News

DPR RELEASES PESTICIDE USE STATISTICS FOR 2002;
NEW DATABASE PROVIDES MORE PUBLIC ACCESS

Note to editors: Statistics for individual counties and other lists may be found at www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pur/pur02rep/02_pur.htm.

SACRAMENTO -- The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today reported that total pounds of pesticide applications rose 14 percent from 2001 to 2002, although use still fell below every other year in the past decade.

Preliminary DPR statistics show reported pesticide applications totaled 172 million pounds, compared to 151 million pounds in 2001, and 188 million pounds in 2000. Pesticide use in previous years ranged up to more than 214 million pounds.

Higher acreage in several major crops helped explain increased pesticide use, according to a DPR analysis. (The 2002 summary includes a five-year analysis of pesticide use for 14 major commodities.) Pesticide use varies from year to year, depending on pest pressure, weather, acreage, cropping patterns, economic conditions, and other factors.

Search for data online

More detailed pesticide use data can also be accessed through a new DPR online feature, the California Pesticide Information Portal (CalPIP). The CalPIP database provides public access to detailed pesticide use information from 1990 to 2001. (Data for 2002 are expected to be available on CalPIP by the end of this month.)

Sulfur accounted for nearly one-third of the increase in pounds for 2002. Sulfur typically accounts for about one-third of all pounds applied annually. A natural fungicide used by conventional and organic growers, sulfur is also more economical than some other fungicides.

Major crops with an overall increase in pesticide pounds applied included processing tomatoes (3 million pound increase), raisin and table grapes (3 million pounds), carrots (2.2 million pounds), almonds (2.1 million pounds), potatoes (1.6 million pounds), and wine grapes (1.5 million pounds). Major crops with fewer pounds applied included cotton (900,000 pounds).

Use varied among categories of pesticides. Organophosphate and carbamate use declined again in 2002, by 700,000 pounds (8 percent) and 600,000 acres treated (8 percent). DPR has undertaken a number of initiatives -- including grant programs and regulatory actions -- to reduce the use of these highly-toxic insecticides.

Fumigant use varied by chemical. In the face of increasing state restrictions and a federal phase-down, methyl bromide use continued to decline, down by 21,000 pounds in 2002, to less than 6.6 million pounds. (Since 1995, methyl bromide use has fallen by more than 10 million pounds.) Meanwhile, 2002 use of the replacement fumigant metam-sodium increased by 4.2 million pounds (37 percent), and use of the fumigant 1,3-D increased by 1.4 million pounds (35 percent).

Statistical changes from 2001 to 2002:

• Use of reduced-risk pesticides increased by 183,000 pounds (32 percent) and by 845,000 acres treated (29 percent).
• Chemicals classified as reproductive toxins increased by 1.8 million pounds (9 percent) but decreased by 300,000 cumulative acres treated (10 percent). The increase in pounds was predominantly due to use of metam-sodium.
• A similar pattern appeared for chemicals classified as carcinogens. Use of these chemicals increased 3.4 million pounds (15 percent) but decreased by 200,000 acres (5 percent). The increase in pounds was mostly due to metam-sodium and 1,3-D.
• Chemicals categorized as ground water contaminants increased by about 220,000 pounds (11 percent). Cumulative acres treated increased by about 18,000 acres (1 percent). Most of the increase was due to applications of the herbicides diuron and simazine.

In analyzing pesticide data, DPR calculates both pounds applied and cumulative acres treated because these statistics offer different perspectives on use.

While many pesticides are used at a rate of one to two pounds per acre, fumigants are often applied at hundreds of pounds per acre, so gauging use in pounds emphasizes fumigants. As measured in pounds applied, the top pesticides in 2002 included sulfur (53.6 million pounds), petroleum oils (17.7 million pounds) , metam-sodium (15.5 million pounds), methyl bromide (6.6 million pounds), and the herbicide glyphosate (5.6 million pounds).

Use by acres treated

As measured in acres treated, top pesticides included sulfur (5.6 million acres) and three herbicides: glyphosate (3.6 million acres), oxyfluorfen (1.6 million acres), and paraquat dichloride (1.4 million acres). The widely-used insecticide chlorpyrifos (1.2 million acres) is also on the list. These statistics reflect cumulative treated acres. (For example, one acre treated five times equals five treated acres.) The statistics do not reflect planted acreage.

Since 1994, reported pesticide use, as measured in pounds, has fluctuated from year to year, according to DPR analysts. They found that relatively short periods of time (three to five years) may suggest trends, such as the increased pesticide use from 1994 to 1998, or decreased use noted from 1998 to 2001. Overall use patterns from 1994 to 2002 do not establish a firm statistical trend.

However, DPR's pesticide use data are valuable for other purposes. The data helps DPR conduct pesticide risk assessments, formulate guidelines to protect field workers, devise restrictions for endangered species habitat, assist with programs to preserve air and water quality, and develop least-toxic pest management strategies.

To help provide better public access to pesticide use information, DPR has created the CalPIP database, the nation's most extensive source of pesticide use information. The system was activated for testing several months ago, and has already received more than 1,000 queries and retrieved more than ten million records.

The free, public access system can provide pesticide use statistics by year, application location, the site or crop treated, the pesticide product name, the chemical name (active ingredient), and the application pattern (ground or air).

For example, a user could request the following information: How many pounds of pesticide were applied in my county in a particular year? In my zip code? How many pounds of herbicides were applied to apples in my zip code? What were the herbicide brand names? How were they applied?

After such queries are submitted to CalPIP, the online system processes the information, then notifies the user by e-mail and provides an online link to the data requested. Query results can be displayed as graphs or tables that can be viewed online, or downloaded to the user's computer.

CalPIP also allows users to link pesticide use data in with DPR's database of labels for the 12,000 pesticide products registered in California. DPR's pesticide label database includes such information as the manufacturer, pesticide type (such as herbicide, insecticide, disinfectant), active ingredient, target pests, application sites (such as crop, roadside, or structure), and certain chemical and environmental characteristics.

Future enhancements for CalPIP may include links to DPR databases for pesticide residues, surface and ground water, and illness reports.

To access the CalPIP database, link to http://calpip.cdpr.ca.gov. Questions about use of CalPIP should be e-mailed to calpip_comments@cdpr.ca.gov.

One of six departments and boards within Cal/EPA, DPR regulates the use of pesticides to protect human health and the environment.

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