HERBICIDE EXPOSURE REPORTED; STUDY SHOWS VENTURA COUNTY RATES 4TH-HIGHEST FOR TOXICS.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Daily News Staff Writer

Ventura County ranked the fourth-highest of 58 counties in California for the amount and toxicity of weed killers sprayed on its roadsides, a nonprofit organization reported Thursday.

Together, the California Department of Transportation and county road maintenance agencies doused public roadways each year with more than 132,000 gallons of liquid and 93,000 pounds of dry herbicides - some that could cause cancer or birth defects, the group Californians for Alternatives to Toxics said after a two-year study.

``The public is being exposed to pesticides without any warning,'' said Patty Clary, executive director of CATs, a 15-year-old organization based in Arcata. ``I would not take my car or drive it through an agricultural field being sprayed, and I don't think anyone would do so, either.

``We are talking about agencies of our government and most heavily used public facilities where toxic chemicals are being sprayed to kill weeds,'' said Clary. ``It doesn't make a lot of sense.''

According to the group, Caltrans sprayed 2,132 gallons and 516 pounds of herbicides in Ventura County in 1997, using 12 chemicals, one of them a confirmed cancer-causing agent and four that are suspected, the group's report states.

And Ventura County Public Works Department sprayed 400 acres of roadside with 4,372 gallons of chemicals, one a suspected carcinogen.

Los Angeles, Orange and Contra Costa counties had the highest concentrations of herbicides, the study found.

But Caltrans officials disputed the critical findings, saying herbicides are used in a controlled manner and only when appropriate for fire and safety reasons, said spokesman Jim Drago.

Drago also disputed the group's claim that Caltrans fell down on its 1992 promise to reduce herbicide use by 50 percent by 2000 and 80 percent by 2012.

``In 1993, we used 500,000 pounds of herbicide, and in 1997, the last full year of figures, we used 300,000 pounds,'' he said. ``So we are heading in the

right direction.

``What we do is look at each situation, and we make a determination what the appropriate tool is for controlling vegetation - mechanical, thermal or biological,'' Drago said.

Drago said the department has improved its equipment so that herbicides are directed to the targeted spot.

``When we do improvements in the highway system, we look at different ways to reduce the vegetation,'' he said. ``If we are putting in a metal barrier, we put in a strip of asphalt under the barrier to make sure there's no weed growing up to cover the barrier.''

He said Caltrans uses ``much of the same things homeowners would use around their property.''

CAT recommends that the $6 million a year Caltrans spends on herbicides be used on alternative methods to control weeds.

The group also said people should be notified ahead of time of the spraying; agencies should stop using toxic chemicals on roads simply for appearance; and herbicide should not be sprayed near school bus stops and areas used by children.

Clary said she has sent her 45-page report to Caltrans and to state Sen. Tom Hayden, a member of the Transportation and Natural Resource committees. She also plans to forward the report to the state Water Resources Board.

Veda Federighi, communications director for the state Department of Pesticide Regulation, said there are strict safety standards for how the herbicides are applied.

``If a chemical is registered for use in the state, it could be used safely,'' she said. ``There are no pesticides currently registered that are carcinogens (to humans).

The report's key findings include:

Caltrans applies nearly five gallons of liquid and more than three pounds of dry herbicide to each mile of road per year.

Of the eight herbicides used on state roads, one is a proven human carcinogen and six have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as possible human carcinogens. Four are linked to birth defects.

More than half of these chemicals have been found in groundwater, and three-quarters could be air pollutants. Nearly all are toxic to fish, and half can poison birds.

TOXIC

Ventura County: Ranked No. 4 highest roadside spraying with county roads and state highways combined.

Caltrans sprays 12 different herbicides in Ventura County.

The chemicals used include:

Oxadiazon: 40 pounds; a confirmed carcinogen, birth defects, kidney, liver toxicant 

Diuron: 477 gallon and 110 pounds; a suspected carcinogen, birth defects, blood toxicant

Isoxaben: 21 pounds; possible carcinogen, enzyme inhibitor, testicular abnormalities

Norflurazon: 332 pounds; possible carcinogen, birth defects, reproductive toxicant

Oryazlin: 112 gallons; possible carcinogen, blood toxicant, skin sensitizer 

County public works sprays two chemicals:

Diuron: 2,495 gallons; a suspected carcinogen, birth defects, blood toxicant

Glyphosate: 1,877 gallons; enzyme inhibitor, damages mucous membranes

Source: Californians for Alternatives to Toxics

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