1. Poisoning For Profit Faber 85-115

2. The Capitalization of the Pacific Coastal Plains The pacific coastal plains extends from Mexico through Panama in Central America.

3. The Capitalization of the Pacific Coastal Plains This region has hot dry climate and rich volcanic soils, which is ideal for growing cotton, sugar and raising cattle. An highway was built from Mexico to Costa Rica. A lot of forest was cleared in this area which hindered the welfare of the wildlife and people who inhabited these areas. The development of export-agriculture led to the degradation of the ecosystem in this area.

4. The Capitalization of the Pacific Coastal Plains Unused land diminished which led to an increase in the value of the land. Small peasant farmers could no longer exchange their labor for land. They now had to pay rent that was way too high for them to afford. A new class of land renters evolved, once the small peasants moved away or were forced out. A few group of land owners owned the most and produce the most. In Guatemala the top 3.7 percent of farms owned 80.3 percent of the land along the coast. There was a clear monopoly in land ownership.

5. The Fertilization of the Pacific Coastal Plains Peasant farmers are then forced to move into the unfertile lands in these countries. The cotton production became huge and so did sugar and cattle ranching. Due to excessive farming in the land becomes eroded and big landholders only seem to care about their profits. The erosion cause flooding in the rainy season and drought and in the dry season. This area has now ceased to exist as a rainforest.

6. The Pesticide Treadmill With the use of the organosynthetic pesticides yields increased to 2,026 pounds of cotton per acre from 1,385 pounds in the 1950’s – 60’s. However, the cotton pest were able to build a resistance to these insecticides. The chemicals also killed the insects that would attack the cotton pest and act as a natural insecticide. The landholders would use more pesticides but to no avail. In the 1960S a lot of cotton growers went out of business and fertile land decreased to more than half of what it was. Some farmers shifted to sugar plantations or cattle ranching This shift also cause many jobs to be lost. By the 1970’s 40 percent of all U.S. pesticide exports was going into Central America. Some growers will have as much as fifty sprayings per growing season when they normally use to have about five to ten. The leading sellers of pesticides are the leading sellers of seeds.

7. The Pesticide Treadmill Nicaragua: The Cotton Experimental Center was established. For $1,000 pesticide corporations could test their products for commercial use. In order to avoid the expensive and rigorous testing procedure in their own countries. A lot of these chemicals were detrimental to the environment and to the people, so they were banned in places like the U.S. However, they were being sold in Nicaragua

8. The Pesticide Treadmill Phosvel: An organophosphate nerve toxin that causes disorders to the nervous system. People lose their coordination, abilities to work, talk and think clearly. It was banned from the U.S. However, it was sent to Central America and third world regions as part of a foreign aid program.

9. The Health Cost to Workers Pesticide poisoning continues to plague Central America as the number one cause of occupational illness. Many growers have their own clinics which prevents the workers from getting the full medical attention that they deserve. Other clinics and hospitals fail to report the poisonings to the state. Children account for about 15-20% of poisonings.

10. The Health Cost to Workers In El Salvador, workers lack protective laws in relation to pesticides and labor conditions. Their lives could be in danger if they speak up about their working conditions. One worker was tortured and killed and a doctor was kidnapped for reporting pesticide poisoning. 80% of workers live with close proximity to the fields and the some of the growers have plantations that are very close to the nearby residences and water ways. Mothers in these areas have been found to have 42 – 185 times more DDT in their breast milk than is deemed to be safe.

11. The Health Cost to Communities The malaria epidemic is a massive health threat in this region. However, in the 50s chemical programs using the hydrocarbons were used to get rid of the mosquitoes and it succeeded only to return with the use of use of hydrocarbons in the cotton industry. Now the levels of the disease have increased as these mosquitoes have grown resistance to the hydrocarbons. For every two pounds of insecticide added to the region 100 new cases of malaria will develop.

12. The Ecological Cost of Cotton The spraying of these chemicals contaminates the ground water sources, wildlife, fish, and rivers. The hydrocarbons are killing off a big number of the bird population because it affects their reproductive system. Contamination of water is also a problem because a lot of growers will dump the pesticide residues in the rivers and lakes, which will eventually be used by people and animals. This also affects other sources of income for countries such as the exports of fish and shrimp, that are depleting in numbers year after year.

13. The Circle of Poisoning: Cost to Consumers The American people and other nations are affected as well, because they consumer food that is produced in Central America under these conditions. This gets into everything from our fruits to the beef we eat. It is estimated that 14 or more of the meat entering the United States is contaminated. A lot of the meat that is distributed is not tested for some of these pesticide levels before it hits the market, because the testing takes time.

14. Conclusion To achieve and maintain profits, the lives of people and the state of our ecosystem is put at risk. The use of these chemicals is an issue that affects us all. We are putting our world at stake all in the name of capitalism.