Petition: Kids should not be working with pesticides!
Dear EPA Administrator McCarthy:
We, the undersigned, urge you to pass an updated Worker Protection Standard that truly protects farmworker children from the harmful effects of toxic pesticide exposure.
Exposure to pesticides can increase cancer risk, and it can harm the developing brain and reproductive system. Children and teens do not yet have the emotional maturity to work with hazardous substances, even with training.
Children as young as 10 years old can legally work on farms harvesting our food – one of the most dangerous jobs in the US. They should not face the additional hazards of working with toxic pesticides.
The Worker Protection Standard should establish a minimum age of 18 years old to work as a pesticide handler or to re-enter fields before the safety interval expires.
SIGNED: