PANNA: Latino Farmworkers Face Greater Risk of Cancer Pesticide
Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS) Latino Farmworkers Face
Greater Risk of Cancer A recent study by the Cancer Registry of
California analyzed cancer incidence among California Latino
farmworkers who had been members of the United Farmworkers of
America (UFW) union. Out of more than 140,000 farmworkers, the
study found that 1,001 had been diagnosed with cancer between
1973 and 1997. Compared with the general Latino population,
farmworkers were more likely to develop certain types of
leukemia by 59%, stomach cancer by 69%, cervical cancer by 63%
and uterine cancer by 68%. Farmworkers are regularly exposed to
pesticides--while mixing or applying pesticides; during
planting, weeding, thinning, irrigating, pruning, and harvesting
crops; living in or near treated fields; or eating pesticide
contaminated food. As a result, farmworkers face greater risk of
exposure to hazardous pesticides than any other sector of
society. According to the study's c