During the four years since Washington State introduced its cholinesterase-testing program for farmworkers who handle certain pesticides, the number of people tested has been dropping. Kirk Mayer, manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association and a member of the program’s stakeholder advisory committee, thinks one of the reasons the number of workers tested has dropped is because growers are avoiding having their workers meet the threshold for testing, either by employing more people to do those jobs or by making the applications themselves. Another reason for the lower participation may be that growers are transitioning to newer pesticides that […]