Organic Cotton and Cotton Workers

The Sustainable Cotton Project states that “According to 1995 data, for example, United States farmers applied nearly one-third of a pound of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for every pound of cotton harvested…Some of these chemicals are among the most toxic classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In developing countries, where regulations are less stringent, the negative impacts are even more severe.”

There are 107 active ingredients in pesticides that are cancer causing in animals or humans yet a whooping 83 of those are still in use today. The Education of the Textile Arts of California noted that 15 pesticides are known reproductive disrupters. These toxic pesticides, even when used correctly, have an extremely harmful effect on cotton workers as well as people in the surrounding areas.

According to Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA):

In many developing countries, farmers and farm workers work in cotton fields with few if any safety precautions to protect them from pesticides. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, farmers in many developing countries use antiquated and dangerous pesticide application equipment, resulting in spills and poisonings. In Pakistan, one of the top five cotton producing countries, approximately 50% of applied pesticides are wasted due to poor spraying machinery and inappropriate application. A 1997 Danish television documentary showed methyl parathion being sprayed on cotton fields in Nicaragua and Guatemala while children played in and beside the fields. It also documented numerous cases of methyl parathion poisonings in cotton production. Pesticide poisoning remains a daily reality among agricultural workers in developing countries, where up to 14% of all occupational injuries in the agricultural sector and 10% of all fatal injuries can be attributed to pesticides.

Farm workers are also threatened by hazardous pesticides in industrialized countries. In one study of pesticide illnesses in California, cotton ranked third among California crops for total number of worker illnesses caused by pesticides. In September 1996, approximately 250 farm workers in California were accidentally sprayed with a mixture of highly toxic pesticides when a crop dusting plane applied the chemicals to a cotton field adjacent to a field where workers were harvesting grapes. Twenty-two workers were rushed to hospitals with symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning. According to the crop dusting company, the pilot was experienced and followed regulations. County officials stated that the chemicals are registered for use on cotton and that the duster was not required to notify workers in the grape field prior to spraying.

Yikes! The good news is that organic cotton farmers do not use chemical fertilizers, defoliants, pesticides, or herbicides. Fortunately, they use natural methods such as crop rotation, insect predators, traps, and botanical pesticides. Growing cotton organically ensures the safety of cotton workers and the nearby communities.

Just another great reason to purchase organic cotton.

~Jill Hachlaf