The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #66459

Alicia L. Salvatore, MPH¹, Diego Vasquez², Nannette Stamm, MPH (c)¹, Jose Camacho², Ana Vargas², Geri Kavanagh-Baird², Jesus Lopez³, Asa Bradman, PhD⁴, and Brenda Eskenazi, PhD⁴. (1) Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), UC Berkeley, School of Public Health, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 600, Berkeley, CA 94720, (510) 642-8917, salvator@uclink.berkeley.edu, (2) CHAMACOS, 1441 Constitution Blvd., Salinas, CA 93906, (3) California Rural Legal Assistance, 3 Williams Rd., Salinas, CA 93905, (4) Center for Children's Environmental Health Research, University of California, Berkeley, 2150 Shattuck Ave, Suite 600, Berkeley, CA 94720-7380

Farmworker pesticide exposure is a phenomenon with many implications for the health of farmworkers and their children, who may be exposed to pesticides that travel home on the workers’ skin, clothing, and shoes. Although the EPA Worker Protection Standard mandates the provision of protective clothing and pesticide safety training for pesticide applicators, the majority of farmworkers do not benefit from additional protective clothing or pesticide education. In order to study the implications of a field based technical intervention with farmworkers for reducing the take-home pathway of pesticides, the Center for Health Assessment of Mother’s and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), a community-university partnership investigating the environmental exposures and potential adverse health consequences to children living in an agricultural area, conducted a field-based intervention study with farmworkers (N=120) working in strawberry fields in Salinas Valley, California. Using an experimental design, CHAMACOS explored the impact that the provision of protective clothing, gloves, warm water hand washing facilities, soap, and field-based education has for increasing protective clothing and handwashing compliance, decreasing worker pesticide exposure, and increasing behaviors associated with preventing the transmission of pesticide residues from the fields to worker households. This presentation will present a summary of the intervention and early evaluation data on the impact of the intervention. Such data include quantitative data from a field-based survey and qualitative data from focus groups, participant observation, and a process evaluation. Data will be presented on changes in knowledge of workplace safety, changes in handwashing practices, and compliance in using protective clothing. The implications of this intervention study for worker safety and reducing children’s pesticide exposure will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 1)Identify factors that are important in the design and implementation of a field-based technical intervention with farmworkers; 2)Discuss the implications of protective clothing, handwashing, and other protective behaviors for reducing worker and take-home pesticide exposure.

Keywords: Agricultural Work Safety, Pesticide Exposure

Related Web page: www.chamacos.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.