Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
stantial'' labor force. Goggles, masks, and protective clothing were rec-
ommended for workers who handled Diazinon. In addition, bag-dusters
were to work only one week followed by three weeks doing other tasks
in order to limit exposure to Diazinon.
73
In 1971, United Brands research-
ers reported that the concentration of Diazinon could be reduced to 10
percent and remain effective. They also noted the development of a new
method to treat the bags ''for greater worker safety.''
74
The reference to worker safety was unusual; research department re-
ports generally were silent on issues related to occupational and environ-
mental health. On the occasions when worker health issues did surface in
the reports, they tended to be framed in terms of labor e
ciency. For ex-
ample, in a section on fruit spot control, the 1969 annual report stated,
''Thylate which continues to perform well in controlled field trials, did
not appear to do as well in the field, perhaps because its irritant action
on theworkers' skin influenced the e
ciencyof application.''
75
In general,
company guidelines for handling pesticides were ambiguous and placed
the burden of responsibility for limiting exposures to toxic chemicals on
workers by emphasizing the need for personal hygiene.
76
Furthermore,
United Fruit's standard operating procedures ignored how the organiza-
tion of work gave rise to social practices, including eating and smoking
on the job, which made strict adherence to safety measures dicult. The
masks, gloves, and rubber boots sometimes provided to workers were ill
suited for use in the hot and humid climate in which banana plants thrive.
Of course, personal experience convinced workers like Neche Martínez
to take precautions: ''With these asphyxiating poisons, if you tried to
eat, you immediately turned green and they hauled you off [for medical
treatment].''
77
To argue that fruit company research staffs paid little attention to
occupational exposures to pesticides is not to suggest that agrochemical
use on banana plantations was indiscriminant. Fruit company scientists
quickly became aware that sustained use of certain classes of pesticides
could alter agroecological processes and give rise to new problems in the
form of pesticide-resistant pest populations, chemical residues, and/or
new pests. The multiple considerations that influenced decisions about
agrochemical use on banana plantations are illustrated by the histories of
two pesticides—Dieldrin and DBCP (Nemagon)—employed to kill para-
sitic organisms often found in the soils of banana plantations.
The root borer, or banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus), damages
the roots of banana plants by tunneling in and feeding on rhizome ma-
terial during the grub stage. Infected plants generally produce smaller
