Agricultural work is difficult and dangerous. Annual rates of work-related deaths among farm workers are two to four times greater than those for the general workforce. Migrant farmworkers are likely to be poor, members of minority groups, and often immigrants. They bear the brunt of the risks and are most likely to be overlooked by scientists and regulators. In addition to long workdays, injuries, and fatalities associated with agricultural work, pesticides pose a particularly serious threat to people living or working in the fields.
Agriculture is a workplace unlike many others in our country.
Farm families often live practically in the middle of the work environment and help out on the job. As a result, children can come into close contact with dangerous pesticides. Residues from the parents clothing, dust tracked into the house, contaminated soil, food brought directly from the fields to the table, and contaminated water are significant sources of exposure for farm children. The 58 million children in the United States, most of whom live in urban and suburban areas, are also exposed to pesticides from numerous sources in their daily environment. Farm children, however, are likely to experience higher levels of exposure from more sources.