Sacramento-Based on random samples of about 2,330 fertilizer products in California from Jan. 1, 2002, to Dec. 31, 2005, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) reported that California’s fertilizer industry managed a near-perfect record of compliance with strict heavy metals content regulations in the state. From the 2,330 fertilizer materials, CDFA analyzed 605 samples for heavy metals and found only six cases, the agency reported. The result, which represented less than one percent of analyzed samples, exceeds the state’s regulatory limits for at least one metal, CDFA reported. “The fact that there was only a small fraction of violations cited by CDFA in more than 600 samples is a very good indicator that the industry is closely following the rules,” Renee Pinel, president and CEO of Western Plant Health Association, was quoted as saying. “The CDFA’s latest sampling suggests that fertilizer companies throughout California are doing everything in their power to protect public health from concerns raised related to heavy metal in fertilizer.” The fertilizer heavy metals standards in California, now four years old and considered the most restrictive in the world, require commercial fertilizer manufacturers selling products in California to ensure that products do not exceed certain levels for lead, arsenic, and cadmium. Manufacturers are also required to document whether their products contained recycled materials.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain