Pesticide dangers topic of speech

By MAURA POSSLEY

Birth defects and groundwater contamination are two dangers the Farmworker Association of Florida attributes to pesticides used in the state's fields.

The group is pushing for the state Department of Agriculture to halt the use of a pesticide called methyl iodide.

"Workers do have exposures in the field," said Jeannie Economos, member of the Apopka-based organization.

Economos is set to speak Saturday on pesticides in a talk sponsored by the Sarasota Manatee Farmworker Supporters.

"I don't think people realize how serious this is," said Marvin Mills, a local group member. "The health effects on the farmworkers are very severe, and it's related to the food we eat."

To prevent what they consider life-threatening exposure, the association organizes health and safety trainings for workers, trainings for health care providers in farmworker communities and workplace assessments, Economos said.

But the issue remains under the radar, she and Mills said. They hoped Saturday's lecture would provide a window into the problem of farmworker exposure to toxins.

"We hope to raise their consciousness," Mills said. "We hope to get some action and letters to Congress."