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"Agricultural workers"
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Strike! : the farm workers' fight for their rights
A history of Cesar Chavez and the farm workers movement.
Book
Heat strain, volume depletion and kidney function in California agricultural workers
BackgroundAgricultural work can expose workers to increased risk of heat strain and volume depletion due to repeated exposures to high ambient temperatures, arduous physical exertion and limited rehydration. These risk factors may result in acute kidney injury (AKI).MethodsWe estimated AKI cumulative incidence in a convenience sample of 283 agricultural workers based on elevations of serum creatinine between preshift and postshift blood samples. Heat strain was assessed based on changes in core body temperature and heart rate. Volume depletion was assessed using changes in body mass over the work shift. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations of AKI with traditional risk factors (age, diabetes, hypertension and history of kidney disease) as well as with occupational risk factors (years in farm work, method of payment and farm task).Results35 participants were characterised with incident AKI over the course of a work shift (12.3%). Workers who experienced heat strain had increased adjusted odds of AKI (1.34, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.74). Piece rate work was associated with 4.24 odds of AKI (95% CI 1.56 to 11.52). Females paid by the piece had 102.81 adjusted odds of AKI (95% CI 7.32 to 1443.20).DiscussionHeat strain and piece rate work are associated with incident AKI after a single shift of agricultural work, though gender differences exist. Modifications to payment structures may help prevent AKI.
Journal Article
Atrazine use and markers of kidney function and nephrotoxicity among male farmers in the Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect in Agriculture Study
ObjectiveAtrazine, an herbicide widely used in US agriculture, has been associated with kidney cancer and non-malignant kidney disease. However, the potential mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. We evaluated atrazine use and biomarkers of kidney function and nephrotoxicity among male farmers in the Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect in Agriculture Study.MethodsOur investigation included three groups of farmers defined based on atrazine use: (1) both recent (last 3 months) and past use (continuous users; n=83); (2) high lifetime use (≥178.5 lifetime days) but no recent use (former high users; n=88) and (3) never/low lifetime use (<50 lifetime days) and no recent use (never/low users; n=75). Biomarkers were measured in serum (creatinine, cystatin C, urea nitrogen, uric acid) and urine (kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), albumin, creatinine). The 2021 CKD-EPI creatinine-cystatin C equation was used to calculate estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFRcr-cys). We estimated the percentage difference (95% CI) in each marker across groups using multivariable linear regression.ResultsCompared with farmers with never/low atrazine use, continuous users had statistically significantly lower eGFRcr-cys (−9.4%; 95% CI –16.1% to –2.2%) and higher serum creatinine (9.4%; 95% CI: 1.6% to 17.9%) and cystatin C (10.8%; 95% CI 2.0% to 20.4%); no associations with these markers were observed for the former high users. We also observed higher uric acid for both former high and continuous users and lower urea nitrogen for former high users, although these associations were not statistically significant. Urine albumin-creatinine ratio and KIM-1 levels did not differ across groups.ConclusionsOur findings add to the evidence that continued atrazine use is associated with diminished kidney function.
Journal Article
Câesar Châavez : fighting for migrant farmworkers
Câesar Châavez is best known for uniting Mexican American farmworkers and for his efforts to obtain civil rights for his people. He followed the nonviolent methods of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. A dedicated, stubborn religious leader, Châavez stuck to his cause in spite of tremendous obstacles. With numerous documented quotes from Châavez, union members, and even Pope Paul VI, the Châavez story recounts his difficult early life and how he inspired countless people to advocate for farmworker justice. Students will be guided through their reading with a glossary of important words, a timeline, and references for further reading on the topic.
Book
Effectiveness of interventions to promote pesticide safety and reduce pesticide exposure in agricultural health studies: A systematic review
There is a relationship between pesticide exposure and farmworkers' health. Well-conducted evaluations can provide an insight into how to develop and implement more effective interventions to prevent farmers and farmworkers' exposure to pesticides. This review aimed to summarize the literature on the effectiveness of interventions to promote pesticide safety and reduce pesticide exposure among farmers and farmworkers.
A comprehensive search on PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Agricola, NIOSHTIC, and Agris databases was performed to identify relevant studies published from 2000 to 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies assessing the effectiveness of interventions on a variety of outcomes related to pesticide exposure were considered. The searches were restricted to articles written in English. The methodological quality of included reviews was appraised using the Effective Public Health Practice Project quality assessment tool (EPHPP).
