Evaluating the health effects of past and future pesticides applied on and around people to combat the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM), three state agencies concluded the potential danger was low because they incorrectly divided instead of multiplying. In their analysis, the agencies divided by the thousands of acres sprayed, when they should have multiplied by the same number of thousands. If only 1,000 acres were involved, the peoples' exposure was as much as one million times greater than reported by the state agencies.

In larger pesticide application areas, which are typical, the error is even greater.

The reports were prepared by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) and the Department of Public Health (DPH). All three joint reports released November 3rd, 2008, April 10th, 2008, and November 16th, 2007 contain the same error.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), based on these incorrect reports and their enthusiasm to proceed, gave their assurance to the public that the pesticide applications directly on and around the people and their children were safe.

This extreme error in toxicity exposure could explain why hundreds of people and doctors filed written health complaints following CDFA's application of pesticides on people and their children in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties in 2007. Read more

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