Trump’s EPA Could Allow Teenage Workers To Handle Dangerous Pesticides

Rates for cancer, leukemia and asthma have been high for farmworkers and their children for many years. This is so wrong…..Pruitt are your children going out in those fields?

 

“Doctors had called for those restrictions to be put in place because pesticides can increase the risk of cancer or impact brain development in children.

“I think that there’s a pretty strong likelihood that if the minimum age is eliminated or lowered, there will be more people getting sick,” said William Jordan, a former EPA official who worked on developing the tighter pesticide rules. “When people are handling dangerous pesticides, they need to make sure they know what they’re doing.”

Jordan said when it comes to certain restricted-use pesticides, even “a small amount like a teaspoon can kill you.””  

“One reason growers may want to remove the minimum age requirements is that teenagers often work for less money than older employees….

Trump’s EPA Could Allow Teenage Workers To Handle Dangerous Pesticides

Officials have signaled they may eliminate the age requirements for working with toxic chemicals on farms and other worksites.