Every resident deserves to know when pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides are being applied near their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.

Many states already require some form of advance notification before certain pesticide applications take place. States such as Colorado have recognized that public awareness and transparency are essential for protecting public health. It is time for all states to adopt similar protections.

We call on lawmakers to amend state pesticide control laws to require advance notification before pesticide, herbicide, and insecticide applications occur, especially when spraying may affect nearby residents, schools, businesses, and public spaces.

Scientific research has linked exposure to certain pesticides and agricultural chemicals to a range of health concerns, including respiratory irritation, neurological effects, endocrine disruption, reproductive harm, developmental problems, and increased risks for certain diseases. While farmers play a vital role in feeding our communities, residents also deserve the ability to make informed decisions about potential chemical exposures.

This petition is not anti-farmer. In fact, we believe farmers should be supported during any transition to safer and more sustainable agricultural practices. The burden should not fall on family farms or agricultural workers who often operate within systems heavily influenced by large agricultural chemical manufacturers.

We call for:

• Mandatory advance notification of pesticide, herbicide, and insecticide applications that may affect nearby communities.

• Greater transparency regarding what chemicals are being applied, where they are being used, and when applications will occur.

• Increased public investment in research and development of safer alternatives, including biological controls, neem-based products, nanotechnology applications, precision agriculture techniques, and other emerging innovations.

• Financial and technical assistance to help farmers adopt safer and more sustainable practices without creating additional economic hardship.

• Independent review of the health and environmental impacts of agricultural chemicals currently in widespread use.

• Greater accountability from large agricultural chemical corporations regarding the long-term impacts of their products on public health and the environment.

Communities should not have to choose between a strong agricultural economy and the health of their families. We can support farmers, encourage innovation, and improve public safety at the same time.

Sign this petition if you believe residents have a right to know when pesticide applications may affect them and if you support modernizing agricultural practices through transparency, innovation, and public health protections.

We have a budget in the trillions for almost every kind of initiative on Earth except this.

Sources:

NPIC (National Pesticide Information Center)
https://npic.orst.edu/

EPA FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act overview)
https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-federal-insecticide-fungicide-and-rodenticide-act

EPA Pesticides Program
https://www.epa.gov/pesticides

Colorado Pesticide Sensitive Registry (PSR)
https://ag.colorado.gov/pesticide-sensitive-registry-psr

Colorado pesticide laws (Colorado General Assembly bill database)
https://leg.colorado.gov/bills

Colorado pesticide statute reference (CRS 35-10-112)
https://colorado.public.law/statutes/crs_35-10-112

Beyond Pesticides – Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database
https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/pesticide-induced-diseases-database/overview

Beyond Pesticides – Health Effects / Children’s Exposure
https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/children-and-schools/hazards-of-pesticides

Common weedkiller could fuel a rise in superbugs
 https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2026/march/common-weedkiller-could-fuel-rise-in-superbugs.html

SENATE BILL NO. 911

https://legiscan.com/VA/text/SB911/id/3040101

VIRGINIA PESTICIDE LAWS & REGULATIONS

https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pesticide-virginia-pesticide-laws-and-regulations.shtml

Alternative insecticides for the yard and garden:

https://www.slc.gov/sustainability/pesticidefree-2/alternative-pesticides/

Nano-Agrochemicals as Substitutes for Pesticides: Prospects and Risks

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10780915/

Eco-friendly silver nanoparticles from neem extracts: a dual approach to heavy metal sensing and antimicrobial applications

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12852564/

Silver Nanoparticles as a Potent Nanopesticide: Toxic Effects and Action Mechanisms on Pest Insects of Agricultural Importance—A Review

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11643678/

As Rates Rise in Younger People, Early-Onset Colon and Rectal Cancer Linked to Pesticides’ Altering Gene Expression

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2026/05/as-rates-rise-in-younger-people-early-onset-colon-and-rectal-cancer-linked-to-pesticides-altering-gene-expression/

Study Links Women in Agricultural Counties With Severe Birth Defects

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-06-mn-5345-story.html

Maternal occupation in agriculture and risk of limb defects in Washington State, 1980-1993

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10901110/

Pesticides as a risk factor for cognitive impairment: Natural substances are expected to become alternative measures to prevent and improve cognitive impairment

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10016095/

Work-Related Pesticide Exposure Puts Farmers at Risk of Cognitive (Intellectual) Harm

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2024/01/work-related-pesticide-exposure-puts-farmers-at-risk-of-cognitive-intellectual-harm/

