The Hands That Feed You/ (Spanish Translation of title)
Time Code English
0:03 Javier: I began to suffer from this as if it
were something to do with my
nerves, but it wasnt nervousness. It
was some kind of convulsion. I would
have convulsions. Then, finally about
eight years ago, they detected
Parkinsons.
0:30 Javier: There were ten of us. We went
around spraying from a tractor. But,
there were eight of us who handled the
hose.
We signed up for not more than thirty
hours; knowing that we were being
exposed, that was all we were supposed ms lo leyeron en ingls. Y como uno no
to get. But the boss gave us sixty hours sabe, ah lo lo, lo tiramos pensando que
instead. I also never knew what kinds of no pasara nada. Pero no, si pasan
pesticides were used. They just read
something to us in English but when you
dont know what theyre saying you just
oh la la, well we just did it and you think
nothings gonna happen but things do
happen.
1:07 Lauro: There would be a team of people
doing the spraying manually. They had
direct contact with the pesticide, with the
pesticide. With hoses and spray in the
air with the hose. Then, after they would
spray while we were working next to
them, we would get headaches, wed
vomit, and well; there we were, wed be
right there.
1:34 Jesus H.: Whenever there are problems
because of the pesticides, your whole
body suffers. You get sick, its not good
for you to be inhaling it into your body.
1:49 Dr. Harrison: Weve gone from
recognizing that chemicals can have
Espaol
Javier: Empec a padecer lo que
pensaba que eran nervios pero no era
nervios. Eran como convulsiones que me
daban. Y finalmente hace ocho aos,
detectaron que tena Parkinson.
Javier: Andbamos diez rociando en un
tractor pero andaban ocho con la
manguera.
Firmamos para nos dieran no ms de 30
horas pero el mayordomo nos meti 60
horas. Tambin no supe que tipo de...no
cosas.
Lauro: Haba un equipo de trabajadores
quienes rociaban con la manguera
manual en contacto directo con la
pesticida y con mangueras de aire.
Rociaban all con nosotros trabajando al
lado. Luego suframos de dolores de
cabeza, vmito; y pues, all estbamos,
all estbamos.
Cuando uno sufre problemas por eso de
las pesticidas todo su cuerpo se deca
todo su cuerpo sufre por estarlo
respirando.
Dr. Harrison: Hemos llegado a reconocer
que las sustancias qumicas pueden dar
 acute toxicity, so immediate chemical efectos agudos. La toxicidad de
poisoning that occurs within minutes to sustancias qumicas puede dar efectos
hours or the same day. en cuestin de minutos, horas, o aun el
mismo da.

2:03 Dr. Harrison: Weve now moved towards
a much more advanced understanding
that those pesticides can affect
reproductive toxicity, can affect growth
and development in offspring, can pose
an increase risk of cancer, can cause
chronic neurological conditions like
Parkinsons disease.
Dr. Harrison: Hoy en da sabemos que
las pesticidas pueden afectar el sistema
reproductivo, pueden afectar el
desarrollo en los hijos, puede aumentar
el riesgo de cncer y pueden causar
enfermedades neurolgicas y crnicas
tal como la enfermedad de Parkinson.
ends at 2:32

2:44 Javier: Ten of us workers signed on it. Javier: 10 de nosotros compaeros de

Two of the co-workers have already los quienes dos ya murieron de cncer
died, of cancer, they died years ago. The hace aos. Entre los dems hay varios
rest are sick. There are a lot of them. I enfermos pero no recuerdo de donde
dont recall their names, but I remember son. Pero si, sus nombres: Vctor
where theyre from. But some of their Amezcua, Vctor Valencia, Josegar
names were: Victor Amescua, Vic Rodrguez. Los nombres de algunos de
Valencia, Josegar Rodriguez. Those are ellos.
a few of them.

Interviewer: And what happened to the Entrevistador: Y que le pas al patrn?

boss?
Javier: Tambin muri de cncer, porque
Javier: He also died of cancer since he l se suba al tractor a tirar el espray.
sprayed with the tractor.

