(a) The Legislative Research Commission was directed by House Resolution 1392 of the 1969 General Assembly "to study agricultural and other pesticides," and to report its findings and recommendations to the 1971 General Assembly. Pursuant to said Resolution a report was prepared and adopted by the Legislative Research Commission in 1970 concerning pesticides. In this report the Legislative Research Commission made the following findings concerning the use and effects of pesticides and the need for legislation concerning control of pesticide use, of which the General Assembly hereby takes cognizance:
(1) The use of chemical pesticides has developed since the 1940's into a major, new billion-dollar industry. Pesticides have bettered the lot of mankind in many ways and especially have assisted the farmer by their contribution to a stable and inexpensive supply of high quality food, fiber and forest products. The control of insects, fungi and other pests is essential to the public health and welfare and specifically to the prevention of disease, to the production and preservation of food, fiber, and forests and to the protection of other aspects of modern civilization.
(2) The use of pesticides for these important purposes is currently a matter of serious public concern and their use in some instances presents risks to man and the environment which must be weighed against the benefits of those uses in the overall public interest. Evidence is accumulating that extensive use of persistent pesticides poses hazards to health and the environment. Environmental problems resulting from the use, overuse and misapplication of some chemicals, and the disposal of unused chemicals and containers, have grown to the point where contamination of the environment is approaching significant proportions. There is concern among scientists and public health personnel about the long-term chronic effects of pesticide pollution on human health. Contamination by DDT has been shown to be global in extent. Moreover, recent experience in North Carolina and elsewhere has shown that the more toxic but less persistent pesticides cannot safely be substituted for the persistent "hard" pesticides without stringent safeguards.
(3) More extensive observation, study and monitoring of the effectiveness and the use of pesticides and of undesirable side effects on man and on the environment and of their relative importance for the overall public health and welfare are desirable in the public interest.
(4) Continued and strengthened control of the quality of pesticides and the control of labeling claims, direction for use and warnings are necessary for the protection of the purchasing public, including the household consumer, the farmer and other users.
(5) No existing legislation in North Carolina effectively limits or controls the use of pesticides. Misuse and misapplication of pesticides, while effectively controlled by law with respect to structural pest control operators, is not adequately controlled with respect to some other major groups of pesticide applicators. Careless disposal of unused pesticides and contaminated containers is not controlled by law, and no North Carolina legislation requires that pesticide dealers, who are the principal source of advice for many pesticide users, be qualified to give advice or be held responsible for their advice. These gaps in legal control of pesticides are important and should be remedied.
(b) The purpose of this Article is to regulate in the public interest the use, application, sale, disposal and registration of insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, defoliants, desiccants, plant growth regulators, nematicides, rodenticides, and any other pesticides designated by the North Carolina Pesticide Board. New pesticides are continually being discovered or synthesized which are valuable for the control of insects, fungi, weeds, nematodes, rodents, and for use as defoliants, desiccants, plant regulators and related purposes. However, such pesticides may be ineffective or may seriously injure health, property, or wildlife if not properly used. Pesticides may injure man or animals, either by direct poisoning or by gradual accumulation of poisons in the tissues. Crops or other plants may also be injured by their improper use. The drifting or washing of pesticides into streams or lakes can cause appreciable danger to aquatic life. A pesticide applied for the purpose of killing pests in a crop, which is not itself injured by the pesticide, may drift and injure other crops or nontarget organisms with which it comes in contact. In furtherance of the findings and recommendations of the Legislative Research Commission, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the State of North Carolina that for the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of the people of this State, and for the promotion of a more secure, healthy and safe environment for all the people of the State, the future sale, use and application of pesticides shall be regulated, supervised and controlled by the State in the manner herein provided. (1971, c. 832, s. 1.)