CERCH – Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health

Farmworker Intervention Study

The focus of this study was to reduce pesticide exposures to strawberry harvesters and their families. Pesticides can accumulate on farmworkers’ hands, skin, clothing, and shoes.  They may be carried home, contaminating homes and cars and directly exposing others, including children. The Farmworker Intervention Study was conducted with strawberry harvesters near Salinas, CA to find sustainable ways to reduce take-home pesticide exposure.

What the Farmworker Intervention Study investigated:

Picture by L Santiago

• Ways to reduce pesticide exposure to farmworkers and their families.
• Interventions included field-based educational presentations, hand-washing stations, and use of gloves and protective clothing.
• We then compared pesticide levels of those who participated in the interventions with those who did not.

Findings from the Farmworker Intervention Studies: (Go to Findings)Exposure Studied:

• Malathion, an organophosphate insecticide.
• Malathion was selected because it is possible to measure malathion levels on plants, in clothing, on hands, and in urine. The intervention methods are likely to apply to other pesticides and other crops.
  

  A Salinas Valley Farmworker demonstrates proper protective clothing.

Why focus on potential take-home exposures?

The US EPA Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is a comprehensive worksite education program for farmworkers (Read the full WPS on the EPA website here). Although WPS regulations require training and notification of workers about pesticide safety measures (including re-entry intervals, requirements for protective clothing, pesticide ingredients and other information), the WPS does not directly address the potential for occupational ‘‘take-home’’ exposure. When workers transport pesticide residues into their homes on their skin or clothing, they are potentially exposing family members, including children who are more vulnerable to harmful effects of pesticide exposure than are adults.

Study Location:

• Two strawberry farms in the Watsonville/Salinas Valley region of California.
  • California produces the large majority of strawberries grown in the United States.
  • The Watsonville/Salinas region produces about one-third of California’s strawberries (USDA, 2006).

Study Participants:

• 130 strawberry workers participated in baseline activities.  44 participated in the intervention.
• Eligibility Criteria: 18 years or older, spoke English or Spanish, and were planning to work at the farm until the season ended.
• Demographic Characteristics: All 44 study participants were born in Mexico, 80% were male, and the majority spoke only Spanish. 68% lived at or below the federal poverty level. Twenty-five percent of farmworkers lived with their children.

Data Collection:

• Data collection for this study took place between July and October 2003.
• 29 farmworkers were assigned to the intervention group and 15 were assigned to the control group.
• All participants were interviewed in Spanish before the intervention began to assess demographic and exposure related behaviors.
• The intervention group received:
  • Protective clothing and washing:
    • Each workday for 6 weeks, intervention group participants were provided with:
      • Removable, lightweight coveralls to wear over their normal work clothing. (Used coveralls were left at the worksite at the end of each day and were laundered by study staff.)
      • Disposable non-latex gloves.
      • Containers for storing work shoes and clothes separately from family clothes.
      • Warm water and soaps were provided to encourage hand washing.
  • Education:
    • Five field-based educational sessions were conducted with intervention group participants during the study. These sessions aimed to educate workers about ways to prevent pesticide exposure.
• The control group received the clothing, gloves and educational workshop at the end of the study period.
• We measured malathion levels in urine, and on hands, clothing, and strawberry plant samples from the intervention and control groups.

Community Partners:

Several collaborators helped with this community-based research study.

• The Grower-Shipper Association of Central California provided advice on the development of a warm-water hand-washing system.
• The CERCH Farmworker Council (FC), composed of eight long-term farmworkers from the Salinas Valley, helped design sustainable, appropriate intervention activities.
• The CERCH Community Advisory Board (CAB), composed of representatives from the agricultural industry, county environmental and health agencies, local elected representatives, advocacy groups, farmworkers, and other community members, aided in the development of the study.
• Learn about our community partners here.

Research Team:

• Asa Bradman, PhD
• Brenda Eskenazi, PhD
• Ellen Eisen, ScD
• Rosemary Castorina, PhD
• Alicia Salvatore, PhD (currently at Stanford University)
• Thomas McKone, PhD
• Lesliam Quirós Alcalá, PhD MS
• Dana Barr, PhD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (currently at Emory University)