Are agricultural fields safe for farm workers?

By DENISE VASTOLA

Despite laws requiring field workers to receive training about pesticides, only 57 percent get that training, according to a survey published by the California Research Bureau in 2003. That means that 43 percent do not. Photo by Denise Vastola

California law requires that applicators post warning signs that alert people to stay out of an agricultural field that has been sprayed with certain pesticides. A representative from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation says the skull and cross bones is a universal symbol. The number of days workers must stay out depends on the type of pesticide applied.

It is rare that when we eat, we think about how our food was grown and who harvested it. About 20,000 farm workers hand-pick crops, such as strawberries, avocados, lemons and celery, which are planted on nearly 60,000 of Ventura County’s 125,000 acres of farmland, according to the Farm Bureau of Ventura County.

But are the agricultural fields safe for farm workers?

Yes and no.

The California Research Bureau published a report, “Health of Migrant Farm Workers in California,” in 2002. It noted there are a number workplace hazards, including unsafe or unsanitary working conditions and exposures to pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.

While growers are required by California law to provide safety training, including training for pesticides, only 57 percent received it.

Arsenio Lopez, a former field worker, who today is a community organizer for Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, was in the 43 percent who never received it.

Why the concern over pesticides?

Exposure to certain pesticides has both short-term and long-term health implications, said Sandy Young, family nurse practitioner and founder of Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project.

She said most workers live with symptoms, such as a rash, a runny nose and a cough, which may be associated with pesticide exposure. Exposure to certain pesticides can even cause cancer.

California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation requires all parties to report known pesticide exposures – whether it’s a worker, his supervisor, the grower, the applicator, or a physician.

When compared to other counties, Ventura County has relatively few reported exposures. In 2007, only 7 of the nearly 320 reported incidents occurred in Ventura County. Kern County had more than 40.

A representative for growers and applicators said the low number is proof that their safety training and consistent communication when it comes to keeping field workers from coming in contact with pesticides.

Attorney Rob Roy, who works for the Ventura County Agricultural Association, said the applicators follow the rules, which includes notifying adjacent land owners to ensure workers are kept out of the fields.