People Living Close to Sprayed Fields Have a Higher Exposure to Pesticides

Farms, edges of towns, schools

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Edges of cities and towns, cottage subdivisions

There are often no or very little buffer between houses and yards and sprayed fields.

Many schools, especially rural ones, are located near sprayed fields. In addition, children are exposed to pesticides on their long ride on the school bus.

People living at the edge of cities are also exposed to farming pesticides.

Sprayed fields also abut edges of towns and cottage subdivisions

Farm

Many farm yards are surrounded by fields.

There are often no or very little buffer between houses and yards and sprayed fields.

In Saskatchewan, the sprayed agricultural surface area is enormous.

In Saskatchewan, the sprayed agricultural surface area is enormous.

Many people in Saskatchewan live close to pesticide-sprayed fields. Farms, town edges, school yards, many cottage subdivisions, and most of our cities are surrounded by fields. (see subsection Farms for photos)     

People living closer to sprayed fields are exposed to more pesticide drift. Health effects of pesticide drift.    Pesticide Exposure, Intelligence and Children: Preliminary Results
Patricia Moulton, Ph.D., National Pesticide Forum  (May 19, 2006), children, cancer /links between individual chemicals..

Home exposure to agricultural weed killers through contaminated dust increases as the acreage of nearby croplands increases.

Living Within 2.5 Miles of Chemical Farming Increases Risk of Childhood Brain Tumors  (Beyond Pesticides, April 6, 2021) Pregnant women living within 2.5 miles of agricultural pesticide applications have an increased risk that their child will develop central nervous system (CNS) tumors, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Research by a team at University of California, Los Angeles. The results are particularly concerning as it reveals that individuals do not have to be in close contact with pesticides for risky, health-harming exposures to occur.    For astrocytoma tumors, the use of the pesticides bromacil, thiophanate-methyl, triforine, and kresoxim-methyl increased risk of tumor development. Medulloblastoma was associated with the use of chlorothalonil, propiconazole, dimethoate, and linuron. Development of ependymoma was linked to nearby use of thiophanate-methyl. In sum, the pesticides chlorthalonil, bromacil, thiophanate-methyl, triforine, kresoxim-methyl, propiconazole, dimethoate, and linuron were all linked to elevated rates of a CNS tumor. SNAP Comment: California is one of the only locatins where such a study can be performed because they keep pesticide use data. In Saskatchewan, we don't even have pesticide sales data since 2003! The transition from farmland to residential is equally abrupt in SK.  As of 20 April 2021, the number of registered products of the pesticides quoted above are registered by the PMRA: Linuron 4 (herbicide) (annual weeds in crops); bromacil, 6 (herbicide); thiophanate-methyl,(fungicide) 13. included uses for seed potatoes ((not an extensive search of uses); Triforine,2 (fungicide) for blueberries, other berries and fruit);  kresoxim-methyl 2 (fungicide) for pear scab and powdery mildew; chlorothalonil,38 labels (fungicide) formarket gardens, corn and fruit, golf courses, ornamentals and aerial applications (not an extensive search of uses); propiconazole,65 labels (fungicide) turf, golf courses. Christmas tree plantations, crops, market gardens (not an extensive search of uses); dimethoate (Cygon) 6 labels (systemic insecticide) flowers, vegetables, field crops, ornamental trees (not an extensive search of uses)

filed under children, hazads of living near fields, and cancer /links between individual chemicals...

Passive Sampling for Indoor and Outdoor Exposures to Chlorpyrifos, Azinphos-Methyl, and Oxygen Analogs in a Rural Agricultural Community (Environmental Health Perspectives.12 August 2016. Jenna L. Gibbs,1,2 Michael G. Yost,2 Maria Negrete,2 and Richard A. Fenske2) Overall, indoor air concentrations were lower than outdoors​.However, this study found that pesticide concentrations were higher in the air and on surfaces of farmworker households. There were less pesticides in households at 250 meters or more from the spray area. NOTE: Although chlorpyrifos is more volatile than some other pesticides, we know that 2,4-D and many other pesticides are volatile and also contaminate indoor air and surfaces.

Traveling on roads when the surrounding fields have been recently sprayed with pesticides also exposes us to pesticides. The day I took

Recently dessicated pea field to the right.