3:20 Jesus L.: I think that there was no
education for us about pesticides. Even
when I was a farmworker, I see my
supervisors, you know, um telling us to
spray the pesticides without gloves,
without you know masks, without
goggles. I mean just...normal. Like
normal.
Then I remember when at one point I
was telling, you know, my supervisors,
you know, I was feeling dizzy. And I said
to him, I think it is for, for spraying right
now. And the guy said, No, no, no, no,
no. Look I mean I can wash my hands
with that and nothing happen to me.
And then he washed his hands with the
pesticide.
But I was not expecting the guy die in
that moment, you know, but I was
Jess L.: Creo que no haba educacin
para nosotros sobre los pesticidas.
Incluso, cuando yo era trabajador
agrcola vi que mis supervisores no nos
decan que no rociaramos las pesticidas
sin guantes sin mscaras, sin gafas. Eso
era normal.
Yo recuerdo un momento cuando yo le
deca a mi supervisor que me senta
mareado y, le dije, Creo que es por
andar rociando. Y el tipo dijo, No, no,
no, no, no. Mira, yo puedo lavarme las
manos con eso y nada me suceder.
Mira eso. Y entonces l se lav las
manos con los pesticidas.
Yo no esperaba que el tipo se muriera en
ese momento, pero yo estaba pensando:
eso no est bien, eso que el tipo estaba
 thinking: thats not right what that guy is haciendo, t sabes? Pero esa fue como
doing it, you know? But that was like in a una manera para decirnos que no
way to tell us, dont be afraid. Do what tuviramos miedo y que l hacia lo nos
we order you to do. peda que nosotros hiciramos.
Pero, yo quiero decirles que eso era la
But I think at that point, I mean there was ignorancia por parte de ellos tambin.
ignorance for them too.

4:43 Lauro: There werent a lot of regulations Lauro: En ese tiempo no haba muchas
back then, so youd just apply it on them. regulaciones. Mejor dicho, no haba
And, to say it another way, there wasnt mucho respeto a las indicaciones que se
a lot of attention paid with respect to daban.
application instructions.

5:14 Jesus L.: Its changing a lot, but its not
changing. Back then we not even had
chemical toilets in the fields. Now it is
rare to see a crew without chemical
toilets. There is no way now to see a
crew without water, drinking water in the
fields or water to wash the hands and all
that.
5:14Jesus L.: Est cambiando, pero no
cambia de verdad. En aquel entonces ni
tenamos letrinas en los campos. Ahora
es raro ver a un equipo sin letrinas
qumicas. Hoy es raro ver a un equipo de
obreros sin agua potable en los campos
o agua para lavarse las manos y todo
eso.

So we have all that in place right now, so As que tenemos todo eso disponible
a big a change for my years of working hoy, lo cual es un gran cambio entre mis
in the fields. Its a big, big change right aos de trabajo en el campo. Es un gran,
there. gran cambio.

But also, when I was working in 1970s, I Pero tambin, cuando yo trabajaba en la
mean the growers only had one crop in dcada 1970, los productores solo
the year. Now we have, they have crops cosechaban un cultivo por ao. Ahora
that takes only 30-35 days. So they have hay cultivos que se dan en solo 30-35
a lot of crops. So now they apply way, das. Hoy que se dan grandes
way more pesticides than like back then. cantidades de cultivos tambin se
aplican mucho, mucho ms pesticidas.

6:14 Javier: The supervisors will read things
for themselves, but they wont tell the
workers who have to spray the contents
anything about future illnesses. They
dont tell you. If you apply this this, you
may get headaches because of it, the
simplest things: your stomach may hurt,
just shower and drink water for the next
2 days and you will be fine, that is all
they tell you.
Javier: Los supervisores si lo leen para s
mismos pero no le dicen nada a los que
andan rociando sobre las posibilidades
de contratar enfermedades en el futuro.
No le explican a uno que al aplicar eso le
puede doler la cabeza, ni lo ms
sencillo: te pueden dar dolores de
cabeza, dolores de estmago, toma agua
por los prximos dos das, bate y todo
saldr bien. Eso es todo lo que te dicen.

6:45 Javier: I would fumigate for the company Javier: Todos los aos yo haca lo de la
every year, for as long as necessary. But fumigacin para la compaa, todo el
 the pesticides werent that strong until tiempo que fuera necesario, pero las
that year. It had a psychological effect on pesticidas no eran muy fuertes hasta
me. Because, in my opinion, my bones este ao. Esto me afect en lo
began to stiffen up. My arms, my left psicolgico segn yo por que se me
arm, my leg, my left leg, one side of my empezaban a tullir los brazos. Este brazo
body. It was like when youre about to izquierdo, la pierna izquierda, la mitad
have an embolism. del cuerpo como cuando le va dar un
mbolo.
On the last day of it, I couldnt go to
work. It was the worst for me because El ltimo da de trabajo ya no pude ir.
my body was just jerking back and forth. Esa semana fue la ms pesada porque
And that night, I remember, that night. se me sacuda el cuerpo. Y en la noche,
My wife...but I wanted to go to work. My me acuerdo que mi esposa me...yo tena
body would cramp-up and my wife would que ir a trabajar y yo con el cuerpo que
get on top of me and ask me: What is me brincaba. Mi esposa se me suba
it? Whats wrong? I didnt know what encima y me preguntaba, Que tienes?
was going on. It was if I was poisoned. I Que te pasa? Yo no saba que me
was finally able to calm down after I pasaba. Era como que me estaba
drank a glass of milk, but I couldnt go to envenenando. Finalmente me tome un
work. vaso de leche y con eso me calme. Pero
ya no pude ir a trabajar.

