Immigration and Pesticides in the U.S.April 10th marked a day of strikes across the US in support of the immigrants who are under an especially virulent attack from some conservatives in the U.S. Congress. Millions of immigrants and supporters of fair and dignified immigration reform turned out in the streets in big cities and small town across the U.S. In Dallas, Texas, over 500,000 people gathered peacefully; significant gatherings also took place in California, New York, Massachusetts, Georgia, Wisconsin, Washington DC and many other locations in all parts of the country. We here at Pesticide Action Network seek social justice for all agricultural workers, many of whom are both documented and undocumented immigrants in this country. PAN campaigns director Kathryn Gilje writes, "Farmworkers, farmers and rural families are on the front lines for pesticide poisoning and long-term illnesses associated with pesticide exposure. Pesticide Action Network North America works in close partnership with farmworker organizations to eliminate the use of hazardous pesticides, increase worker protections and support justice in the fields. We stand in solidarity with farmworker organizations to create comprehensive and fair US immigration reform that includes:
Pesticide issues impacting US farmworkers are also issues affecting the rest of the world. PAN assistant director for campaigns, Tina Cosentino, reports, “When in 1992 The Montreal Protocol added a commitment by the world’s nations to phase out methyl bromide—one of the five deadly pesticides targeted by Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers—the workers and others hoped they would finally be protected from this deadly pesticide. Unfortunately the U.S. is now lobbying to undercut the Protocol, securing “critical use” exemptions for both 2007 and 2008 to continue using methyl bromide. Pesticide companies are seeking to replace methyl bromide with other toxic fumigant alternatives. Because these poisonous gases are heavily used, fumigants pose risks not only to workers but to nearby communities as well, sometimes weeks after they were applied.” Fumigants are used to sterilize soil before planting many crops like strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, potatoes, and tobacco. These pesticides are also used to fumigate structures, stored food, greenhouses and imported goods. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently evaluating all fumigant pesticides, including methyl bromide, metam sodium, chloropicrin and telone, for possible re-registration. Says Cosentino, “These pesticides are among the most toxic chemicals used in agriculture and account for 10% of total pesticide use in the US. Immigrant farmworkers are more exposures to and at risk from these chemicals than any other laborers in the US.” Many argue that only immigrants will do the dangerous jobs that help our nation produce this food that all Americans consume. The issue of immigration touches everyone, and this intensified debate has prompted some surprising outbursts from controversial personalities that represent ideologies across the political and social spectrum. So not just on this day over this debate, but every day, we want to remember the many immigration stories woven throughout our lives, often including direct personal experience and remember that the creation of the U.S. border (among many others) divided a people who have lived on this continent for thousands of years. We also want to and extend respect and gratitude to more recent immigrant workers, documented and undocumented, for the hard and daily work that immigrant families do to bring our food to the table. Let us remember that this is dignified work that should not be romanticized, and that people working in agriculture endure suffering and illness from poisonous pesticides absorbed through skin, eyes, lungs and mouths on a regular basis. Along with gratitude, new immigrant workers deserve our support and alliance in fighting for living wages, decent working conditions as they help fuel our economy, cities and industries. They also deserve protection from the illnesses that many immigrant families, including children, experience from pesticide exposure – we must always remember that entire families and communities are at risk. We encourage a pledge from everyone who supports and works through PAN and the wider movement for health and justice to do what we can to make work and home environments poison-free for all and to support just and fair immigration reform. As part of our own pledge, PAN will be helping all Americans examine the social justice implications of our food system, and will help us all manifest a healthier, more caring society. For more information on the current actions related to immigration reform, visit these PANNA partner websites:
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