Studies consistently link pesticide exposure particularly to organophosphates and insecticides to cognitive difficulties, including memory loss, slowed processing speed, and increased risks of dementias such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. These impairments are tied to neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and disrupted nerve pathways.

https://www.alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/blog/can-pesticide-exposure-lead-to-dementia

Human Exposure Assessment Resources (ExpoBox)

https://www.epa.gov/expobox

EcoBox (A Toolbox for Ecological Risk Assessors)

https://www.epa.gov/ecobox

Agricultural Runoff Fuels Gulf Dead Zones

https://www.fluencecorp.com/agricultural-runoff-fuels-gulf-dead-zones/

Protecting Pollinators from Pesticides

https://bees.caes.uga.edu/bees-beekeeping-pollination/pollination/pollination-protecting-pollinators-from-pesticides.html

Suit Launched to Reduce Cancer-Linked Atrazine Pollution in Thousands of U.S. Waterways, Drinking-Water Supplies

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/suit-launched-to-reduce-cancer-linked-atrazine-pollution-in-thousands-of-us-waterways-drinking-water-supplies-2026-05-28/

Pesticides in produce linked with reduced fertility in women

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/pesticides-produce-fertility-women/

Widely used pesticides may lower sperm count

https://publichealth.gmu.edu/news/2025-11/widely-used-pesticides-may-lower-sperm-count

The environmental and occupational influence of pesticides on male fertility: A systematic review of human studies

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9541307/

Common Pesticides and Male Fertility: Understanding the Impact on Sperm Health

https://www.towerurology.com/blog/common-pesticides-and-male-fertility/

Organophosphate pesticide exposure linked to reduced sperm quality in healthy men

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250925/Organophosphate-pesticide-exposure-linked-to-reduced-sperm-quality-in-healthy-men.aspx

Farming, Pesticides, and Brain Cancer: A 20-Year Updated Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8431399/

Long-Term Pesticide Exposure Linked to Hearing Loss in Farmworkers

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2020/07/long-term-pesticide-exposure-linked-to-hearing-loss-in-farmworkers/

Much Higher Rates of Covid-19 Infection and Death in Farmworkers and Landscapers, May Be Enhanced by Pesticide Exposure

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2020/07/much-higher-rates-of-covid-19-infection-and-death-in-farmworkers-and-landscapers-may-be-enhanced-by-pesticide-exposure/

Pesticide exposure and increased breast cancer risk in women population studies

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724031358

Maternal exposure to pesticides and gestational diabetes mellitus in the Elfe cohort

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935125015269

Impact of Endocrine Disrupting Pesticide Use on Obesity: A Systematic Review

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11727303/

Common Pesticide May Increase Risk of ADHD

https://www.rutgers.edu/news/common-pesticide-may-increase-risk-adhd

Maternal exposure to pesticides and autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders in offspring: A meta-analysis

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653522039522

Pesticide-Induced Diseases: Learning / Developmental Disorders

https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/pesticide-induced-diseases-database/learningdevelopmental

Association of pyrethroid pesticide exposure with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a nationally representative sample of U.S. children

https://rdcu.be/fmClq

Increased risk of depression and suicidal behavior associated with pesticide exposure: A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915326000703#:~:text=Occupational%20pesticide%20exposure%20was%20associated,CI%3A%201.44–3.26).

How Pesticide Exposure Can Rewire Children’s Brains

https://www.brainfacts.org/neuroscience-in-society/law-economics-and-ethics/2026/how-pesticide-exposure-can-rewire-childrens-brains-031726

Pesticides Linked to Prostate Cancer Incidence and Death

https://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/news/prostate-cancer-pesticides-increased-incidence-death/

Acute Pesticide Incidents May Lead to Loss of Smell

https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2019/01/acute-pesticide-incidents-may-lead-to-loss-of-smell/

High Pesticide Exposure Events and Olfactory Impairment among U.S. Farmers

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6378679/

 

 

If you believe you may have been exposed to pesticides, contact a primary care physician or other trusted medical professional as soon as possible.

Evaluation options may include a cholinesterase panel (serum and red blood cell) to assess possible acute or chronic exposure, ideally compared against a baseline taken when no exposure is suspected.

Some individuals also explore private laboratory testing, such as hair analysis, but these services can be expensive and vary in scientific and clinical reliability, sometimes costing up to $1,000 or more. It is important to review options carefully and consult a medical professional before pursuing out-of-pocket testing.

You may also call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 for immediate guidance.