"We begin to see a pattern: the disproportionate and unfair burden that the Bush administration policies place on Latino communities in particular," said Sierra Club board member Robbie Cox.

The study, "Latino Communities at Risk," he said, "tells the story of twelve families and individuals who have been impacted by the policies of the Bush administration in communities throughout this country and on the borders."

The bilingual report said many Latinos suffer from Bush policies: "Children who suffer from asthma and air pollution, farm workers who have been poisoned by the pesticide methyl bromide, workers in unsafe industrialized farms who have been injured and parents who cannot feed their kids fish because of the concentration of mercury."

"Study after study indicates Hispanics living in some of the most-polluted urban and rural areas in the country," said Javier Sierra, a member of the club, which has 750,000 members.

"We have to understand that Latinos are at risk: 80 percent of Latinos live in the 437 counties where air quality fails to meet standards," said Mary Echaveste, who worked with former president Bill Clinton.

TERRA.WIRE