Farmworkers in the fields near Ruskin are absorbing dangerous pesticides daily with little of the federal protection they're owed, according to a warning published Tuesday, July 21, by Beth-El Farmworker Ministry.
The 50-year-old nonprofit, founded in Ruskin in 1976 by Cumberland Presbyterians who held Spanish-language services for migrant workers, said farmworkers are exposed to pesticides at rates far higher than any other U.S. workforce. Acute poisoning can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, seizures and death, the organization wrote. Long-term effects include increased cancer risk, neurological damage, reproductive harm and developmental issues in children who grow up near the fields.
Protections exist on paper but not in the fields
The EPA's Agricultural Worker Protection Standard requires employers to notify workers before spraying, enforce waiting periods, provide free protective equipment, offer training in workers' own languages, supply decontamination water and allow violation reporting without retaliation. Beth-El said most farmworkers go without those protections, pointing to inconsistent enforcement, language barriers and workers' fear of losing jobs or housing.
Pesticide exposure follows kids home
Beth-El described farmworker children playing near recently sprayed fields, living in homes where residue travels in on parents' clothing, and sometimes accompanying parents to work because no childcare exists. The organization cited studies linking childhood pesticide exposure to learning disabilities, developmental delays and childhood cancers, though it did not name specific research.
"We have been seeing it for fifty years. And we will keep saying so," the Beth-El team wrote.
A pantry and weekly farm deliveries
Beth-El operates from a 27-acre campus at 18240 U.S. Highway 301 S. in Wimauma. Its food pantry opens every Wednesday from 1 to 5:30 p.m. and serves about 80,000 people a year, according to the organization. Staff drive to area farms every Thursday around lunchtime with food, hygiene kits and clothing.
Residents can drop off donations on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteer shifts include food pickup driving Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and food market assistance Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Details are at beth-el.org or 813-633-1548.
Upcoming at Beth-El
- Wednesdays — Food pantry, 1-5:30 p.m.
- Thursdays — Farm visits with supplies, around lunchtime
- Fridays — Donation drop-off, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
