Racial and Ethnic Disparities in California's Use of Agricultural Pesticides

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study is to determine whether the current use of agricultural pesticides in California is unequally distributed with respect to race and ethnicity. Methods: We conducted the analysis using publicly available data from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the US Census Bureau. We used two relatively simple statistical techniques to conduct the analysis: concentration curves and linear regression. Results: We showed that agricultural pesticide use in California is not distributed equally with respect to racial and ethnic composition. Similar patterns held whether we looked at current data, data from past years, or individual pesticides of public health concern. Importantly for public health, the use of a group of pesticides that, according to California regulations, causes reproductive harm also was concentrated in areas with a lower percentage of non-Hispanic Whites. The percentage of the population that is Hispanic/Latinx is a strong statistical driver of these inequalities. The data also show similar patterns of inequity in pesticide use with respect to three socioeconomic factors: income, education level, and prevalence of agricultural employment. Conclusions: Policy and regulatory actions are needed to reduce these disparities and maintain California's leadership in environmental justice.