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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Ischaemic heart disease among livestock and agricultural workers.

BACKGROUND: Agricultural workers are exposed to organic dust containing endotoxins, mites, and moulds. AIMS: To compare the occurrence of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) among male and female livestock and agricultural workers with gainfully employed men and women in Sweden. METHODS: Male and female livestock and agricultural workers were identified in the Swedish National Censuses of 1970 and 1990 and were followed until the end of 1995. The IHD mortality among the livestock and agricultural workers was compared with that of gainfully employed men and women. Information of smoking habits was gathered from a previous national survey. RESULTS: Male as well as female livestock workers had slightly higher standardised mortality ratios (SMR) regarding IHD compared with all gainfully employed men and women in Sweden. The SMR for male workers was 1.06 (95% CI 0.95 to 1.18). The SMR for female workers was 1.10 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.23). Agricultural workers had lower SMRs. Adjustments for smoking habits would further increase the SMRs by about 9% in male workers and about 5% in female workers. CONCLUSION: The present data suggest a slightly increased risk for IHD among both male and female livestock workers, which may be the result of organic dust exposure.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Problems associated with the use of chemicals by agricultural workers.

The agricultural productivity in Pakistan is hampered by insects, diseases, and weeds, which are reported causing losses ranging up to 50%, estimated at a total value of over 900 million U.S. dollars. The use of pesticides in Pakistan started in 1954 with 254 metric tons of formulation, increasing to the level of 16,226 metric tons in 1976-77. Since the import and use of pesticides was in the public sector, the promulgation of the Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance was delayed to 1971 and the Rules to 1973. Under these Rules exist provisions necessary for the registration, marketing, and safe use of pesticides. Through the Agricultural Pesticides Technical Advisory Committee consisting of members drawn from the various Federal and Provincial agencies relevant to the subject, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Government of Pakistan, is responsible for its implementation, but no regular agency for monitoring the implementation of the Rules exists. The extent of health hazards to agricultural workers as a result of exposure to pesticides, among other things, depends on the socioeconomic and educational background of their society, the local laws governing registration, and the scientific and regulatory institutional setup of the country. The above factors, of particular relevance to Pakistan, are discussed.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed2002

Case studies of violations of workers' freedom of association: migrant agricultural workers.

As part of its report "Unfair Advantage: Workers' Freedom of Association in the United States under International Human Rights Standards," Human Rights Watch conducted a series of case studies in a dozen states, covering a variety of industries and employment sectors, analyzing the U.S. experience in the light of both national law and international human rights and labor rights norms. Presented here are the case studies of migrant agricultural workers.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2003

Higher birth weight and lower prevalence of low birth weight in children of agricultural workers than in those of workers in other occupations.

Agricultural occupation has been associated with different reproductive outcomes. This study examined the relation between mean birth weight (MBW) and the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) and paternal occupation in 1995-1998. Births and late fetal deaths were analyzed (n = 1,097,817). Paternal occupation was grouped into four categories: professionals and managerial; clerical, sales and service; manual; and agricultural workers. We estimated the difference between the MBW and the prevalence ratio of LBW in each occupational group as compared to the group of professionals and managerial workers. The adjusted difference in the MBW of the children of each occupational category was -8.9 g, -17.2 g, and 16.9 g, respectively. The adjusted prevalence ratio for LBW was 1.04, 1.08, and 0.91. Our results suggest a higher birth weight and lower prevalence of LBW in children of fathers who are agricultural workers.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Improved estimation of dermal pesticide dose to agricultural workers upon reentry.

