3 opportunities to protect farmworkers' kids from pesticides
Written by barb howe Tuesday, 02 March 2010 14:51
Pesticides pose risks of short- and long- term illness to farmworkers and their families. Children living in rural areas and especially children whose parents are farmworkers face much higher exposure to dangerous pesticides that could have serious consequences for their health.
Right now there are three opportunities to protect rural children and help reduce their exposure to pesticide drift:
- Demand buffer zones to protect children. The Environmental Protection Agency should establish buffer zones around schools, homes, and other places were children are likely to be to prevent children near agricultural areas.
- Require better pesticide labeling. The Agency is also considering changing how pesticide drift is regulated. This is an excellent opportunity for the Agency to enact real protections for children in rural areas. Pesticide labels should state clearly that pesticides must not move away from where they are used either during or after application, and that applicators and manufactures will be liable should drift occur.
- Improve Risk assessment. EPA also recently proposed improvements to how it assesses pesticide risks to farmworkers and their children. These improvements should be adopted, but by themselves they are not enough. They neglect inhalation and dermal exposure and the combined effects of multiple pesticides. The Agency needs to do more to protect kids from pesticides.
Right now there is an opportunity to protect rural children and help reduce their exposure to pesticide drift. Watch this video, then sign this letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson about all three of these issues
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