Much of inland California is rural and poor, a sharp contrast with hip, upscale coastal life. Residents in the rural regions sometimes live with a high degree of pollution. Producer Devin Robins visited three women who became activists over concerns for their communities’ health.

Transcript:

YOUNG: It’s Living on Earth, I’m Jeff Young. California’s Central Valley includes the fourth poorest Congressional district in the country. It’s a region where towns are small, streets are often unpaved, and modest homes sit beside busy agricultural fields. It’s also a region beset by environmental problems. That, in turn, has given rise to environmental organizing. Producer Devin Robins spent time with some Central Valley mothers to learn about their work for healthier communities in hardscrabble country.

[SOUNDS OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC]

ROBINS: Off a dusty portion of Highway 99, a green sign reads “Earlimart: Population 7,000.” The town earned its name almost a century ago because crops like grapes, potatoes and nuts could be harvested early here. 51-year-old Teresa DeAnda grew up across the street from the fields where both her parents worked. She learned about pesticides young.

DEANDA: I remember wanting to go hug my dad after work and I’d run up to him and he would say “No, no azufre, azufre – sulfur, sulfur, you can’t run up to me it’ll make you itchy.” I knew that what’s outside and in the fields should not come in the house.

ROBINS: Hazardous pesticides such as Endosulfan and Dursban, which is banned for use in homes, are commonly used in the fields across the street from Earlimart. Diesel exhaust from trucks and tractors is also prevalent. As a mother, DeAnda saw a blasé acceptance developing in her children.

DEANDA: My daughter Tina when she saw a little girl she said, “Oh, that’s Mirabelle and she has three fingers because of the pesticides,” and I said, “She has three fingers?” and she said, “Yeah, and she knows it’s from the pesticides.”