Monterey County is worst in the state for exposure to pesticides among pregnant women, a study finds.

First, the good news. A recent study found that the use of organophosphates – a broad spectrum of insecticides widely used in agriculture on fruits, vegetables, grains and fiber crops – decreased by 54 percent in California between 2016-2021.

Now, the alarming news. Despite this statewide decrease, one county stood out for going in the opposite direction: Monterey County saw a 26-percent increase in OP pesticide use during the same time frame.

The study, conducted by the UC Berkeley Center for Environmental Research and Environmental Health, specifically looked at the proximity of OP pesticide use in California to pregnant women. Researchers analyzed the number of births from women who lived within 1 kilometer of agricultural fields where OP pesticides had been applied during their pregnancy.

Coinciding with the increase in OP pesticide usage, Monterey County had the highest proportion of pregnant women – 50 percent – living within 1 kilometer of pesticide application areas during pregnancy.

“I was startled by the numbers,” Jacob Sandoval, California director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said at a press conference on Sept. 30. “Nearly 30,000 babies born in California in 2021 [were exposed to] brain-harming pesticides.

“The picture in Monterey County is many times worse,” he added. “Six in 10 Latino babies are born in Monterey County already exposed to OP chemicals that may have already damaged them for the rest of their lives.”

The synthetic chemicals used to eradicate a wide range of insects by disrupting the nervous system have a similar effect on humans when absorbed through diet, workplace contact, water or air contamination for those living near treated fields.

Excessive exposure can cause muscle spasms, dizziness, paralysis and seizures. Growing concerns over the health risks they pose, most critically to children, led to the ban of chlorpyrifos products in 2020 except under special circumstances.

“I’m concerned when I see studies like this,” says Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo. “We want to make sure state agencies take the steps to review and reevaluate pesticides in the marketplace.”

Following the 2020 chlorpyrifos ban, the regions that saw significant decreases in total OP pesticide use were those that had relied most heavily on it, particularly in the Central Valley, where chlorpyrifos was historically used on tree nuts and citrus.

In contrast, in Monterey County – where strawberries, lettuce, broccoli and Brussels sprouts dominate the cultivated landscape – farmers have relied less on chlorpyrifos and more on other OP pesticides that remain legal, such as malathion, naled and dimethoate.

As these patterns persist, so do the disparities. Young Latina women in Monterey County, in particular, were five times more likely to live near OP applications than their counterparts statewide.

“We need to do better,” Sandoval said. “This is environmental racism.”