Fields of Poison: California Farmworkers and Pesticides
Executive summary
Authors
Margaret Reeves and Kristin Schafer, Pesticide Action Network North America
Kate Hallward, United Farm Workers of America
Anne Katten, California Rural Legal Assistance...
More
Fields of Poison: California Farmworkers and Pesticides
Executive summary
Authors
Margaret Reeves and Kristin Schafer, Pesticide Action Network North America
Kate Hallward, United Farm Workers of America
Anne Katten, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
Agriculture is still one of the most hazardous occupations in the U.
S.
The death rate among agricultural
workers nationwide was an estimated 20.
9 per 100,000 workers in 1996 compared to the average for all
industries of 3.
9 per 100,000 workers.
In addition to long workdays and high risk of physical injury, the
nation s estimated 2.
5 million farmworkers face a greater risk of pesticide exposure than any other
segment of the population.
In California, the state with the largest agricultural economy in the country, farm work is conducted by a
workforce of about 600,000 men and women.
From 1991 to 1996 the California Environmental
Protection Agency s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) reported 3991 cases of occupationa
Less
