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Many agricultural
operations rely heavily on pesticide use. Pesticides are substances
used to kill insects, weeds, plant diseases, and other pests of crop
plants. However, these same substances can make you
very sick and cause you and your family harm if you are exposed to
them. There are many different types of pesticides, and some are more
dangerous than others. Immediate symptoms of pesticide exposure can
include dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, breathing problems, skin
rashes, eye irritation, confusion, vomiting, diarrhea, and in extreme
cases, death. Delayed health problems include cancer, birth defects,
reproductive health problems, memory loss, and other effects on the
nervous system.
There are ways
that you can protect yourself and your family against pesticide
exposure, and it is important to understand how pesticides can affect
you, as well as your legal rights in the workplace. Pesticides enter
the body through the mouth, nose, eyes, and skin. Workers
can help protect themselves from pesticide exposure by wearing clothing
that covers the body, washing hands frequently at work (especially
before eating), and by not entering areas treated with pesticides until
sufficient time has passed. The law requires that the perimeter of
fields treated with certain pesticides be posted with a sign informing
people when it is safe to re-enter. Workers should never enter areas
that contain these postings, even if their employer or foreman requires
them to do so. For all other pesticides, employers must tell workers
whenever a field is unsafe to enter. It is illegal to require workers
to enter treated fields too soon.
Workers have a
right to know what pesticides are being applied in their worksite, and
employers are required by law to provide this information to workers who
request it. Employers are also required to provide training to
pesticide applicators and people who work in areas treated by
pesticides, and must provide protective equipment to workers working
with or around certain pesticides. It is also against the law for
employers to retaliate against workers who complain about unsafe
pesticide use, exposure or other violations. Workers can help reduce
pesticide exposure to family members by removing work clothing before
entering the home, showering right away, and by washing work clothes
separate from other family laundry.
AWHP advocates
frequently educate workers about the dangers of pesticides and ways to
protect themselves. AWHP advocates provide training to community leaders
to help them become trainers on this topic in their communities. AWHP
attorneys sometimes represent workers in court who have challenged
government regulations that do not sufficiently protect workers and
surrounding communities from pesticide exposure. For example, in 2007
AWHP attorneys won a court order that forced the California Department
of Pesticide Regulation to stop using “Declarations of Emergency” to
sidestep important pesticide protections.
AWHP advocates
monitor pesticide use and postings in agricultural fields and notify
local County Agricultural Commissioners of problems. CRLAF successfully
advocated for the passage of Senate Bill 391, which requires counties to
develop appropriate local emergency response plans when pesticides drift
into community areas, and requires growers and pesticide applicators to
pay any immediate medical expenses of victims of pesticide drift
(including ambulance costs) not payed by insurance. Since 2006, AWHP
advocates have been working with local jurisdictions and agencies to
successfully implement this law.
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