Agricultural workers reentering fields after pesticide application to engage in hand labor activities are subject to potentially significant dermal exposures to residues on foliage and in soil. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for assessment of post-application exposures were originally described in the 1984 Pesticide Assessment Guidelines Subdivision K which is currently undergoing revision. A successor document will eventually appear as Series 875, Group B Postapplication Exposure Monitoring Test Guidelines. Regulatory protocols found in these documents utilize dislodgeable foliar residues, foliage-to-human-transfer coefficients, and duration of activity to estimate exposure. Dermal absorption factors are then used to estimate dose. However, the experiments from which absorption factors are derived typically involve constant or nearly constant exposures which are not consistent with assumed field exposure conditions. This can lead to inconsistent interpretation and questionable dose estimates. An AFL-CIO challenge to procedures used by EPA to estimate the dose of the fungicide captan [N-trichloromethylthio-4-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboximide] to strawberry harvesters, which elicited a response from EPA, provides a useful opportunity for examination of the derivation and use of absorption factors. An improved, but still relatively simple, method for dermal dose estimation featuring explicit treatment of the time dependence of absorption has been developed. A benefit of the proposed method is capability for consideration of the effect of delay in post-shift washing on dose.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1990

Epidemiologic studies of cancer in agricultural workers.

The incidence of cancer in agricultural workers is generally low, in part due to the low prevalence of cigarette smoking in this group. However, agricultural workers have elevated risks for several specific cancer types including leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the lip, stomach, prostate, brain, and connective tissue. Two major groups of risk factors have been proposed as causes of hematologic malignancies in agricultural workers. The first group includes various agricultural chemicals. In particular, several studies have found increased risks of malignant lymphoma and soft tissue sarcoma in persons exposed to phenoxy herbicides. However, the evidence is inconsistent and there is a wide variation in relative risk estimates. The second group of risk factors includes various animal viruses. There is currently little evidence concerning the zoonotic nature or human carcinogenicity of these viruses. However, leads have been suggested by recent evidence of increased risks of hematologic malignancies in abattoir workers, veterinarians, and meat inspectors. A third hypothesis, for which little evidence is currently available, is that agricultural work may involve prolonged antigenic stimulus leading to lymphoproliferation. The factors responsible for the increased risks for cancers other than hematologic malignancies are not well understood but may also involve exposure to chemicals or viruses.

Abattoirs↗
PubMed2006

Workers' compensation experience of Colorado agriculture workers, 2000-2004.

BACKGROUND: Agriculture is among the most hazardous of occupations. The lack of information regarding agriculture injuries or fatalities has been recognized as an obstacle for effective injury prevention. Workers' compensation claims data for non-fatal injuries among agriculture and agri-business workers in the State of Colorado between the years of 2000 and 2004. METHODS: Workers' compensation claims are utilized to estimate injury claim incidence rates, determine the distributions of sources, causes, types and body locations of injuries, and estimate the costs of these injuries. RESULTS: Colorado agriculture and agri-business workers (e.g., cattle dealers, cattle or livestock raisers, dairy farmers) have high rates of injury claims, especially in sectors that involve interaction with animals or livestock. Grain milling operations had a high rate of injury claims among agri-business operations. Injuries related to animals, strains, machinery, and falls or slips were the most frequent among all occupations analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the occurrence of injuries among Colorado agriculture and agri-business workers is critical to implementing and evaluating effective intervention programs for specific agriculture-related occupations. The development of safety interventions that address the worker-animal interface, fall protection systems, machinery usage, and overexertion prevention strategies is recommended.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2001

Field conditions for agricultural workers in the El Paso, Texas region.

Agricultural workers labor long hours under difficult conditions in many of the nations fields and orchards. Agricultural workers are primarily minority populations, the most dominant group being Hispanic/Latino. The Rural Coalition and the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute were funded under the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Environmental Justice Program, to investigate health and environmental issues that impact agricultural workers along the Texas-Mexican border area. A Spanish-language field conditions survey was developed and distributed to the workers entering the Sin Fronteras Organizing Project in El Paso, Texas. There were 841 valid surveys collected and analyzed for the calendar year 1998. Workers age mean was 51, with 18.6 years of work experience in agriculture. In the time period surveyed, workers labored for 7.2 hours per day. The primary crop in which they worked were chilies. Of particular concern were issues concerning food, water, and hygiene. Almost all workers stated they had access to fresh drinking water (97 percent), 20 percent did not have access to food, and 30 percent were offered alcohol for purchase. Almost one-third of the workers did not have water available for hand washing in the field. Only 8 percent of the workers reported pesticides used in the fields in which they were working; this number is lower and may be a reflection of the improved training and caution taken by the workers. Clearly additional research in the area of field conditions and the impact and enforcement of state and federal regulation needs to be carried out.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

A community-based telephone survey of work and injuries in teenage agricultural workers.

