county
where there is no commissioner, determines that a
hazard to public health and safety exists requiring the
control specified in sections 6670 and 6672(b).
(c) Section 6684 shall not apply to outer shipping
containers that are not contaminated with a pesticide.
(d) This article shall not apply to sanitizers,
disinfectants, or medical sterilants.

Pesticide Contamination
Protection

6900. Antifouling Paints or

Coatings Containing
Tributyltin.

Antifouling paints or coatings that

contain tributyltin shall have an
average release rate of no more than
four micrograms of organotin per
square centimeter per day as
determined by the EPA testing
procedure (ASTM Draft 6).

6910. Prohibition of Use

and Sale of Pesticide
Products Containing
(a) No personTributyltin.
shall possess for use or use a

pesticide product containing tributyltin for the

control of fouling microorganisms (such as
bacteria, algae, or fungi) in cooling water
systems in the counties of Alameda, Contra
Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo,
Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma for the control
of fouling microorganisms (such as bacteria,
algae, or fungi) in cooling water systems.
(b) No person in the counties listed in subsection
(a) shall sell to users a pesticide containing
tributyltin for the control of fouling
microorganisms (such as bacteria, algae, or
fungi) in cooling water systems.

6920. Prohibition of Use

and Sale of Pesticide
Products Containing
Copper.
(a) No person shall
possess for use or use a

pesticide product containing copper sulfate

for the control in sewers and drains, of tree or
other plant roots, or fungal slime in the
counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin,
Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara,
Solano and Sonoma.
(b) No person in the counties listed in
subsection (a) shall sell to users a pesticide
product containing copper sulfate for the
control in sewers, and drains, of tree or other
plant roots, or fungal slime.

Other Protection Strategery

Employee Training
PPE
Pesticides, labels
Maintenance

Labeling available
Inspectors
Emergency Information

Notification/ Posting
When required
Farm Labor Contractors

Other
Squirrel Bait
Endangered Species
PRESCRIBE (DPR)
309 Endangered Species in CA

Streamside No-Spray Buffer Zones

Other
VOC Emissions
Fumigant
methyl bromide; 1,3-dichloropropene);
chloropicrin; metam-sodium;metam-potassium;etc

Nonfumigant
abamectin, chlorpyrifos, gibberellins, and
oxyfluorfen
Applications to Alfalfa, Almonds, Citrus, Cotton,
Grapes, Pistachio, Walnuts
Growers must obtain PCA recommendation