AMERICAN LABOUR:

UNITED FARM WORKERS PETITION AGAINST ENDOSULFAN:

The following is an appeal from the United Farm Workers to sign their petition against the use of the agricultural pesticide endosulfan. There are safer alternatives to this highly toxic chemical, as the story below explains.

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Tell EPA to protect our food from the toxic pesticide endosulfan:

Public Comment period ends on Monday,

so please take action TODAY!
In February 2008, thousands of UFW supporters joined us and signed a petition asking the EPA to ban Endosulfan--an antiquated and dangerous pesticide. We’ve got their attention, but we need your help to make sure they actually take action to protect the public.

The EPA opened a new public comment period regarding this deadly pesticide. The UFW is again working with a coalition of our environmental friends to turn in a joint petition on Monday to show the EPA how concerned we are. Please TAKE ACTION today by signing this petition and demanding that the EPA ensures that no residues of endosulfan are found in food sold in the U.S.

Endosulfan is one of the most commonly detected residues in our national food supply. It persists in the environment and travels on wind and water currents to areas far from its use. It is acutely toxic and easily absorbed by the human body. Low levels of exposure in the womb have been linked to autism, male reproductive harm and other birth defects. The lethal chemical has been linked to dozens of accidental deaths. It is an organochlorine--which means it persists in our environment long after it has killed the target pests--thus leaving a deadly legacy for people and wildlife.

When we are successful in banning this poison, we will protect both farmworkers and consumers.

The European Union and several other countries have already banned endosulfan as less dangerous alternatives are available. It’s time the U.S. does its part to protect communities and the environment from this toxic pollutant.

It is vital that we get as many signatures as possible. Please sign the petition today and then immediately forward this petition to as many friends as possible.
Thank you!
Full Petition Text:
I am calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revoke all remaining tolerances for the organochlorine pesticide endosulfan.

Endosulfan is a suspected endocrine disruptor and low dose exposure while in the womb has been linked to autism, male reproductive harm, and birth defects. Endosulfan bioaccumulates in human bodies and is transferred from mother to fetus. Human exposure to endosulfan through food and water is common. It is one of the most commonly detected residues in the 5,000 most widely consumed foods in the U.S. Revoking all tolerances for endosulfan will protect current and future generations from exposure to this pesticide. Not only will this ensure that domestic food supplies are protected, but also that imported food will be free of this toxic pesticide.

Endosulfan is a persistent organic pollutant that can contaminate ecosystems far from where it is used. Studies have shown high levels of endosulfan in U.S. freshwater fish and from all samples taken from the Great Lakes in the U.S. and Canada. The EPA's own analysis has shown widespread endosulfan contamination of drinking water in the U.S.

Colder regions, especially the Arctic, act as a sink for endosulfan and the chemical has been found in Alaskan air, lake water, seawater, fish, snow and plants. Levels of endosulfan in these places are increasing rather than diminishing. A study evaluating concentrations of endosulfan in Arctic seawater found the highest concentrations in the western Arctic, specifically in the Bering and Chukchi Sea. Given the inherent persistent and bioaccumulative properties of endosulfan and its presence in Arctic air, water, and biota, continued use of endosulfan poses too great a hazard to the health of northern Indigenous peoples who are reliant on traditional diets of fish and marine mammals.

It is imperative that EPA take action to protect these vulnerable communities.

The U.S. can do without endosulfan. Viable alternatives--including non-chemical pest control methods--are readily available. The European Union and over 20 other nations, including Cambodia, the Philippines, and Tonga, have already acted to ban or severely restrict endosulfan uses. A legally binding international treaty, the Stockholm Convention, is currently evaluating endosulfan for possible addition to the Convention's list of persistent organic pollutants, which could lead to a near-global ban. The U.S. must act now to catch up with the rest of the world and protect the health of people and the environment by revoking all endosulfan tolerances.
Sincerely:

Please go to THIS LINK to sign the petition above.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

CHILDREN AT RISK FROM FARM CHEMICALS:

The following appeal is from the American United Farm Workers.For decades now the UFW has been campaigning against the use of toxic agricultural chemicals that affect not only the health of the workers but also that of their families and the people in surrounding communities. Here is their latest appeal for the US EPA to ban the use of the pesticide Endosulfan. To learn more about this chemical see this Wikipedia article and another from the Pesticide Action Network.

