Pesticides

In July 2005, workers were poisoned in an onion field in Caldwell, Idaho. A pilot had applied three pesticides to the field the night before the workers arrived, but had not notified the owner of the field. Twenty-nine workers were hospitalized.

ICAN organized a meeting with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor and Commerce. At the meeting, workers told their stories and demanded that the Departments investigate the incident and punish those responsible for the exposure. The Department of Agriculture fined the field owner, the labor contractor, the pilot and the air service an unprecendented total of $40,000.

ICAN is investigating how often workers and other Idaho residents are exposed to pesticides and ways that Idaho can make pesticide use safer for everyone.