A year after California tightened rules to curb exposure to the soil fumigant 1,3‑dichloropropene, state records show use went up instead of down. The bump was centered in the Central Valley, where growers turn to the chemical for almonds, grapes and sweet potatoes. Farmworker and community advocates say the trend undercuts the protections regulators promised when they rolled out new bystander rules in 2024.
What the numbers show
According to Inside Climate News, state records indicate growers applied roughly 1,000,000 more pounds of 1,3‑D in 2025 than in 2023 or 2024, and adjusted‑total‑pound metrics, which factor in application method and timing, climbed sharply as well. The reporting also cites an analysis finding about a 30% uptick in average 1,3‑D measured at a DPR air monitor in Delhi for the first three quarters of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. Advocates say those shifts show emissions have not dropped despite the new restrictions…