The rest is harvested in the adjacent counties of Hendry, Glades and Martin. In Florida, 75% of sugar is grown in the Glades region of Palm Beach County.

The two other states where sugar is grown are Texas and Louisiana. Education Department concludes that residents of areas such as the Glades that are frequently exposed to large burns experience a greater amount of “respiratory distress.” The Environmental Protection Agency has said residents are exposed to hazardous air pollutants on par with some urban areas.īut an analysis last year by the American Lung Association and data compiled by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection both concluded that air quality in Palm Beach County was up to code.Ī class-action lawsuit filed in June against nearly a dozen sugar companies in the region - which leads the nation in sugar production - claims the burns reduce property values and compromise air quality with toxic carcinogens. Research in Florida on the potential health consequences of sugar cane burning has produced conflicting results: A 2015 study funded by the U.S.

The fires can produce sooty plumes of smoke that hover over the surrounding communities and dust the area with burnt flakes of plant matter.

In several major sugar-producing countries such as Brazil, the practice is being phased out due to health concerns. In the Glades community alone, home to more than 40,000 people, cane growers burned more than 1.5 million acres (2 million hectares) of sugar cane between 20 - a land mass about the size of Delaware - according to state data. At times, she says, the poor air quality makes it difficult to keep up with her friends when playing outside.įor generations, Florida’s sugar cane farmers have legally set fire to their fields prior to the harvest, leaving only the cane, a practice that reduces transportation costs because they ship the cane without the surrounding vegetation. Kaniyah says it 'stuffs up' her nose and stains her clothes. The 'snow' is an airborne byproduct of the disputed practice of burning sugar fields before harvests. 'That black stuff irritates me,” Kaniyah said, sighing.

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