There's nodoubt that conditions for farmworkers have
notimproved under the Bush regime. Notice that
the organophosphate
pesticides, developed by the Nazis as a weapon of war, are being used
everywhere.
Note:some common
organophosphates (OPs)=(diazinon, chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos,
malathion, and azamethiphos)
(Phosmet is the one formused in England which set
off the original cases of Mad Cow Disease.)
Peace, D.
Mindock===
Pesticide Action Network
Updates Service (PANUPS)See PANUPS
updates service, for complete information.
Farmworkers Sue U.S. EPA for Allowing
Dangerous PesticidesJanuary 26, 2004
On January 13, 2004, farmworker groups filed a
lawsuit in Seattle, Washington, charging the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency with ignoring important health data in 2001 when it re-approved use
of two pesticides extremely hazardous to farmworkers. The two pesticides,
azinphos-methyl (AZM) and phosmet, are highly toxic organophosphate
pesticides, derived from nerve agents developed during World War II and
among the most powerful neurotoxins routinely used in the U.S. Acute
exposure to organophosphates (OPs) can cause dizziness, vomiting,
seizures, paralysis, loss of mental function, and death.
AZM and phosmet are used extensively in orchard crops
such as apples, peaches and pears, and are registered for use on 32 food
crops. Annually about 60 million pounds of OPs are applied to crops in the
U.S. The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Agricultural
Chemical Database reports 1.5 million pounds of AZM and phosmet were
applied agriculturally in 2001. Although the two pesticides are used
across the nation, Washington, Oregon and California growers are
responsible for approximately half of all AZM and phosmet agricultural use
in the U.S.
In addition to occupational exposures to OPs, migrant
and seasonal farmworkers and their families often live where pesticides
drift and settle, and are also exposed through "take-home" exposures on
clothing, cars, and skin. Tests of dust in farmworker homes in Washington
reported in Environmental Health Perspectives found 85% contained AZM
residue, and a study published in Environmental Research found four to
five times more chemicals in the bodies of farmworker children and people
living within one quarter-mile of agricultural fields in Washington state
than in the general population.
The lawsuit charges U.S. EPA has continued to allow
uses of these pesticides without considering the risks posed to workers,
their children, and communities. "It is outrageous that U.S. EPA
authorized the use of these pesticides, putting thousands of workers at
risk of serious illness every year," said Erik Nicholson of the United
Farmworkers of America (UFW). "These two pesticides can poison so many
farmworkers that EPA found the risks unacceptable, but the agency still
allowed them to be used."
U.S. EPA, while acknowledging that agricultural
pesticide poisonings are severely underreported, has estimated that
between 10,000 and 20,000 agricultural workers are sickened each year by
pesticides. No national system exists to track pesticide poisoning
incidents, and attorneys report that officials in California, Oregon and
Washington have all expressed concern for the adequacy of their state
reporting systems.
A 2003 survey of farmworkers by the Washington
Department of Health found 75% of workers surveyed reported a job-related
pesticide exposure. That survey also noted that workers often do not seek
care for symptoms out of fear of employer reprisals, and a belief that
doctors downplay symptoms due to state and employer pressures. The
pesticide AZM is the fourth most frequent pesticide associated with
poisoning complaints in the state of Washington. According to UFW, about
30,000 workers in Washington's apple industry are potentially at risk from
exposure to AZM and phosmet, with thousands more working in pear and
cherry crops also at risk.
The lawsuit argues that U.S. EPA analyzed the
estimated economic value of using these two pesticides to farmers but
failed to quantify the risks to people and the environment, discounted the
use of safe and proven alternatives to these dangerous substances, and
used industry-generated data without subjecting it to public comment, even
though a federal law allows public input.
AZM and phosmet also pose risks to wildlife, can
poison fish, beneficial insects, and contaminate water supplies. USGS data
indicate AZM is one of the pesticides most
