MOSCOW, ID – Legislation to provide legal immunity for pesticide companies has been introduced in state capitols across the country and lawmakers in Boise could soon join them. Research, including from the University of Idaho, has shown a link between agricultural chemicals and cancer rates in adults and children.

Irene Ruiz, executive director, Idaho Organization of Resource Councils, says pesticide manufacturers know they’re selling something potentially harmful.

“To throw the responsibility on a small farmer or on a pesticide sprayer or on other folks, that’s just not a fair thing to do. And for them to absolve themselves from this liability is not a good thing in the long run,” she contended.

A poll from September found 90% of Idahoans oppose legally shielding pesticide companies. In 2024, lawmakers introduced a bill to provide legal protection for companies that fail to warn people about health and safety issues from pesticides, but the bill died in the Senate. The sponsor of the legislation says potential lawsuits create uncertainty for farmers and ranchers.

But Ruiz said there isn’t enough warning about these chemicals and their impacts, and added it is not clear how many people have become ill from pesticides.

“I used to be a farm worker, and I know some of the ills that I have comes from pesticides. My family and friends and people that I know have long term effects from that, and there needs to be better ways and better resources and better studies to help us understand if we are getting harmed by pesticides or how to prevent them in a better way,” she explained.

Ruiz said pesticides are also an issue in rural areas, where the chemicals can drift from fields to nearby homes and schools.

Originally published by Eric Tegethoff on the Northern Rockies News Service.