November-December 2005
Pesticides Not Implicated in Deformity Investigation
A Florida-based grower, Ag-Mart, has been fined $111,200 by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) for 88 alleged violations of state pesticide worker protection requirements at two locations, Immokalee and Jennings. Two other states, North Carolina and New Jersey, have also issued enforcement actions against the grower. All of the investigations were prompted by complaints from former company employees.
The Florida citations allege the company repeatedly violated re-entry requirements governing farm field pesticide applications. There are also allegations of violation of pre-harvest intervals as well as lack of protective equipment for applicators. “Ag-Mart is accused of harvesting crops anywhere from one day to five days after pesticide applications despite the seven-day waiting period,” according to a statement from FDACS.
Ag-Mart issued a statement vowing to challenge every violation contained in the Florida enforcement action. The company said that the state had misinterpreted federal re-entry intervals, incorrectly analyzed application timing, and requested data not required of growers. “The EPA says we can’t re-enter an acre within a certain number of days after spraying. We always honor that requirement,” said Ag-Mart’s president, Don Long.
A previous investigation into babies with deformities born to workers in the Immokalee area, some who worked at Ag-Mart, has been unable to demonstrate a link between pesticides and the observed deformities. In spring, five infants with birth defects were reported being born to migrant workers who lived in Collier County. Two of the infants were excluded after investigators confirmed the children had no possible association with agricultural farming or pesticides. The mothers of the other three babies worked in the field from 16 days to two months. The deformities of these three babies - no arms or legs, deformed jawbone, no nose or sex organs - were unlikely to be due to chemical exposure because the deformities were so varied. The FDACS statement also indicated that while it had uncovered extensive violations of pesticide laws, its investigation was unable to identify any instances of illness resulting from the pesticide use violations. (AP, 10/13/05 & Chemical Regulation Reporter, 10/24/05).
