Any such chemicals that aren't absorbed run off into the ground, causing water contamination. Pesticides and other agrochemicals can cause problems directly for laborers as well. Thousands of Costa Rican banana workers are rendered infertile by nematicides, and thousands more are at risk of the same fate. In the 1970s, at least 73,230 pesticide poisonings occurred there. These poisonings aren't just limited to Costa Rica; Honduras and Nicaragua led the world in pesticide illness and death per capita in the 1960s and 70s, and Nicaraguans and Guatemalans have more DDT in their systems than anyone else in the world (Faber 1993a:54). Although much of these effects could be limited by protective clothing, employers often do not provide their laborers with these necessities. Only 10 to 15 percent of Nicaraguan field workers have them (Faber 1993a:54).
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