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Intern or Volunteer with PANNA: Current Projects

Current projects

We currently have the following projects available.

Persistent Pesticides

Persistent pesticides include both Persistent Organic Pollutant pesticides and chemicals that are "persistent" due to their constant and widespread use. POPs wreak havoc around the globe because they are toxic, remain in the environment for long periods, travel great distances and accumulate in the fatty tissue of people and other animals, leading to chemical body burdens that cause adverse health effects. Persistent pesticides that are not POPs chemicals break down more rapidly and do not bioaccumulate, but they are found everywhere - in air, water, foods, dust, soils and surfaces - due to their constant reintroduction into the environment. Projects in this area include:

  • Work with an international network to press for ratification and implementation of an international treaty to ban POPs pesticides;
  • Contribute to public education efforts about persistent pesticides still in use in the U.S. which are not covered under the treaty.

Body burdens of pesticides

Recent work by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) demonstrates that most people in the U.S. carry a "body burden" of toxic chemicals from a variety of sources. Our pesticide body burden increases throughout the course of our lives with ongoing exposure to contaminated air, water and food. Some pesticides stay in our bodies for decades and are passed to the next generation. Others may stay only a matter of days or even hours, but are "persistent" because they are constantly used, so we are continuously exposed. Projects in this area include:

  • Research and public education on the occurrence, sources and health effects of pesticides in humans and animals. Good communication skills required.
  • Work with data from the Centers for Disease Control documenting pesticides in people. Expertise in statistics and data analysis desirable.
  • Track legislative efforts related to biomonitoring. Good research and writing skills desirable.

Visit the body burden web site at: http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org.

Monitoring the World Bank

The program involves investigating World Bank (WB) projects and analyzing lending strategies likely to increase use of pesticides and transgenic crops in the global South, as well as conducting advocacy to push the World Bank to adopt more sustainable approaches to agriculture. Available project activities include:

  • Develop fact sheets on economic and other risks of transgenic crops;
  • Conduct background research on selected WB projects;
  • Update our database of WB projects;
  • Translate our guide to monitoring the WB's pesticide policies (into Spanish, French and other languages);
  • Communicate with partner groups and networks around the world;

Good research, writing and internet skills desired. Spanish and French language skills a plus.

Corporate accountability and industrial agriculture

  • Research corporations and the industrial food system
  • Develop online corporate profiles of the top pesticide corporations
  • Assist with corporate campaigning
  • Organize long-term change strategy dialogues

Visit our Corporate Accountability and Industrial Agriculture page.

Workers' rights

Farm workers are on the front lines of pesticide exposure and suffer more acute and chronic illness than any other group. Projects in this area include:

  • Assisting with projects within our Campaigns Department designed to eliminate or severely reduce some of the most hazardous pesticides: (1) soil fumigants that are used in large quantities and move easily through the air contaminating workers and residents; and (2) organophosphorus insecticides -- these nerve toxins are responsible for the largest number of reported acute poisoning s among farm workers .
  • Supporting ongoing work to strengthen protections of farmworkers. This includes training on pesticide hazards and workers rights as well as collective efforts across the country to improve federal or state regulations regarding pesticide use and worker protections.
  • Helping to research and document pesticide exposure and pesticide-related poisonings. Many, perhaps most pesticide-related illnesses never get reported because victims and their healthcare providers fail to recognize or report such illnesses. Pesticide manufacturers and applicators point to a lack of evidence to support the continued indiscriminant use of hazardous pesticides. Help PAN educate workers, rural residents and healthcare workers about the hazards of pesticides and how and why to report pesticide-related illnesses.

Latin America

Translate Spanish documents describing PAN Latin America activities and issues into English and prepare English language articles for PANNA publications. Current issues include a Central America campaign to ban the New Dirty Dozen -- a list of 12 pesticides responsible for an estimated 400,000 poisonings each year in the region; large-scale pesticide poisoning “accidents”; and a U.S.-supported anti drug campaign in Colombia involving massive aerial applications of hazardous pesticides.

Working for pesticide-free schools and communities

Work through PAN with the Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR) coalition on statewide public health & environmental issues, doing education work around the Healthy Schools Act, organizing work around pesticide drift, environmental justice and pesticides, and communications and media work. Additional CPR projects are available. Visit the CPR campaign page to find out more.

Pesticide reform in Contra Costa County, California

Not many studies have been conducted on the volume and profile of pesticides used in residential neighborhoods distant from agricultural areas. Parents for a Safer Environment, based in Moraga, California, is investigating the profile and volume of pesticides being applied in local parks and residential neighborhoods. If you’re downwind from a neighbor(s) who sprays pesticides on a scheduled basis, i.e. many contractors spray on a monthly basis, your family may be exposed to more pesticides than you are aware of. We are working to decrease the use of pesticides by town residents and public grounds/facilities alike and help encourage the adoption of integrated pest management. Activities include:
  • Investigate the use of pesticides being sprayed in local parks throughout Contra Costa County and in your neighborhood with our assistance
  • Work with neighbors to distribute information on the toxicity of pesticides being used in your neighborhood and provide safer alternatives illustrated on IPM handouts.
  • Network with other programs that are using safer alternatives successfully or have interest in reducing pesticides such as Clean Water Programs.
  • Inform and present to local civic groups and clubs for endorsements and meet with local city councils to adopt integrative pest management and possibly posting/notification ordinances.
NOTE: This internship is with a member group of Californians for Pesticide Reform. If you would like to participate in this internship and need course credit for it, please submit your application directly to the Intern Coordinator. If course credit is not required, please respond directly to Susan Junfish at Parents for a Safer Environment, junfish@earthlink.net or call 925-283-4609. For more information on Parents for a Safer Environment visit: www.pfse.net.

Pesticide drift in California

Airborne pesticides from both agricultural and home and garden pesticide applications pose unacceptable risks to neighbors and workers. PAN and Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR) have recently launched a campaign in California to document drift and work to change state, local and national policies to eliminate this source of toxic air pollution. See our report on pesticide drift: Secondhand Pesticides: Airborne Pesticide Drift in California.
  • Help create our new Drift campaign web site. Familiarity with html formatting of documents for web use is desirable. Willingness to learn is sufficient.
  • Help develop and test the Drift Catcher, a new air sampling device we are creating to help communities document pesticide exposures. Chemistry background and laboratory experience required.
  • Work with communities directly impacted by pesticide drift and help them learn to use the Drift Catcher to document pesticide exposures in their communities. Ability to speak Spanish desirable. A car is essential. Mileage will be reimbursed.
  • Create maps of pesticide use to help target sampling sites. Knowledge of ArcView desirable, but not essential. This is a good opportunity to learn how to make GIS maps.

PAN Pesticide Database

The PAN Pesticide Database is the most extensive source of freely available pesticide information on the Internet, offering basic chemical information on pesticides, toxicity and ecotoxicity, phsyical properties, regulatory status, symptoms of poisoning, and much more. Projects include:
  • Find the latest information on pesticides and prepare it for use in the PAN Pesticide Database by parsing html and pdf files and correctly exporting tables and excel files into a Filemaker database. Good computer skills and attention to detail are essential. Familiarity with databases and programming a plus.
  • Assist with classification and grouping of chemicals in the database. Use ChemDraw to create chemical structure drawings for pesticide chemicals. Expertise in organic chemistry required (at least one semester of organic).
  • Edit and write documentation to accompany different data sets. Entails reading about the different data sets and explaining in lay language any technical details required to understand the information. For an example, see our Cancer documentation page. Ability to understand technical information and explain it to others, as well as good writing skills, are required.
  • Help keep web site links up to date, using a partially automated system.

Communications and Media

This project involves working with PANNA staff to communicate with our members, the media, and partner groups. Projects include:

  • Prepare and send press releases, updates and action alerts; respond to selected information requests; and improve our media outreach capacity;
  • Ongoing publication and promotion of PANNA articles, reports and other documents with email news updates published weekly, and other reports as needed;

Much of the content is based on information from other programs, so it would be appropriate to work jointly for this program in conjunction with another.Good writing, editing, proof-reading and research skills desired.

Web and other Internet projects

  • Locate and evaluate online resources;
  • Assist in development, maintenance and promotion of several PANNA Web sites and our intranet.

Development projects

These projects involve working with PANNA development staff to raise funds to
support the operation of the organization. Activities include:

  • Research: finding appropriate foundations and corporate grant programs as well as gathering information on individual donors.
  • Writing: small grant proposals or short promotional pieces for our member newsletter.
  • Requesting donations: calling existing PAN members for support as well as seeking donations of products from various companies.

Good writing, research, and people skills desired.

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