Comment Submissions - Draft CalEnviroScreen 4.0

April 20, 2021 Lauren Zeise Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment PO Box 4010 Sacramento CA 95812 Dear Lauren Zeise: Californians for Pesticide Reform appreciates the opportunity to provide comments on the pesticide use indicator in CalEnviroScreen 4.0. The goal of the CPR coalition is to empower residents in agricultural communities to successfully advocate for health protective pesticide policies. CalEnviroScreen provides information that is critical to our work. We appreciate the increase in the number of pesticides used to construct the pesticide use indicator in Version 4.0. However, there are two pesticides which we request OEHHA to add to the indicator: glyphosate and paraquat. Both widely-used pesticides are regularly found on the Dept. of Pesticide Regulation’s lists of the top 100 pesticides used in California. In addition, glyphosate is a Proposition 65 carcinogen (https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/chemicals/glyphosate). Although not a highly volatile pesticide, it has extensive residential and school uses that are not included in the usage figures for the top 100 pesticides list. Paraquat is acutely toxic and exposure is associated with increased risk of Parkinson’s disease (https://www.jstor.org/stable/41474280?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents). It is not a volatile chemical but can become airborne and get tracked into residences when it adheres to soil dust particles (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6689968/). Both pesticides are concerns of residents in counties where CPR works (Fresno, Kern, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Tulare and Ventura). In addition, many residents of agricultural communities are concerned about pesticide use on school grounds. We appreciate OEHHA’s efforts to obtain accurate data about use of these pesticides. Again, thank you for the opportunity to provide these comments. Sincerely, Caroline Cox, on behalf of Californians for Pesticide Reform