You may have seen some of the recent news coverage of the staggering pesticide violations at Ag-Mart tomato farms in NC and FL, and about serious birth defects among farmworkers employed there. Three babies with severe birth defects were all born last year to mothers who worked for Ag-Mart in NC and FL during their pregnancies. At least one of the mothers has filed suit against Ag-Mart, saying the company's misuse of pesticides and mistreatment of its workers caused her son's birth defects, and the NC Department of Public Health is currently investigating possible connections.

This case - whether the birth defects were caused directly by Ag-Mart's negligence or not - is just the tip of a very big iceberg of social and environmental injustice in our agricultural system. Our system relies on the use of thousands of toxic chemicals, pesticides that are known to be eye and skin irritants, respiratory irritants, neurotoxins carcinogens, and/or teratogens (chemicals that cause birth defects). These are applied over hundreds of thousands of acres of cropland in our state each year. From there they run off into our waterways, threaten wildlife, and literally blow in the faces of people who live or work nearby. Farmworkers bear the greatest risk, but their plight remains mostly invisible to the general public.

Let's expose the iceberg, and make sure Ag-Mart doesn't get away with misusing pesticides and abusing their workers. Please consider writing a letter to the editor of your local paper about this important issue - The Pesticide Education Project has compiled links to news stories on this case and other helpful background information. Thank you!