In order to estimate the one-year cumulative incidence of work-related injuries in teenage agricultural workers and to characterize the patterns and types of agricultural work performed by teenagers, we performed a community-based random-digit dialing telephone survey. We used a sampling frame of farm and non-farm households to access information on teenage agricultural workers. An agricultural community in eastern Washington State was selected due to the high number of teenage youth and its agricultural economy. Teenage agricultural workers who worked for an agricultural business owned by one of their family members were more likely to work a greater number of seasons, work fewer hours per week, perform tasks involving driving, animal care, and mechanic work, and were less likely to be seasonal workers or work in the harvest than teenagers who did not work for a family member. A similar pattern of work differences was seen when comparing non-Hispanic to Hispanic agricultural workers. Teenagers working for a family member in agriculture had a higher injury rate than teenagers working for an agricultural business not owned by a family member. The injury rate among Hispanic teenage agricultural workers was also higher than that of non-Hispanics.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2004

Agricultural workers' return to work following spinal cord injury: a comparison with other industry workers.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of spinal cord injury on employment outcomes as experienced by agricultural workers in comparison with persons employed in other industries. Because of the challenges associated with working in many of the agricultural industries, it was anticipated that agricultural workers would achieve inferior return-to-work outcomes. METHOD: Survey of all employed persons who experienced a traumatic spinal cord injury in southeastern Australia between 1990 and 1996 (inclusive). RESULTS: Contrary to expectation, agricultural workers had a significantly higher rate of return to work (61.7% vs. 41.1%). However, an investigation into the hours spent working and agricultural workers' satisfaction with their employment activities, indicated that most were underemployed and had the potential to achieve even better outcomes. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that more can be done to help injured agricultural workers achieve their employment potential.

Adult↗
PubMed1965

Primary cutaneous coccidioidomycosis in agricultural workers.

Each of two Filipino agricultural workers experienced coccidioidal infection, characterized by a solitary skin lesion, by regional lymphadenopathy, and by a benign clinical course, without evidence of involvement of the lungs or other viscera. It is believed that these are cases of primary cutaneous coccidioidomycosis incurred under "natural" conditions. A similar interpretation seems acceptable for at least six other reported cases.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed2026

Healthcare Access and Safety Training Gaps Among H-2 A Visa Agricultural Workers in Georgia.

The H-2 A Temporary Agricultural Workers Program, which supplies seasonal labor essential to U.S. food security, has grown over 230% in the past decade but is excluded from the National Agricultural Workers Survey. Although safety training is federally mandated and H-2 A workers are eligible for Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace coverage, compliance and healthcare access among these workers remain poorly documented. The aim of this pilot study was to assess workplace safety training, heat acclimatization practices, health insurance awareness and enrollment, and healthcare utilization among H-2 A workers in Georgia. In summer 2024, bilingual research assistants orally administered a cross-sectional Spanish-language survey to 51 H-2 A workers at a South Georgia laundromat, in partnership with the Latino Community Fund Georgia. The survey assessed demographics, occupational characteristics, safety training, heat acclimatization, health insurance awareness and enrollment, and healthcare utilization. Findings are self-reported. Among participants, 41% reported not receiving federally mandated pesticide safety training, and 59% received heat illness prevention training. Heat acclimatization was inadequate for 53% (29% received none). Additionally, 53% did not know the nearest hospital, 43% reported having health insurance, and 25% were unsure of their health insurance status. Overall, 71% had never visited a doctor's office, and of 22 insured workers, only 1 (2%) had used benefits this season. Substantial gaps in workplace safety training, heat acclimatization, and healthcare access were observed in this pilot study, consistent with prior evidence of persistent disparities in this population. Community-based outreach, bilingual health navigation, and market-based labor accountability models warrant further investigation to improve protections for H-2 A workers.

Agricultural workers↗