Pesticides

OEHHA performs a variety of activities related to the protection of human health from toxic effects of pesticides. These activities include providing education and outreach to the general public, health care professionals, and other state and local agencies; performing surveillance of pesticide illness and injury; evaluating pesticide toxicity data and human exposure; and developing regulations on agricultural worker health and safety. OEHHA works in collaboration with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) on many of these activities.

Find who to contact if you believe you, or someone you know may have been exposed to a pesticide.

If this is an emergency, call 911. In less serious cases, call your doctor or the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.

Find out how to report an incident in case of pesticide use complaints or concerns.

To report an incident, call your County Agricultural commissioner or DPR’s information line at 1-87PestLine (1-877-378-5463). After-hours or on weekends, call the non-emergency number of your local police or sheriff’s department. You can also use one the following reporting systems:

Invasive Species

Human health assessment of insecticides used to control invasive species

Clinician Trainings

Trainings for physicians and nurses on pesticide related illnesses

Peer Review

Peer review of pesticide toxicology data and human health risk assessments

Health Education Resources

Educational materials for health care providers, their patients, and local health departments

Medical Supervision Program

A California program to prevent excessive exposure to organophosphate and carbamate pesticides

Illness Reporting by Health Professionals

Reporting instructions and requirements for health care providers and local health departments

 

COVID-19 Related Information

 

Reports, Notices, Documents

Under the authority of California Food and Agricultural Code Section 11454.1, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment conducts scientific peer review of human health risk assessments prepared by the Department of Pesticide Regulation.

A list of registered medical supervisors in the biomonitoring program who measure cholinesterase activity in blood samples collected from agricultural workers who regularly handle category I and II organophosphate and carbamate pesticides.

Under the authority of California Food and Agricultural Code Section 11454.1, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) conducts scientific peer review of human health risk assessments prepared by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). 

Under the authority of California Food and Agricultural Code Section 12980 and 12981, OEHHA has prepared health-based recommendations for DPR to address potential cancer risks to occupational bystanders from the use of 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D).

The California Department Pesticide Regulation has proposed new regulations, developed jointly and mutually with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, to protect occupational bystanders in the general vicinity of a treated field to reduce the risk of 1,3-D exposure.