7:41 Interviewer: Did you receive any Entrevistador: Y recibi asistencia o

assistance or some type of help from the alguno tipo de ayuda de la compaa?
company?

Javier: No. Do you mean from the Javier: No. De la compaa? No, nada.
company? No, nothing. They fired me. Me corri por el ltimo da que no fui a
They fired me because I didnt show up trabajar...no pude ir.
at work on the last day...I couldnt go.

7:58 Jesus H.: And sometimes, when they Jess: A veces, cuando aplican
apply pesticides in some other part of pesticidas en otras partes del campo, el
the field, the wind will carry it viento se lo lleva a todos lados. Es un
everywhere. Its a big problem. gran problema.

The workers dont do anything. The
people just say, ok lets keep working.
Thats the problem. People sometimes
just let it go because they need to work
for a living, so they dont do anything.
Los obreros no hacen nada. La gente
dice, okay, sigamos trabajando. Ellos a
veces no hacen nada por la necesidad
que tienen de trabajar y por eso se dejan
sin hacer nada.

8:23 Jesus L.: Thats very normal. Thats the Jesus L.: Eso es muy normal. Esa es la
biggest reason people dont report that razn principal por la cual las personas
they got exposed to pesticides. Because no se quejan de que los han expuesto a
they know that if they go and report them las pesticidas. Porque saben que si lo
um theyre gonna be fired sooner or reportan ms tarde o ms temprano los
later. van a despedir.

8:37 Dr. Harrison: So when I look at data on Dr. Harrison: Cuando yo veo datos sobre
 farmworkers and pesticide illness, I have los obreros y enfermedades a raz de las
a high suspicion that this is just the tip of pesticidas, tengo la gran sospecha de
the iceberg because it is so que esto es solo la punta del cuento, ya
underreported. que es tan raro que lo reporten.

Me molesta que mis pacientes tengan

Im troubled that my patients have to que elegir entre su salud o el poder
make a judgement between their health ganarse la vida.
and their livelihood.

8:38 Lauro: The illnesses, the medical Lauro: Las enfermedades, los gastos
expenses, and the government mdicos y para el gobierno tambin,
expenses as well; because we poor porque pues uno de pobre te llenas de
people, we get infected full pesticides pesticida, te infectas. Como vas a pagar
and then when that happens, how are gastos mdicos? Gastos mdicos tan
we ever going to afford the medical costs costosos?
for this? Such extremely high medical
costs?

9:17 Jesus L.: I ask a guy, one of the tractor Jess L.: Le pregunte a un hombre,
drivers, how about if somebody offer conductor de tractores, que tal si alguien
you $20 to apply pesticides, and they tell le ofrece $20 para aplicar pesticidas, y le
you 15-20 years later, youre gonna die dicen que en 15-20 aos va morir por
applying the pesticides. Do you take the aplicar las pesticidas. Tomara el
work? And then the guy said, Yes. Oh trabajo? Y el tipo me dijo, Si. Oh, s.
yes.
Es decir que no lo pens dos veces.
I mean he dont think that twice. He right Inmediatamente dijo que s. Y yo le
away say yes. And I ask him, Why? He pregunte, Porque? l dijo, Porque yo
said, Cuz I not even have my life secure ni se si voy a vivir 20 aos. La gente
I gonna live 20 years. You know thats piensa as. Por lo tanto, an que sepan
the way people think. You know, so even que es peligroso, tienen que hacerlo.
though they know its dangerous, I mean Tienen que hacerlo por razones
they have to. They have to because its econmicas. O sea que est ligado a
tied to economic issues, its tied to family asuntos familiares. Es decir que as es
matters. I mean thats the way the como los aplicadores de pesticidas se
pesticide applicators, thats the way they ganan la vida. Entonces, como van a
survive. So how are they going to say no decir que no si ese es el nico trabajo
if thats the only job they have? que tienen?

