If the Department of Agriculture can't even take this baby step forward, what can they do to protect health?

We would like to see steps taken to prevent drift from happening at all. Drift is a major exposure route for farmers and their families. Currently, lack of enforcement of existing pesticide drift laws is a major problem. The proposed rule is important because a crucial part of enforcement is being able to have notice so as to document violations. Notice goes hand in hand with the ability to enforce.

The proposed rule is a far cry from what is needed to protect farmers, workers, and children from pesticide drift. It makes no sense to give notice only to select property owners when the whole community should be notified. Also, the notification zone is too small. We would like to see all property owners within one mile of farms given advance notice of pesticide application.

We're glad that the percentage is lower than the prior year. But our main feeling is that when you have one out of every 10 workers having these significant declines in cholinesterase, you've got a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

I believe in lieu of the Katrina situation last week it is even more important that we are prepared and we practice in case a real situation occurs,

The faculty will be a little more relaxed this semester, because we know that problems are inevitable.