The initial search led to 47912 records, 31 studies of which including nine RCTs and twenty-two quasi-experimental studies met the criteria. The majority of the included studies focused on the educational/ behavioral approach. The studies that applied this approach were effective in improving the participants' knowledge and attitude; however, these interventions were less effective in terms of making changes in participants' behaviors and their risk of exposure to toxic pesticides. Multifaceted interventions were moderately effective in terms of improving farmers' and farmworkers' behaviors and reduction in exposure to toxic pesticides. We did not find any studies that had evaluated the effectiveness of engineering/technological, and legislation/enforcement interventions.
Although the majority of studies were based on an educational/behavioral approach and did not assess the effect of interventions on objective measures, the results of this review highlight the significant effectiveness of educational programs and some potential key elements of these interventions. These findings may inform policymakers to develop interventions to reduce pesticide exposure among farmers and farmworkers.
Journal Article
They Saved the Crops
At the outset of World War II, California agriculture seemed to be on the cusp of change. Many Californians, reacting to the ravages of the Great Depression, called for a radical reorientation of the highly exploitative labor relations that had allowed the state to become such a productive farming frontier. But with the importation of the first braceros-\"guest workers\" from Mexico hired on an \"emergency\" basis after the United States entered the war-an even more intense struggle ensued over how agriculture would be conducted in the state. Esteemed geographer Don Mitchell argues that by delineating the need for cheap, flexible farm labor as a problem and solving it via the importation of relatively disempowered migrant workers, an alliance of growers and government actors committed the United States to an agricultural system that is, in important respects, still with us. They Saved the Crops is a theoretically rich and stylistically innovative account of grower rapaciousness, worker militancy, rampant corruption, and bureaucratic bias. Mitchell shows that growers, workers, and officials confronted a series of problems that shaped-and were shaped by-the landscape itself. For growers, the problem was finding the right kind of labor at the right price at the right time. Workers struggled for survival and attempted to win power in the face of economic exploitation and unremitting violence. Bureaucrats tried to harness political power to meet the demands of, as one put it, \"the people whom we serve.\" Drawing on a deep well of empirical materials from archives up and down the state, Mitchell's account promises to be the definitive book about California agriculture in the turbulent decades of the mid-twentieth century.
eBook
Cesar Chavez : champion for civil rights
Meet Cesar Chavez. He was a Mexican-American farmworker and civil rights activist. Cesar spent many years picking crops. He worked with his family and a lot of other farmworkers. Cesar never forgot how hard the work wasor how unfairly pickers were treated. As an adult, he fought to improve the lives of all farmworkers in America.
Book
Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever serosurvey in humans for identifying high-risk populations and high-risk areas in the endemic state of Gujarat, India
Background
Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a highly infectious zoonotic disease of humans transmitted by
Hyalomma
ticks. Earlier studies have shown CCHF seroprevalence in livestock throughout India, yet sporadic outbreaks have been recorded mostly from the Gujarat state of India since 2011. Occupational vulnerability to CCHF for animal handlers, veterinarians, abattoir workers, and healthcare workers has been documented. The current study was planned to determine the seroprevalence of CCHF with an intention to identify the high -risk population and high -risk areas from Gujarat state, India.
Methods
Based on the socio-clinical data, the human population of Gujarat was divided into eight categories viz. A: CCHF affected person/house/close contact, B: Neighborhood contacts, C: Animal handlers, D: General population, E: Farmers, F: Abattoir workers, G: Veterinarian, H: Healthcare workers. A total of 4978 human serum samples were collected from 33 districts of Gujarat during year 2015, 2016 and 2017. All the samples were screened for the presence of anti-CCHFV IgG using indigenously developed anti-CCHFV IgG ELISA. Univariate regression analysis was performed to recognize significant risk factors for CCHF seropositivity.
Results
Twenty-five serum samples were found to be positive with an overall CCHF human seropositivity of 0.5% (95% CI 0.30–0.74%). Gender predisposition to CCHF prevalence was observed in males (OR: 2.80;
p-value
: 0.020). The risk for seropositivity increased sevenfold when a person was in contact or neighbor with a CCHF case (OR 7.02;
p-value:
< 0.0001). No significant difference in seropositivity was observed within different age groups. Veterinarians, healthcare workers, and control group were found to be seronegative for CCHF.
Conclusions
In-spite of CCHF sporadic outbreaks reported in Gujarat, the seropositivity for CCHF in the state was low as compared to other endemic countries. Males, close contacts and neighbors were identified as a high-risk population for CCHF infection. To recognize the high-risk area, tick screening and animal serosurvey would be a wiser choice. The study also suggests circulation and under diagnoses of CCHFV in the naïve regions of Gujarat.
Journal Article