As Chile makes a push to increase its produce exports, the country has begun to use more chemicals on farms, a trend that public health workers say has put farm workers at greater risk of skin disease, miscarriages, sterility, and cancer. A 1998 study in the region where 60 percent of Chile’s pesticides are used showed that residents there were 40 percent more likely to have kids born with defects than elsewhere in the country. Last year, Chile imported 15,000 tons of pesticides, nearly twice as much as in 1990. Almost anyone can buy highly toxic pesticides over the counter in Chile.
