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Background
“Pesticide” is a general term for chemicals used to control weeds, insects, and pests on crops. It includes insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, bactericides, and rodenticides. Nearly 90% of pesticides used in the United States are used in agriculture. As a result, farmworkers and people living near farms are more likely to be exposed to pesticides and suffer health problems caused by them. Those are often people of color or people who have fewer financial resources.
Pesticides can spread beyond where they are applied (called “pesticide drift”). This drift can contaminate nearby land and water, posing risk to both people and the environment. Exposure to pesticides can cause a range of health problems. Short-term effects, include poisoning and breathing problems. Longer-term effects include cancer and damage to the nervous system.
Evidence
A recent study showed that Black, Indigenous, and people of color face higher pesticide exposure. So do communities with fewer financial resources. This is often because they work in agriculture, live near pesticide-treated areas, or live in substandard housing. People of color make up 63% of those living near pesticide manufacturing plants that break environmental laws [1]. Additionally, greenspaces in communities of color are more often treated with pesticides. Most, if not all, Americans have pesticides in their blood. However, people of African descent, people of Mexican descent, farmworkers, and children have much higher levels [2].
Pesticides create ecological risks. Widespread use of pesticides can hurt important pollinators like bees [3]. These chemicals can also build up in the environment, contaminating soil and water. This build up harms aquatic ecosystems and harms fish populations [4].
Pesticide exposure is linked to health issues like poisoning, breathing problems, increased risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, preterm births, and shorter pregnancies [5, 6, 7]. Exposure to pesticides can increase the risk of anxiety and depression [8]. Exposure is also linked to an increased risk of developing and dying from Parkinson's disease [9, 10]. Prenatal pesticide exposure is associated with developmental issues, lower IQs, and higher risk of leukemia [11, 12, 13].
Data sources
Cropland data. Georeferenced Cropland Data Layer dataset from the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Pesticide data. State- and county-level estimated annual agricultural pesticide from the United States Geological Survey.
Methods
Pesticide exposure was derived using these steps:
The area of major crops and crop groups in square meters (m²) for each county was calculated by intersecting the cropland and county boundary shapefiles.
The percentage of each type of pesticide applied to each major crop and crop group was estimated using state-level EPest-high data. The major crops include alfalfa, corn, soybeans, and wheat. The crop groups are orchards and grapes, vegetables and fruit, pasture and hay, and other crops.
The amount of pesticides applied to each major crop and crop group in kg/m² was estimated by joining the state-level percentage of pesticides with county-level pesticide use and agricultural land area.
The area of major crops and crop groups in each census tract was calculated by intersecting the cropland shapefiles with the census tract boundary shapefiles.
The estimated county-level pesticide use in kg/m² was joined with census tract cropland data.
Census tract pesticide use for each major crop and crop group was calculated by multiplying the county-level pesticide use in kg/m² by the area of each major crop and crop group within the census tract.
The total amount of pesticides applied to all crops was summed and divided by the area of each census tract. Pesticide exposure values were calculated in kg/m² and lbs/mile².
Caveats
This method estimates pesticide use at the county and state levels and then breaks it down to census tracts. This process can miss differences within tracts, especially if farming practices or pesticide use vary. Factors like wind, runoff, or pesticide drift can also affect exposure. Since the estimate is the same for an entire census tract, it may not accurately reflect the real-world conditions. This may be particularly true closer to application sites.
This measure represents the entire census tract, not each individual community within the tract. These data should always be supplemented with local data and equitable engagement for more accurate insights.
Sources
Beyond Pesticides. (2022). Pesticide exposure disparities among people of color and low-income communities. Beyond Pesticides.
National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL). (2024). Pesticides and environmental justice.
Tudi, M., Ruan, H. D., Wang, L., Lyu, J., Sadler, R., Connell, D. & Yu, Q. (2021). Pesticide pollution in agricultural systems and sustainable approaches for reducing its impact. Environmental Research, 195, 110829.
Farah, A., Nazim, M., Khan, S., Zahid, M. T. & Wahab, S. (2024). Ecological risks of pesticide accumulation in aquatic environments: Implications for fish health. Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
Winchester, P. D., Huskins, J., & Ying, J. (2016). Agrichemicals in surface water and birth defects in the United States. Acta Paediatrica, 105(3), e144-e154.
Panis, C., Mattos, R. T., da Silva, L. G., & Takahashi, C. S. (2024). Pesticide exposure and adverse reproductive outcomes: A systematic review. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 96, 104345.
Koutros, S., Alavanja, M. C., Lubin, J. H., Sandler, D. P., Hoppin, J. A., Lynch, C. F., ... & Beane Freeman, L. E. (2013). An update of cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 55(7), 768-775.
Zanchi, A. C., Martins, A. F., Mesquita, C. S., Oliboni, C. G., Lemos, R. L., & Pereira, C. H. (2023). Pesticide exposure and mental health: A review on anxiety and depression outcomes. Environmental Science and Health, 96, 125-137.
Baltazar, M. T., Dinis-Oliveira, R. J., de Lourdes Bastos, M., Tsatsakis, A. M., Duarte, J. A., & Carvalho, F. (2012). Pesticides exposure as etiological factors of Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases—A mechanistic approach. Toxicology Letters, 210(2), 119-130.
Freire, C., Koifman, S., & Koifman, R. J. (2012). Pesticide exposure and Parkinson’s disease: Epidemiological evidence of association. NeuroToxicology, 33(5), 947-971.
Rauh, V. A., Garfinkel, R., Perera, F. P., Andrews, H. F., Hoepner, L., Barr, D. B., ... & Whyatt, R. M. (2012). Impact of prenatal chlorpyrifos exposure on neurodevelopment in the first 3 years of life among inner-city children. Pediatrics, 118(6), e1845-e1859.
Gunier, R. B., Bradman, A., Harley, K. G., Kogut, K., Eskenazi, B. (2017). Prenatal residential proximity to agricultural pesticide use and IQ in 7-year-old children. Environmental Health Perspectives, 125(5), 057002.
Karalexi, M. A., Dessypris, N., Thomopoulos, T. P., Ntouvelis, E., Kantzanou, M., Diamantaras, A. A., ... & Petridou, E. T. (2021). Association of maternal residential pesticide exposure with childhood leukemia risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Environmental Research, 197, 111009.
Citation
Washington Tracking Network, Washington State Department of Health. Web. "Pesticide Exposure". Data obtained from the 2019 United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Published September 2025.