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Farm Workers and Pesticide Exposure

The use of pesticides has been a long-time health risk for farm workers. Farm workers are twice as likely to die from pesticide poisoning than workers in other occupations. Farm workers are exposed to these toxins both directly and indirectly. Directly, farm workers can be sprayed while picking crops. Farm workers can also be made to re-enter fields prematurely after the fields have been sprayed. Indirectly, farm workers are exposed by handling pesticide containers (warning labels of which are still not required to be written in Spanish in addition to English), having skin contact with pesticide residue and breathing in “pesticide drifts” from neighboring fields like Rosa’s experience. Inadequate training, protective gear, posting of fields that have been sprayed put farm workers both at immediate risk as well as long-term harm from pesticides. Farm workers families can also be harmed by these toxins. Farm workers and their families are exposed to pesticides in their homes as many live nearby fields that have been sprayed. Farm workers can also bring the poisonous pesticides home with them on their clothes, shoes and bodies. Persistent pesticide exposure has been associated with cancer, depression, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and reproductive issues. The lack of access to health care exacerbates the health risks farm workers face. Climate change is expanding pesticide use and the harm it causes. As the temperature rises pests and weeds multiply requiring more heavy use of pesticides. Also rising temperatures cause the pesticides to evaporate more quickly making additional application required to achieve the same effect. Warmer temperatures can also make some of the pesticides even more toxic. For example, the widely used organophosphate pesticide have been shown to increase the rate of chemical transformation into more toxic compounds. Heat stress is a compounding factor for farm workers who are exposed to pesticides. Heat stress makes workers more susceptible to pesticides and other toxins. Farm workers can protect themselves from pesticide exposure by using protective clothing but may be more vulnerable to heat stress. The essential protective gear that keeps farm workers safe from pesticides can increase the “feels like” temperature by up to 27℉. Farm workers work hard in the fields to support themselves and their families as well as to put food on our plates and support our billion-dollar agricultural industry. Farm workers deserve stronger workplace protections, such as protection from pesticides. Farm workers and environmental justice organizations are leading campaigns to document cases of pesticide exposure, ban the use of some of the most dangerous pesticides that are actively used in this country, and educate others about the danger of pesticide exposure and its effects on farm worker communities. Learn more at nfwm.org.