10:40 Javier: I struggled hard to make a living. Javier: Iba luchndole a la vida. Pero ya
But this illness makes it a huge hurdle. con esta enfermedad me cuesta. Hasta
Then about two, three, three years ago, I que hace dos, tres, tres aos ya no pude
couldnt do it anymore. My kids would ms. Por donde quiera me arrastraban
take me; my kids would take me mis hijos para llevarme a un doctor o a
everywhere. Theyd take me from place otro, un neurlogo. Y aqu en Santa
to the other. To see the doctor, the Cruz, hasta que un neurlogo me
neurologist, and here in Santa Cruz; until recomend a Stanford. Y all fue donde
a doctor recommended I go to Stanford me hicieron la ciruga.
where I underwent surgery.
 And I hope this makes news so the world Y yo espero que esto haga noticias para
will know. Im not embarrassed. I would que el mundo lo sepa. Que lo sepan. A
like it to be known. I wish there was a m no me da pena. Quisiera que se
cure. Maybe not for me, but for others, hubiera una solucin. Tal vez no para m
for the future. pero para otros, para el futuro.

11:37 Dr. Harrison: So, I believe very much in Dr. Harrison: Yo creo mucho en lo que se
what is called Integrated Pest llama el Mantenimiento Integrado de
Management, or IPM, in which the Plagas Gestin, o IPM, en cual los
growers dont rely on toxic pesticides. productores no se valen de las pesticidas
And each crop has a class of insects and txicas. Cada cultivo tiene una clase de
pests, and each one of those has a insectos y plagas, y cada uno tiene una
particular solution. Um, much better for solucin particular y es mucho mejor
the health of the farmworkers, it also para la salud de los obreros agrcolas.
doesnt get on the vegetables that we No se le aplica a las verduras que
eat in the store, it then doesnt have comemos en las tienda, y no conlleva
effects on the community and our efectos contra ni el pblico ni nuestros
children. hijos.

So this principle of IPM or looking for As que la bsqueda del IPM o la

non-toxic alternatives is really the bsqueda de alternativas no txicas es
direction that were moving in. la direccin que debemos seguir.

12:15 Jesus L.: Like I know a grower, he was Jess L.: Yo conozco a un cultivador,
manage more than 5,000 acres and then que trata con a ms de 5,000 acres y
he start doing organic in about 10 acres. comenz con el sistema orgnico sobre
So in a few years, he already manage unos 10 acres. As que dentro de unos
5,000 acres in organic products. cuantos aos ya lleva 5,000 acres de
productos orgnicos.

12:31 Jesus H.: Thats why we, well I mean I,
have spent 15 years in the organic field,
and everything is going well. I like doing
it. Organically, its much better in every
way.
Jess H: Es por eso que ya llevamos 15
aos dedicado al campo orgnico y todo
va bien. Lo orgnico es lo superior en
todo aspecto.

12:45 Dr. Harrison: The more we move Dr. Harrison: Entre ms nos enfoquemos
towards um a diversity of crops, locally en la diversificacin de cultivos y a
sourced food, then farmworker health is comida de orgenes locales la salud de
going to be uh much better. Were gonna los obreros agrcolas mejorara mucho.
prevent the cases that come into my Podremos evitar los casos de de
office of pesticide poisoning. pesticidas que hoy veo en mi oficina.
13:05 Lauro: I think communities, those Lauro: Yo creo que los ojos de la
concerned about the environment, the comunidad, los ojos de los que se
unions, people of goodwill. People who, preocupan por el medio ambiente, las
who want to have a healthy product uniones, y la gente de buena fe que
along with the right and just treatment of quiere un alimento bueno y un trato
laborers need to keep an eye on whats digno y justo para los obreros deben
going on in the field. mantener los ojos fijados en vigilancia de
lo que sucede en el campo.
Talk to politicians over there Sacramento
or in the White House and start a Hablar con los polticos en Sacramento y
movement because it wont happen any la Casa Blanca, alzar un movimiento
other way. Have demonstrations, create porque si no nada cambiara. Hay que
events, raise consciousness. realizar manifestaciones, lanzar
actividades, alzar la voz.

13:44 Javier: I would like to see the employers
not continue to get away with doing
things the way theyre used to doing
them. Id like to see them be more
closely scrutinized so that we can one
day enjoy healthy childhoods, have
healthy young people, and above all,
that we can have more jobs for the
young people.
Javier: A m me gustara ver que los
patrones no siguieran con lo mismo, que
no se les permita hacer todo lo que
quieran. Me gustara que los vigilaran a
fondo para que en un futuro podamos
disfrutar de una niez sana para los
jvenes para una juventud sana. Y sobre
todo que se encuentre ms trabajo para
esos jvenes.