A new report by Farmworker Justice, Exposed and Ignored: How Pesticides Are Endangering Our Nation’sFarmworkers reveals the risks of agricultural pesticides that thousands of farmworkers
are exposed to every year.
An estimated 5.1 billion pounds of pesticides are applied to
crops annually, and effects of acute pesticide poisoning are commonly
experienced by farmworkers. Short-term effects of pesticide poisoning include
digestive problems, trouble breathing, headaches, vision problems, rashes,
blisters, muscle cramps and weakness. Chronic health problems resulting from
pesticide exposure include cancer, infertility, neurological disorders and
respiratory conditions.
Workers are often unaware of the extent to which they are
being exposed to chemicals. The report cites situations in which workers began
their duties in fields early in the morning after pesticides had been sprayed
on crops without proper signage being posted as a warning.
Families of workers are also often at risk because daycare
centers for the children of agricultural workers are located at the edges of fields within the
spread of pesticides. In other situations, when daycare centers are not
available, workers often bring children into the fields with them. Pesticide
exposure is attributed to higher rates of birth defects, developmental delays,
leukemia and brain cancer in the children of farmworkers.
Additionally, a NIOSH study revealed that female farmworkers are twice as likely as male workers to experience
pesticide-related illnesses.
Recommendations outlined in the Farmworker Justice report
include the following:
- Farmworkers should be trained thoroughly on the risks of pesticide exposure and their comprehension of that information must be verified.
- Hazard communication about specific pesticides must be improved.
- Individuals who put worker’s lives at risk (for example, by failing to post appropriate signage after pesticide application) must be prosecuted.
- Spanish translations need to be added to pesticide labels.
- Federal and state agencies are urged to work with farmworker organizations to develop better educational materials.
- Pesticide use and pesticide poisoning incidents must be reported nationally. Currently, only 30 states mandate the reporting of pesticide poisonings.
- Workers who regularly handle pesticides must be monitored to identify overexposure prior to any irreversible harm.
- No-spray buffer zones must be imposed around homes, schools, parks and other areas where farmworker families are present.
- Research on the long-term affects of pesticide exposure must be continued and expanded.