Two other children received serious injuries due to unattended pesticide containers. A total of 63 cases involved children aged ten or younger. DPR reminds the public to store pesticides in a safe place, and never transfer pesticides into food containers. Illness investigations increased. As part of an ongoing effort to improve illness reporting, DPR enlisted help from poison control centers to encourage doctors and others to report pesticide incidents.
State law requires physicians to report any suspected pesticide illness.
California's Pesticide Illness Surveillance Program is generally acknowledged as the nation's best. Data generated from illness reports has made DPR's worker protection program a model for other states. The program does not track every pesticide-related incident, since unreported illnesses cannot be documented. However, the scope of DPR's efforts are designed to assure that no types of illnesses are overlooked. The energy challenge facing California is real.