DELAURO, DURBIN INTRODUCE BILL TO BAN CHILD LABOR ON TOBACCO FARMS

U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reintroduced legislation to protect child workers from the dangers of exposure to tobacco plants, including nicotine poisoning. The Children Don't Belong on Tobacco Farms Actamends the Fair Labor Standards Actto prohibit children under the age of 18 from working in tobacco fields and coming into direct contact with tobacco plants or dried tobacco leaves by deeming this type of work as oppressive child labor.

"Big Tobacco has spent decades profiting off children - by targeting them as customers and exploiting their labor," said DeLauro. "Right now, kids as young as 12 are working in tobacco fields, exposed to toxic levels of nicotine that can cause lasting harm. That is why I'm proud to join Senator Durbin in introducing the Children Don't Belong on Tobacco Farms Actto finally ban child labor in tobacco production. Children's health must come before corporate profit."

"Kids as young as 12 can be recruited to work on tobacco farms where they are exposed to toxic tobacco plants containing nicotine and may experience common symptoms of nicotine poisoning like nausea, vomiting, headaches, and dizziness. Putting a stop to this disgraceful labor practice is simple and common sense," Durbin said. "With the Children Don't Belong on Tobacco Farms Act, Congress can finally act to protect these kids before it's too late."

Although U.S. law prohibits children under the age of 18 from buying cigarettes, children as young as 12 are permitted to work in tobacco fields, where handling tobacco plants can lead to nicotine poisoning. Tobacco companies and growers' associations in the U.S. have adopted voluntary standards to limit child labor in tobacco work. However, researchers found that children under 16 were still working in tobacco more than a year after many companies announced that they would prohibit hiring workers younger than that age. This bill would codify this implicit agreement that a tobacco farm is no place for children to work.

A 2015 Human Rights Watch study based on interviews with 33 children working in North Carolina tobacco farms found that:

• Children working on tobacco farms worked up to 50-60 hours per week;
• Children experienced nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches, and sleeplessness while working on tobacco farms;
• Children worked in hot conditions with jobs ranging from harvesting tobacco plants to applying toxic pesticides;
• Children are directly exposed to those pesticides from spraying fields. Many pesticides used in tobacco production are known neurotoxins. Long-term effects include cancer, neurological deficits, and reproductive health problems.