A recent study of pesticide use by large agribusinesses on Kauai by the Joint Fact Finding Study Group, funded by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, concluded the following:

* The State does not monitor pesticide use enough to determine environmental harm.

* More systematic testing of the environment and populations residing closest to seed operations is needed to show whether pesticide exposure is at safe levels or at levels than can cause harm to humans.

* Hawaii's regulation of pesticides is not as strict as that of California, which has better assessments about environmental and health impacts.

The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health should be given the tools needed to monitor pesticide use and to perform tests in order to ensure that the environment is not degraded and that public health is maintained.