favorable editorial concerning Washington medical monitoring program

[Guest guest]

Following the publication of Messages from Monitoring: Farm Workers,

Pesticides and the Need for Reform, the Seattle Post Intelligencer has

published this favorable editorial.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/213617_pested.asp

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Farm Workers: Protect against pesticides

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD

Farm workers here receive too much exposure to some of

the most dangerous pesticides. Washington state must

sharpen its efforts to protect the health of the

workers, their families and neighbors, who can be

exposed to the pesticides by clothing or drifting

spray.

After a year of a state study of workers who handle

certain pesticides, it's clear that the farm workers'

longstanding effort to begin health monitoring was

fully justified. Tests showed about 20 percent of the

workers suffered a drop of one-fifth or more in an

enzyme, cholinesterase, that is essential to the human

nervous system. In 4 percent of the workers, the

enzyme levels had declined by 30 percent or more,

which caused them to leave their jobs.

It's no real surprise there's evidence of exposure.

The organophosphates in some pesticides heavily used

on fruit trees in Washington are poisonous to the

nervous system, potentially causing blurred vision,

flu-like symptoms, seizures or even death among

workers. California had been doing similar testing for

decades, helping to improve application practices.

California also monitors air conditions for some

pesticides, a good step toward protecting those who

live, work and go to school around sprayed fields.

Washington farm workers won a testing program only

after years of pushing regulatory agencies, breaking

up misguided legislative end runs and a 2002 decision

by the Washington Supreme Court. The testing program

was started a year ago under a rule adopted by the

state Department of Labor and Industries after the

court ruling.

The first-year monitoring results point to the need

for further controls at the state and federal levels

and to reduce or phase out the use of some pesticides.

Gov. Gregoire should correct the overly

relaxed attitude of state government under her

predecessor. It's important to remember, after all,

that risk levels that would never be tolerated in

industrial settings nationally often have been deemed

a necessary part of business in U.S. agriculture.

Farmers' groups criticize the state's study, pointing

to slow handling of test samples. And they say there

have been few or no cases of illness definitively

documented by the state Department of Health in recent

years, although farm worker supporters make a good

case that illnesses have been undercounted because of

inadequate support for investigations. The best

response is a tougher testing program.

State officials are reluctant to look at stronger

worker--protection regulations based on just one year

of testing. Given the state's approach to starting

testing, that sounds excessively cautious.

Fortunately, Rep. Steve Conway, D-Tacoma, is trying to

push the state forward.

Conway has proposed House Bill 1863 to require

improved systems for worker safety for highly toxic

pesticides and begin to phase out their uses. Farmers

and workers' representatives debate whether adequate

alternatives to current pesticides exist to allow a

phase-out. But the state's direction ought to be

clearly toward greater protection of the workers.