Aerial Spraying of Pesticides - One Family's story and Tragedy

Why she got involved

Marianna Cates, a homemaker and SELF subscriber, was weeding her organic garden in New York's Uster County, the heart of the state's apple-gowing region, when a plane swooped low and dusted her with pesticide. "The plane came so close I could see the pilot's face," she says. "I was coated with white powder." Over 25 growing seasons, Cates estimates, crop sweepers have dumped pesticides on her neighborhood three times a week. Later, she began to worry about the effects of the poison on her family's health, so she contacted the state's Department of Environmental Conservation. Her complaints were ignored. That was in 1983. Three years later, Cates was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then in 1991, brain cancer struck her daughter, Susan. Doctors found lung cancer in her husband the same year. According to Cates, her farming community has one of the highest incidences of brain, breast, testicular and prostate cancers in the country. "I'm tired of seeing bald heads," she says (a side effect of chemotherapy). "It's a living hell. There's a half-mile stretch of road here where there are 20 cancers." Despite the epidemic, Cates says, few wanted to believe there might be a link between chemicals and cancer in Ulster County. "The Farm Bureau is all-powerful here," she says. "They don't even want to look at alternatives to pesticides."

How she fought back

To break the silence, Cates founded the Cancer Awareness Coalition in 1993. Since then, she has spoken to dozens of farmers' organizations and created a support group for cancer victims. "I don't blame the farmers," Cates says. "They're victims too. I blame the big chemical companies that are getting rich by killing us." Aerial spraying has sharply declined in her area of Ulster County. But Cates, whose breast cancer has spread to her lymphatic system, takes no solace from the change. "Banned carcinogens like DDT are still being shipped to places like Brazil," she says. "And Brazilian fruit is being shipped back to us." In the meantime, Cates intends to expand her crusade. "It's what keeps me going," she says. "We don't have much time."

How to apply her lessons 

To find out about putting pressure on pesticide manufacturers, contact the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides (202-543-5450) or the Bio Integral Resource Center (Box 7414, Berkeley, CA 94707). If you're worried about pesticides, eat organic produce. Also, stop using chemicals on your lawn and garden, and think twice before spraying for household pests.

[Note:  since publication of this story, Ray Cates and Susan Cates have both succumbed to cancer.]