A farm worker town with more pollution than LA or NY?

In past emails we've shared the conditions farm workers endure during the day--heat, abuse and pesticides. In addition, many farm workers must labor outdoors in unhealthy conditions. But the exposure does not stop there. After completing a 10 to 12 hour work day, too many San Joaquin Valley farm workers go home and live in some of the most heavily polluted areas in the country. The small farm worker town of Arvin lies in a rich agricultural area filled with vineyards and orange groves. It also has the dubious distinction of being the town with the most polluted air in America. We need you to take action today to ensure the air in this town is cleaned up.

Take action at: http://www.ufwaction.org/...

Arvin doesn't have factories or congested freeways like cities such as Los Angeles. It produces little pollution. However pollutants blow in from as far away as San Francisco and residents--most of them farm workers--are paying the price. They complain the air smells toxic. Everyone is put at risk--especially children. The situation is so bad that some parents are afraid to let their children play outside.

Doctors and public officials say asthma and other respiratory problems are common. Residents also complain of watery eyes, dry throats and inexplicable coughs, particularly in the summer, when temperatures can climb over 100 degrees and stay there for days.

Take action at: http://www.ufwaction.org/...

According to an Associated Press story that came out last weekend, Arvin's level of ozone, the primary component in smog, exceeded the amount considered acceptable by the EPA on an average of 73 days per year between 2004 and 2006. The San Francisco Bay Area averaged just 4 days over the same period.

Despite numerous health hazards, in April, the valley's air-quality board voted to extend the region's deadline to meet federal ozone standard by 11 years. They said cleaning up the air by the previous target date of 2013 was not possible.

Take Action at: http://www.ufwaction.org/...

This is just not true. The UFW has been working with The Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment to ensure an earlier compliance deadline, citing an independent report "Clearing the Air" by the International Sustainable Systems Research Center (ISSRC). The report found that with stricter regulations 95% of the Valley can reach compliance for ozone standards by 2013 and the remaining parts of the valley can be in compliance much sooner than 2024.

There is no need to extend deadlines until 2024 and put residents' health as risk for an extra decade!

Take Action at: http://www.ufwaction.org/...

California knows that extending the deadline to 2024 is the wrong decision. Gov. Schwarzenegger criticized the move when the California Air Resources Board approved the local board's extension last June. He then fired the board's chairman a few days later.

The California Air Resource Board--with its new chairman--will be meeting in September to approve the entire state plan. At this time they can over rule their previous decision and force compliance by an earlier date.

Please send your e-mail today to the CA Air Resource Board. Tell them to overrule their previous decision and do all they could to clean up the Valley’s air by 2013. There is no need to put people in danger by exposing them to a toxic environment for another decade.

Take Action at: http://www.ufwaction.org/...