• March 29, 2024

Move to ban children from tobacco farms

A US politician has introduced legislation to prohibit children from working on tobacco farms, according to a story by Cristina Marcos for The Hill.

David Cicilline, a Democrat of Rhode Island, said he had been inspired to address the issue after a Human Rights Watch report earlier this year documented how children working in tobacco fields were exposed to health risks, including tobacco poisoning.

The report found that the children often work long hours in tobacco fields without appropriate protective gear. Consequently, many of the children exhibited symptoms of nicotine poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, dizziness and headaches.

“It seems to me that exposing young people to those kinds of dangers is something we should prevent,” Cicilline said in an interview.

The full story is at: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/214491-bill-would-prevent-children-from-working-on-tobacco-farms