Lawmakers Ask That Children Be Prohibited From Working On Tobacco Farms

A coalition of congressional Democrats is urging the Obama administration to prohibit children from working on tobacco farms, citing concerns about ill health effects.

The lawmakers made their plea in a letter to U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez.

A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday. The letter doesn't specify an age limit, but a spokesman said lawmakers would prefer the ban apply to children under 18.

Legislators cited a Human Rights Watch report issued in May which said nearly three-quarters of the children it interviewed reported vomiting, nausea and headaches while working on tobacco farms. Those symptoms are consistent with nicotine poisoning, often called green tobacco sickness. This occurs when workers absorb nicotine through their skin while handling tobacco plants.

The report was based on interviews with more than 140 children working on farms in North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, where a majority of the country's tobacco is grown. The U.S. Labor Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.