Pesticide Database

Pollution in our air, food, and water continues to trouble many Bay Area residents looking to keep this urban area healthy. Several organizations help people take a more active role in understanding and helping to reduce the amount of pollution and toxicity present in our environment. The Pesticide Database (www.pesticideinfo.org), created by San Francisco’s Pesticide Action Network (PAN), provides information on the pesticide toxicity and status of much of the food we eat. More specifically, in the California Pesticide Use Database, you can look up any combination of chemical or crop per Bay Area or California county, or you can look in the Aquatic Ecotoxicity Database for information on watershed health around the Bay Area and throughout the United States. To learn more about PAN, visit www.panna.org or call Pamela Laurence at (415) 981-6205. Another way to confront pollution is to join a local campaign sponsored by Greenaction, a San Francisco-based organization that mobilizes communities to protect their environmental health. Presently, Greenaction is working with San Rafael residents who are concerned about the city’s rock quarry at the north end of San Pedro Road, as they believe the toxic diesel and dust emissions from trucks traveling to and from the quarry are adversely affecting the air quality and health of the surrounding neighborhoods. To learn more, visit www.greenaction.org or call Bradley Angel at (415) 248-5010.