Existing law requires the Director of Pesticide Regulation to adopt regulations relating to worker health in areas where pesticides are used so that pesticide residue levels are not a significant factor in cholinesterase depression or other health effects.

Existing law requires that an employer who has an employee who regularly handles pesticides have an agreement with a medical supervisor who is registered with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). Existing law requires that a laboratory that performs tests ordered by a medical supervisor report specified information to the Department of Pesticide Regulation on, at a minimum, a monthly basis. Existing law requires that the reports be submitted via electronic media and formatted in a manner approved by the director. Existing law requires the Department of Pesticide Regulation to share information from cholinesterase reports with the OEHHA and the State Department of Public Health on an ongoing basis, in an electronic format. Existing law requires the registered medical supervisor ordering a cholinesterase test to note in the test order the name of the medical supervisor and the purpose of the test, and ensure that the person tested and the employer receive a copy of the cholinesterase test results and any recommendations from the medical supervisor based upon those results within 14 days of the medical supervisor’s receipt of the results. Existing law requires the medical supervisor to report any worker with cholinesterase depression indicating pesticide exposure to the local health officer within 24 hours. These provisions are operative until January 1, 2027.

This bill would extend these provisions until January 1, 2029.