Pesticides in the Air, Kids at Risk

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Each year, nearly one billion pounds of pesticides are sprayed into fields and orchards around the country. But as the families who live nearby can tell you, those pesticides don't always stay in the fields and orchards.

That's why we're asking EPA to set safety standards protecting rural children from the poisonous pesticides that drift from treated farms and into nearby communities. We're also asking the agency to immediately adopt no-spray buffer zones around homes, schools, parks and daycare centers for the most dangerous pesticides.

The good news is that we've gotten EPA's attention. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted on our fight to protect kids from pesticides!

Learn More: Methyl Iodide

Photo: Jerry Burke / Flickr.

Methyl iodide is an extremely poisonous and dangerous pesticide that causes cancer and pollutes groundwater. It's been linked to cancer and late-term miscarriages and, because it's a gas, easily drifts from the fields and into nearby communities.

Methyl iodide was approved for use as a pesticide in the waning days of the Bush administration—over the objection of more than 50 eminent scientists, among them six Nobel Laureates in Chemistry.

Though methyl iodide will likely be used primarily on strawberries, it is also registered for use on tomatoes, peppers, nurseries and on soils prior to replanting orchards and vineyards. Earthjustice is working to project the public from this toxic pesticide.

Resources:
   • Case: California's Approval of Methyl Iodide Challenged
   • Press release: Maker of Cancer-Causing Methyl Iodide Pulls Federal Registration
   • Press release: Cancer-Causing Methyl Iodide Pulled
   • Press release: "Smoking Gun" Documents Show Science Ignored in Approval of Cancer-Causing Strawberry Pesticide
   • Press release: As Embattled CA Pesticide Chief Steps Down, Feds Consider Petition to Ban Cancer-Causing Pesticide
   • Press release: Coalition Sues California Over Approval of Cancer-Causing Strawberry Pesticide
   • Press release: California Proposal Would Approve Carcinogenic Pesticide For Use in State
   • Press release: On Cesar Chavez Day, Farmworker & Health Advocates Petition U.S. EPA to Cancel Carcinogenic Pesticide
   • Trip's Column: We Sue to Ban Highly Toxic Pesticide

Featured Stories

The Faces and Voices of Pesticide Poisoning

Each year, nearly a billion pounds of pesticides are sprayed in fields and orchards across the country. As the families who live nearby can tell you: those pesticides don't always stay in the fields and orchards where they're sprayed.

Stories On Pesticide Drift: Pesticides on the Playground

Domitila has lived in this agricultural community for 30 years. She has three grandchildren who attend the nearby Sunnyside Elementary School. She recalls a visit to the school that went horribly wrong.

Petition To EPA To Protect Children From Pesticide Drift

Submitted on behalf of the United Farmworkers, Pesticide Action Network of North America, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and other groups, Earthjustice documents in this petition how the EPA has failed to protect children from exposure to toxic pesticides drifting from agricultural fields, and the actions that should be taken to correct these violations of federal pesticide law.

Kids at Risk, the Video

Genoveva Galvez knows there are pesticides in her 14-year old body. What she really wants to know is this: how does she get rid of them? See and hear her story, and others, in this video.

Janette Brimmer on Pesticide Drift

This interview with Janette Brimmer on Earthjustice's petition asking EPA to protect children in agricultural areas from pesticide drift was broadcast on nearly 500 radio stations nationwide.

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