A California environmental group is suing the U-S EPA to ban a pesticide--claiming it’s a serious health risk for central valley farm workers.

The pesticide Diazinon (Dye-az-ih-non) is commonly used on almonds, broccoli and lettuce in California and elsewhere.

Margaret Reeves is senior scientist with San Francisco’s  “Pesticide Action Network.”  

She says diazinon causes neurological disorders and cancer especially in farm workers who work with it everyday…

“It’s a real serious question of environmental justice when those people upon who we depend for feeding the nation are dramatically affected by these neuro-toxic pesticides…”

Glen Brank with the “California Department of Pesticide Regulation” says Diazinon has been widely used since World War Two…but is being phased out…

“It’s one of those classes of pesticide that we would like to see replaced with newer, less toxic materials.  We’ve been working on that for several years.

Diazinon use on golf courses and home lawns was banned many years ago.  The EPA has refused to comment on the lawsuit at this time.