A new regulation will restore so-called application exclusion zones intended to protect farmworkers and other people from exposure to pesticides as they are being applied, said the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday. The exclusion zones were created as part of a 2015 agricultural worker protection standard and were reduced in size in 2020 during the Trump era.
“No one should be at risk from pesticide-related illnesses because of their job or where they live,” said Michal Freedhoff, EPA assistant administrator for chemical safety. Freedhoff said the rule was a “significant step” to protect public health. It will take effect 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
Under the new rule, pesticides cannot be applied within 25 feet of someone by a ground sprayer with nozzles more than one foot above the surface that emit medium or larger droplets, and within 100 feet for applications that emit fine droplets, which tend to drift farther. The exclusion zones continue beyond the edge of a farm into adjoining property. Farming families are exempted from the rule and may remain inside enclosed structures during pesticide applications.
The EPA said it would issue interim guidance by the end of the month to help pesticide applicators comply with the rule and would accept feedback on the rule.