Georgia enacts tough immigration law, expects to lose $300 million

Based on experiments in laboratory animals, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified at least ninety-six different pesticide active ingredients registered for use that are potential human carcinogens.^[6] Studies of human populations, particularly farmers, also demonstrate the carcinogenic potential of certain pesticides. A 1992 National Cancer Institute review of two dozen epidemiological studies found pesticides to be one of five likely suspects explaining why farmers had elevated risks of several forms of cancer including Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, leukemia, melanoma, and cancers of the lip.^[7] There is some evidence that the breakdown product of the organochlorine pesticide DDT, which is now banned but still persists in the environment, may be associated with breast cancer.^[8]

Studies demonstrate that in addition to acute poisoning, pesticides can cause long-term damage to the nervous system. Every year, an estimated 300,000 farmworkers are poisoned by pesticides.^[9] According to the Office of Technology Assessment, an estimated 4 to 9 percent of agricultural and other workers acutely poisoned by pesticides experience delayed persistent neurological and psychiatric effects including agitation, insomnia, weakness, nervousness, irritation, forgetfulness, confusion, and depression.^[10] Additional studies of agricultural workers indicate that pesticide poisoning can lead to poor performance on tests involving intellectual functioning, motor skills, and memory.^[11]

Some pesticides are associated with diminishing reproductive capacity and causing birth defects. The state of California maintains a list of reproductive toxins that currently includes fifteen pesticides, ten of which are still in use. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) evaluates pesticides for their potential to cause birth defects and reproductive harm. Of the sixty-three chemicals evaluated by the DPR, fifteen have tested positive for birth defects and twenty-two have tested positive for other reproductive effects in experimental studies.^[12]

There is growing awareness in the scientific community that toxic chemicals, including pesticides, can damage the immune system. Laboratory animal studies indicate a variety of immunotoxic effects from exposure to certain pesticides, particularly several organochlorine and organophosphate insecticides.^[13] The immune system plays a critical role in helping ward off disease.