Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS)

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Resource Pointer #293
(Farmworker Pesticide Poisoning)
September 20, 2002

For copies of the following resources, please contact the appropriate publishers or organizations directly.

*Fields of Poison 2002: California Farmworkers and Pesticides, 2002* PANNA, United Farm Workers of America, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation and Californians for Pesticide Reform. Updates original 1999 report, Fields of Poison, using data from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Reports that California pesticide use safety regulations are poorly enforced and poisonings continue, even when safety requirements are met. Printed in Spanish and English. 40 pages. US$5.00 (first copy free for California residents). Contact PANNA, 49 Powell Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102; phone (415) 981-1771; fax (415) 981-1991; email panna@panna.org; Web site http://www.panna.org.

*Pesticides, Poverty and Food Security: Key Findings from Case Studies of Pesticide Dependence among African Smallholders, 2002* PAN UK. Reports that current agricultural intensification strategies promote pesticide reliance and undermine the productivity of sustainable agriculture. Links increased pesticide use with higher debt and health costs, and argues that trade liberalization promotes illicit pesticide use. Based on case studies of various crop plantations in Ghana, Benin, Senegal and Ethiopia. 8 pages. Contact PAN UK, Eurolink Cenre, 49 Effra Road, London SW2 1BZ, UK; phone (44-20) 7274 8895; fax (44-20) 7274 9084; email admin@pan-uk.org; Web site http://www.pan-uk.org.

*International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health* Quarterly journal. Features a special three-part series on international pesticide use in issues: October-December 2001, Volume 7:4; January-March 2002, Volume 8:1; and April-June 2002, Volume 8:2. Authors, primarily researchers and public policy experts, discuss negative health effects of pesticide use internationally and present alternative forms of farming and pest management that will reduce the reliance on pesticides. Single issues US$25.00; subscriptions US$98 for individuals, US$120 for institutions. Contact Hanley & Belfus, Inc. Medical Publishers, 210 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107; phone (215) 546-7293 or 215.546.4995; fax (215) 790-9330; email dsherel@hanleyandbelfus.com; Web site http://www.hanleyandbelfus.com/.

*Paraquat: Syngenta’s Controversial Herbicide, 2002* John Madeley. Bern Declaration, PAN UK, Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, PAN AP and Foro Emaus. Argues that paraquat is a highly toxic chemical, dangerous to farmworkers and the environment, particularly because it has no antidote for poisonings. Includes case studies of paraquat use in Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa and Costa Rica and alternative pest management strategies used in Cuba, Ethiopia, Australia and other countries. Urges Syngenta to cooperate in phasing out sales of paraquat. 28 pages. Contact Berne Delcaration, Quellenstrasse 25, PO Box CH-8031, Zurich, Switzerland; phone (41-1) 277 7000; fax (41-1) 277 7001; email info@evb.ch; Web site http://www.evb.ch.

*Hidden Costs: Farm Workers Sacrifice their Health to Put Food on Our Tables, 2002* Kimi Jackson, Colorado Legal Services. Based on a survey of Spanish-speaking Colorado farmworkers, the report finds that most workers didn’t receive required pesticide safety training, and believed that they were sent into recently-sprayed fields. Nearly half were not provided with onsite sanitation access, and a similar number suffered poisoning symptoms. 19 pages. Contact Casillas Pesticide Action Project, Colorado Legal Services, Migrant Farm Worker Division, 800 8th Avenue, Suite 202; Greeley, CO 80631; phone (970) 353-7554; fax (970) 353-7557; email kjackson@colegalserv.org.

We encourage those interested in having resources listed in the PANUPS Resource Pointer to send review copies of publications, videos or other resources to our office.

PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing resource guides and reporting on pesticide issues that don’t always get coverage by the mainstream media. It’s produced by Pesticide Action Network North America, a non-profit and non-governmental organization working to advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide.

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