Farm Worker Unions Protest Fumigant Policy

[link to www.theepochtimes.com]
NEW YORK—On June 18, thirty Farm worker unions and supporters wrote a letter of concern to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about the new modifications made to a policy in regards to fumigant pesticide use starting in May.

The letter criticizes the EPA saying they are using outdated approaches to pesticides when there are greener alternatives available.

“We need to look at ways of growing food that doesn’t put workers and community members at risk and helps agriculture be more sustainable in general,” said Carol Dansereau, executive director of Farm Worker Pesticide Project in Seattle.

These fumigants are used for agricultural purposes on fields of crops such as strawberries, potatoes and tomatoes, which are mostly concentrated around Washington, Idaho, California, Georgia and Florida.

Several chemicals are used in fumigation including chloropicrin, dazomet, metam sodium and methyl bromide—all of which are known to have negative health effects such as dizziness, nausea, burning sensations, as well as long term effects like brain damage and seizures.

On its Web site, the EPA states that, “all measures to reduce risks are still required; however, some aspects of these measures have been adjusted based on input from stakeholders and on new scientific data that reduce the uncertainties in the Agency’s assessments and improved information on certain technological capabilities.”

The letter however raises concerns about several modifications that were made to the initial fumigant policy in 2008, which they say has weakened protection of farm workers and residents.

The EPA has suggested having buffer zones around a fumigated area to ensure nearby residents are not affected by the chemical drift. This time around, buffers can include residential areas on condition that residents agree to leave the buffer zone during fumigation until the area is safe again.

more at above link

Last Edited by SPUD on 11/17/2011 05:46 PM