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Why does the US keep poisoning our children?
Deadly pesticide endosulfan banned in the European Union and 20 nations, but in the United States the EPA allows its continued use.

The UFW and a broad coalition of farm worker, public health, and environmental groups just filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stop the continued use of the hazardous pesticide endosulfan. Science clearly shows that the use of this chemical puts the health of exposed farm workers and children in agricultural communities at risk. Endosulfan is part of the same family of chemicals as DDT, which the EPA banned in 1972. It is persistent in the environment and can be found in regions far from where it was applied. The EPA’s own analysis confirmed that the pesticide poses severe risks to humans and only minimal benefits to growers. Approximately 1.38 million pounds of endosulfan were used annually in the United States as of 2002--the most recent year for which national usage data are available from the EPA.

Earlier this year, more than 13,000 Americans concerned about these health and environmental risks signed a petition urging the EPA to discontinue endosulfan use. In addition more than 100 environmental and public health groups recently sent a letter to EPA’s Administrator Stephen Johnson and more than 50 international scientists, medical doctors, nurses, and other health professionals have urged the EPA to take action. To date the EPA has not responded.

There’s plenty of evidence and no need for more studies. Join us in demanding that the EPA take action. Send your e-mail today.

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Go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to the EPA:

THE LETTER:

I do not understand why the EPA refuses to do their job and protect the public from the dangerous pesticide endosulfan. The European Union and more than 20 other countries including Cambodia, the Philippines, and Tonga have already banned this toxic pesticide. In addition, it has been nominated for inclusion in the Stockholm Convention, an international treaty that bans persistent chemicals from global use.

Endosulfan is part of the same family of chemicals as DDT, which EPA banned in 1972. It is persistent in the environment and can be found in regions far from where it was applied. The EPA's own analysis confirmed that the pesticide poses severe risks to humans and only minimal benefits to growers. Approximately 1.38 million pounds of endosulfan were used annually in the United States as of 2002--the most recent year for which national usage data are available from the EPA.

Earlier this year, more than 13,000 Americans concerned about these health and environmental risks signed a petition urging the EPA to discontinue endosulfan use. In addition more than 100 environmental and public health groups recently sent a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and more than 50 international scientists, medical doctors, nurses, and other health professionals have urged the EPA to take action.

To date the EPA has not responded. As a result the United Farm Workers & a broad coalition of farm worker, public health, and environmental groups just filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stop the continued use of the hazardous pesticide endosulfan.

The science clearly shows that the use of this chemical puts the health of exposed farm workers and children in agricultural communities at risk. There's plenty of evidence and no need for more studies. Do your job and protect the American public by joining the European Union & 20 nations in banning this dangerous pesticide immediately.

LABOUR SOLIDARITY:

THE EPA WANTS YOUR OPINION ON ENDOSULFAN:

Endosulfan is a toxic organochlorine pesticide widely used in the agricultural industry. It has been linked to dozens of accidental deaths, and in the USA is used on tomatoes, cotton and other crops. Agricultural workers are rountinely exposed to it, and it has been linked to autism, reproductive harm and birth defects. The chemical persists in the environment long after it has been used. Endosulfan has already been banned by the European Union and several other countries. Safer alternatives are readily available.

The US Envirionmental Protection Agency is asking for public input for its review of the use of this chemical. The United Farm Workers are asking their supporters to weigh in and add their names to a petition calling for a ban on endosufan. You can read more about this issue and join this campaign by going to THIS LINK.