1. Pesticide Use and Accident Framing: Why Scale Matters and Where to Go From Here
Lindsey Parsons
Pesticide use today is framed in such a way that drift and human exposure is disregarded
as a serious health risk. Harrison situates this lens as ‘accident’ framing. Drawing on the
literature of the politics of scale she describes the numbing of farm worker exposure as localized,
minimal and “not that significant given the amount of material applied” (pg 519). Harrison’s
quotes are compelling as she brings to light the hidden messages behind the ellipses and
thoughtfully paused commas. Within these spaces there is power. The word system is used
frequently in this framing disguising the partition between the human and machine involved in
farming. These quotes are convincing given the sources, yet I am struggling to see how incidents
of illness due to pesticide drift could be an accident. Pala’s article on Hawaii’s concern for
pesticide use unfolded this story further, noting that pesticide companies are actively
experimenting with new chemicals and GMO crops at a significantly higher rate than the
mainland. Furthermore, the use of pesticides and toxic chemicals is grandfathered into the law
and exemptions from the Federal government allow decreased compliance regulation of toxins.
In this way, power is clearly expressed through law, policy, corporate money and the relationship
between the three. I argue that ‘accident’ framing expresses the close relationship between
corporate money and policies, making pesticide use a normal, acceptable, ‘proceed without
caution’ activity and drift displayed as a rare and excusable side effect of the necessary drug.
Pala describes the situation in Hawaii as one where policy and law do not favor strict
regulation and where corporate power is strongly influencing legislation- not the other way
around. This brings me to say that a grassroots movement must be coupled with corporate power
and lawmakers against pesticide misuse. I feel that Pala does not describe a unique situation of
power in government and that if farmworkers or concerned citizens want to succeed in
organizing, they must mirror the structure of power. That is to say there are many ways to
address the problem from the top down, however, if change is the goal the movement must be
more substantial near the bottom. Penetrating the system from both ends will be necessary to
puncture and disentangle a ‘working system’.
One example of what such a movement would look like would be found in organizing
communities at a regional level and then state level where drift is most common (FL, CA, HI,
etc.) with the intention of scaling up the issue. Teaching community leaders to document
incidents of even mild pesticide exposure would be helpful, especially when resulting in any type
of rash or illness and including any information provided by a doctor or agency and warning
letters issued. Providing a work space to upload each community’s report collectively and
quarterly we could then create a database separate from the institutionalized information
provided to officials and regulators. This database could then be used as evidence that regulating
agencies and legislation are insufficient in reporting and caring for those affected by pesticides.
In the organizing method I propose, many different levels of professionals must be included for
the same purpose. This is where Hawaii is failing, the people who are affected directly by
impacts of pesticide exposure must collaborate with people like Dr. Green and Hooser who are

2. directly working with legislators to bring new bills forward. Joining to scale up the issue of
pesticides and GMOs is a necessary step in ensuring the success of other movements as well, for
example food sovereignty and fair foods. True change will be made when the relationships
between food law and money are severed in the interest of maintaining a healthy unscathed
population.
Harrison, Jill Lindsey. "‘Accidents’ and invisibilities: Scaled discourse and the naturalization of
regulatory neglect in California's pesticide drift conflict." Political Geography 25.5 (2006): 506-
529.
Pala, Christopher. "Pesticides in Paradise: Hawaii’s Spike in Birth Defects Puts Focus on GM
Crops." The Guardian, August 23 (2015).