Telone Lawsuit Filed

by. Lee N.Smith

Attorneys representing a Ventura County farmworker and environmental justice groups filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) in January 2017 alleging that the California state agency did not do enough to protect the public from the fumigant pesticide Telone (1,3-dichloropropene).  The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, alleges that DPR failed to follow the recommendations of scientists, and failed to provide public review for the regulation of the chemical. also known as   Specifically, the lawsuit first charges that DPR did not follow normal public procedures in developing new rules for Telone. This includes giving public notice and allowing the public an opportunity to comment.  The suit also alleges that DPR did not base its regulations on the advice of scientists at the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), and is in violation of a state law that requires the agencies to work together in crafting regulations, said Mark Weller, a spokesman for Californians for Pesticide Reform.  Banned for agricultural use in the European Union since 2011, as well as in California between 1990 and 1995, Telone is the third most used pesticide in California by pounds and the second most used “pesticide of public health concern” near public schools.   Telone is injected into the soil to kill pests before planting. Pesticide opponents say it drifts for days after and miles away from its application.