Tag Archives: EPA

This is Your Brain on Pesticides

Last year, several studies linked pesticide exposure in pregnant women to lower IQs in their children, which we wrote about in our blog post, “Farmworkers Suffer a Disproportionate Burden.” A new study published this May went a step further: researchers … Continue reading

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Language is Power

“Lang se pouvwa, lavi ak enstriman kilti , enstriman dominasyon ak liberasyon,” –Angela Carter “El lenguaje es poder, vida y el instrumento de la cultura; el instrumento del dominio y de la liberación,” –Angela Carter  “Language is power, life and … Continue reading

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Methyl Iodide on the Chopping Block?

While all pesticides are designed to harm living things, there are some that are considered more dangerous than others. One of those pesticides is the controversial chemical methyl iodide, which has been used in strawberry fields in California since 2010. Many environmental groups and health professionals warned state regulators about the dangers of methyl iodide before it was approved at the end of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term; they were ignored. The state’s own scientific advisors, as well as an independent panel of scientists, warned that the chemical can cause cancer, among other dangerous health effects. Now these groups, and others such as EarthJustice, are asking Alameda County Superior Court to put an end to its use. Continue reading

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Remember Farmworkers When Considering Organic Versus Non-Organic

Co-Authored by Valentina Stackl, Health & Safety Program Associate, AFOP It is often forgotten that every piece of fruit and vegetable found at the supermarket was painstakingly picked by a man, woman, or child. Last week, these individuals – our … Continue reading

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Training in Action

Yesterday, AFOP’s Washington, D.C. staff had the opportunity to travel to Delaware’s Eastern Shore to see one of our SAFE AmeriCorps trainers in action. The farmworkers got really into it when Dina, our excellent SAFE AmeriCorps member, started enthusiastically handing … Continue reading

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Danger POISON-Bilingual Labeling on Pesticides

More than one billion pounds of pesticides are used annually in the United States, three-quarters of which are used in agriculture. Because these chemicals are used in nearly all fields where crops are harvested, it places farmworkers at the greatest … Continue reading

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Effects of Prenatal Pesticide Exposure on Infant Health

By Doris Sempasa, AFOP Health & Safety Programs Intern A recent study of pesticide levels in newborn umbilical cord blood found that infants with higher levels of pesticides tended to weigh less at birth. The study also found that organochlorine … Continue reading

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Bad Air

Low-income and minority populations in the United States often live and work in areas where they are unduly exposed to pollution that can damage their health. In fact, two-thirds of Latino families live in areas that do not meet the … Continue reading

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Farmworkers Suffer a Disproportionate Burden

Three new studies published in the Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives  last week, have shown how dangerous pesticides can be for the neurological development of children. All three studies, which were funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences … Continue reading

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From The Smallest Bee To The Strongest Farmworker Community: Pesticides Influence On Our Food Supply

“What is happening in our sociological world is also happening in our biological world,”—Ramona Beltran, PhD. At the forum held by Beyond Pesticides April 8 and 9 in Denver, a range of scientists and advocates met to discuss how pesticides … Continue reading

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