Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons^™

Grower Perceptions Of Safety Hazards And Associated Injuries Among Farmworkers Involved In Northwest Potato Production, Cynthia Curl, Karin Adams, Rachel Phinney, Matthew Blua

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Potatoes are a vital part of the Pacific Northwest’s agricultural economy. As in many agricultural industries, workers involved in potato production may be at risk for illness and injuries.

Methods: A Hazard Perception Survey (HPS) was completed by 63 potato growers in Washington (n = 26) and Idaho (n = 37) during the fall and winter of 2017–2018. Participants were asked to indicate their level of concern regarding the frequency and severity of injuries associated with various potato production tasks. Descriptive statistical analyses were used to identify operations and tasks that potato growers perceived to be most …

Understanding Challenges To Well-Being Among Latina Farmworkers In Rural Idaho Using In An Interdisciplinary, Mixed-Methods Approach, Cynthia L. Curl, Lisa Meierotto, Rebecca L. Som Castellano

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aim of this study was to identify social, cultural and workplace-related risk factors affecting well-being among Latina farmworkers in rural Idaho. We recruited 70 Latina farmworkers from southwestern Idaho in 2019. We employed an inter-disciplinary, mixed-methods approach—including surveys, focus groups, interviews, and pesticide biomonitoring—to characterize multiple domains that influence well-being, including food security and access, housing conditions, social supports, access to medical care, and workplace safety. Six major themes emerged as primary challenges to Latina farmworkers’ well-being. In the public sphere, study participants identified these challenges as long working hours, concerns regarding pesticide exposure, and lack of enforcement of …

Smoke From Wildfires Can Worsen Covid-19 Risk, Putting Firefighters In Even More Danger, Luke Montrose

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two forces of nature are colliding in the western United States, and wildland firefighters are caught in the middle.

Emerging research suggests that the smoke firefighters breathe on the front lines of wildfires is putting them at greater risk from the new coronavirus, with potentially lethal effects.

At the same time, firefighting conditions make precautions such as social distancing and hand-washing difficult, increasing the chance that, once the virus enters a fire camp, it could quickly spread.

As an environmental toxicologist, I have spent the last decade expanding our understanding of how wood smoke exposure impacts human health. Much of …

What’S In Wildfire Smoke, And Why Is It So Bad For Your Lungs?, Luke Montrose

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

If I dare to give the coronavirus credit for anything, I would say it has made people more conscious of the air they breathe.

A friend texted me recently after going for a jog in the foothills near Boise, Idaho, writing: “My lungs are burning … explain what’s happening!!!”

A wildfire was burning to the east of town – one of hundreds of fires that were sending smoke and ash through communities in hot, dry western states. As an environmental toxicologist, I research how air pollution, particularly wood smoke, impacts human health and disease.

Wildfire Smoke Worsens Coronavirus Risk, Putting Firefighters In Extra Danger, Luke Montrose

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

As summer approaches, two forces of nature are on a collision course, and wildland firefighters will be caught in the middle.

New research suggests that the smoke firefighters breathe on the front lines of wildfires is putting them at greater risk from the new coronavirus, with potentially lethal effects.

At the same time, firefighting conditions make precautions such as social distancing and hand-washing difficult, increasing the chance that, once the virus enters a fire camp, it could quickly spread.

As an environmental toxicologist, I have spent the last decade expanding our understanding of how wood smoke exposure impacts human health. …

Synthetic Pesticides And Health In Vulnerable Populations: Agricultural Workers, Cynthia L. Curl, Meredith Spivak, Rachel Phinney, Luke Montrose

Public Health and Population Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose of Review: This review aims to summarize epidemiological literature published between May 15, 2018 and May 14, 2019 that examines the relationship between exposure to synthetic pesticides and health of agricultural workers.

Recent Findings: Current research suggests that exposure to synthetic pesticides may be associated with adverse health outcomes. Agricultural workers represent a potentially vulnerable population, due to a combination of unique social and cultural risk factors as well as exposure to hazards inherent in farm work. Pesticide exposure among agricultural workers has been linked to certain cancers, DNA damage, oxidative stress, neurological disorders, as well as respiratory, metabolic, …