Poisoning Workers at the Bottom of the Food Chain

[Jon]

http://www.motherjones.com/environme...ers-poison-epa

That's Mexican migrant farm workers in the US rather than worker bees.
Workers who complain are often dismissed.
The main problem is from drifting sprays which is a strong argument for promoting seed treatments as opposed to spray treatments, imho.
Least worst option springs to mind.

Endosulfan is so toxic that, by summer 2010, the EPA banned its use, saying the pesticide "poses unacceptable risks to agricultural workers and wildlife."

Ah yes. I remember endosulfan and the campaign to stop it getting banned. All the bee forums including this one got spammed by posters from India where the stuff is still produced in industrial quantities.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not come out of this too well as it fails to investigate incidents and fails to keep proper records of pesticide poisoning.

I have watched Mexican farm labourers spraying pesticides from backpack sprayers with no protection at all, dressed in sandals, trousers and a T shirt, not even a simple face mask. Most of these people can't read Spanish let alone instructions in English.

The pesticide debate should sometimes be put in context.
neonicotinoids are far safer for mammals.
I think we can all agree that pesticide use is potentially dangerous for the environment but the issue is to sift out which products are least dangerous for people and wildlife.