Freedumb! Pruitt Wants Rollback So That Workers Under 18 Can Handle Arsenic, Methyl Bromide P-Cides
A group of 28 senators sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt on Tuesday urging him not to roll back restrictions on the use of dangerous pesticides by young workers.
HuffPost first reported that EPA leadership was considering undoing age requirements put in place in 2015 to protect minors working in agriculture and other industries. Those rules required workers to be at least 18 years old if they are going to handle pesticides on farms or get certified to work with “restricted use” pesticides, such as arsenic and methyl bromide. RUPs, as they are known, are not sold to the general public because of how toxic they are.
The EPA issued two notices in the Federal Register late last year indicating it might lower or do away with the age requirements implemented under former President Barack Obama. Public health groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics had called for the restrictions, pointing out that young teenagers aren’t mentally and emotionally sophisticated enough to evaluate the long-term risks of handling chemicals that could affect brain development.
Many of the young workers on farms are also migrants who speak little English and may not understand their rights. In their letter, the 27 Democrats and one independent said “the lives of children and families across the country are at stake.”
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https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/senators-rebuke-epa-plan-to-let-kids-handle-pesticides-again_us_5aa943f5e4b0f7a689ce9b11
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