November 13, 1999
UFW: Earlimart poisoning shows need for greater scrutiny of toxic pesticides
A cloud of gas from a fumigant that caused parts of the San Joaquin Valley farm town of Earlimart to be evacuated and sent 24 persons to the hospital late Saturday "underscores the need for greater scrutiny of the health effects of highly toxic pesticides that farm workers and other rural residents are routinely exposed to," states United Farm Workers Vice President Lupe Martinez.
Martinez and other UFW staff were in the southern Tulare County farm worker community Sunday talking with field laborers who were exposed, including those who work under union contract. "One Earlimart resident who works under UFW contract at a ranch near Visalia explained that every time growers spray fields and vineyards near her town, the chemicals come into the workers’ homes."
Metham sodium, sold as sectagon, is a highly toxic fumigant used to kill weeds and pests in the soil. It is listed under 1986 voter-passed Proposition 65 as causing both cancer and birth defects in laboratory animals. The pesticide has partially replaced methyl bromide–one of the most toxic substances in use today–for fruits, vegetables and orchard crops.
A mid-1990s train wreck near Dunsmuir in Northern California dumped metam sodium into the Sacramento River, killing all fish for miles downstream. Later, a state study found elevated rates for both new and more severe cases of asthma among residents in the area of the spill.
"Our concern is for the short- and long-term impacts from exposure by Earlimart residents, both from this incident and from the continuing application of this dangerous pesticide over time," the UFW’s Martinez says.
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