N.C. lawmakers approve farmworker pesticide protection bill

We recently brought you the tragic story of Carlos Candelario, the severely deformed infant of a farmworker who had been exposed to pesticides by her employer, Florida-based Ag-Mart. He was one of several children with pesticide-related health problems born to company employees.

A state investigation eventually documented hundreds of violations of pesticide and worker protection standards at Ag-Mart tomato farms in North Carolina. While North Carolina officials cited the company for 369 pesticide violations on two farms and fined it $184,500, an administrative law judge slashed the fine to no more than $500. The state continues to fight that decision.

In a bit of a good news, state lawmakers this week approved legislation that aims to better protect farmworkers from such toxic threats. Senate Bill 847 requires the state Pesticide Board to create new rules improving record-keeping by farms. It also protects workers who report pesticide safety concerns from retaliation.

While she praises the bill's passage, Toxic Free NC Executive Director Fawn Pattison says there's more that needs to be done. Writing on her group's Fair Ground blog:

This is important legislation, and those who worked to pass it should be proud (particularly Rep. Dan Blue, Sen. Charlie Albertson, Health Director Leah Devlin and Governor Easley). But they also shouldn't be lulled into thinking that farmworkers and their families are now safe from harmful exposure to pesticides, or that a disastrous incident like what has been alleged in the Ag-Mart case couldn't happen again.

For information on the other kinds of pesticide protections Toxic Free NC would like to see for farmworkers, click here.

Immediate action needed on farmworker pesticide safety bill

As early as tomorrow, the N.C. House is expected to take up a bill that aims to better protect the state's farmworkers from pesticide exposure.

Introduced by Reps. Dan Blue and Grier Martin of Raleigh, the measure is a response to the tragic Ag-Mart case in which Carlos Candelario (pictured here) and other children born to employees of the company's tomato farms in North Carolina and Florida suffered severe birth defects. A state investigation found hundreds of violations of pesticide laws and worker protection standards at Ag-Mart farms.

Senate Bill 847, Prevent Agricultural Pesticide Exposure, would require better record-keeping when pesticides are used and workers are present. It would also prohibit employer retaliation against workers who report pesticide safety problems.

Toxic Free NC is asking supporters to take action by 1 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, July 3. For more on the bill and how to contact your representatives, click here.

(Palm Beach Post photo courtesy of Toxic Free NC website)