Publications

Journal Articles

UC Agricultural Health & Safety Center at Davis

AgHealthNews

Issue Number 1997-04
Fall 1997

Published by the UC Agricultural Health & Safety Center at Davis, University of California, Davis, Marc Schenker, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Produced by EditPros, Davis, CA

 

1997-04-01 Table of Contents

1997-04-02 Welcome and Introduction

1997-04-03 Japanese Delegates Aim to Collaborate on Ag Issues

1997-04-04 Bodega Retreat:Center Goals Identified

1997-04-05 Exposure to Dust May Contribute to Various Physical Disorders

1997-04-06 Award-Winning Researcher Touts Motor Vehicle Safety

1997-04-07 Hawaiian Agriculture: Center Examines Western Region

AgHealthNews is an electronic version of the Center's quarterly newsletter. The Center has two electronic list servers that allow automatic forwarding of e-mail to a list of subscribers. One server is a forum for announcements and discussion of agricultural health and safety issues and the other is a vehicle for the automatic distribution of the Center's quarterly newsletter.

The e-mail addresses for the forum is: aghealth@epm.ucdavis.edu (message forwarding address) and aghealth-request@epm.ucdavis.edu (subscriber request address). The addresses for the newsletter are: aghealthnews@oem.ucdavis.edu (message forwarding address) and aghealthnews-request@oem.ucdavis.edu (subscriber request address).

To subscribe to a list, send an e-mail message to the request address with no subject and a one line message giving the option subscribe and your name. For example, to subscribe to the forum for announcements and general agricultural health and safety issues, you would send the following: To: aghealth-request@epm.ucdavis.edu Subject: Message: subscribe (your name here)

By return e-mail you will receive confirmation of your request and more information about using the list server request functions.

To subscribe to the On-line News, your request would look like: To: aghealthnews-request@oem.ucdavis.edu Subject: Message: subscribe (your name here)

Since California agriculture faces many of the same issues as agriculture in Japan, a distinguished delegation of 16 researchers representing the Farm Work Society of Japan visited the UC Davis campus in August to discuss some of the challenges facing this country's farm population. Their visit was arranged through UC Davis' International Agricultural Visitors Program in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Center inves-tigators provided the visitors with literature about the Center and its projects.

"They seemed fascinated by the work we're doing," said Center Outreach Coordinator Patrick O'Connor-Marer. "The group was es-pecially interested in problems associated with pesticides, ergonomics, trans-porting workers and mechanization of farm operations. But their most serious concern is attracting younger people to farming as an occupation."

As farms are becoming more mechanized, recent research has revealed that Japanese farmworkers who once suffered physical injuries and muscle fatigue are now complaining of psychological fatigue resulting from vibration and noise from farm machinery.

"The rapid reduction in farm labor and transition from younger farmworkers to women and the elderly has necessitated the development of farm machinery adaptable to this new labor force, as well as the prevention of farm accidents common to elderly farmers," said Otitaro Endo, president of the Japanese Society of Farm Work Research. "There have been many studies to develop energy-saving working systems by measuring the energy consumption of individual workers, or to seek ways to mechanize farm operations. Further research activities are expected in this field."

According to Endo, the Society has established a Farm Work Data Editing Committee that developed a database and maintains research information spanning the past 15 years. The information is updated regularly and is available to all farmers and researchers in Japan.

Several representatives shared copies of research papers they had written on various aspects of farm safety in Japan. These are available in the Center library. To review the papers, call Center Assistant Rosey Klassen at (916) 752-4050.

Bodega Marine Laboratory on California's North Coast provided a spectacular setting for a meeting of Center students, faculty and staff members and invited health and safety professionals interested in the welfare of California's farmers and farmworkers. The goals of the September retreat were to identify major issues that Center health and safety investigators should be addressing in the coming years, as well as to develop a strategic plan for execution of Center activities.

Guest speaker Greg Kullman, project officer for the Agricultural Health Centers at NIOSH, presented an overview of the NIOSH agricultural health and safety centers, emphasizing their sub-stantial role in the overall NIOSH agricultural health and safety program. Kullman cited recom-mendations by an external review document, described as the "Kennedy report," that emphasizes the need for the Centers to:

• establish evaluation schemes,
• develop new health and safety technologies,
• increase attention to underserved populations, and
• utilize multidisciplinary approaches to achieve goals.

Bringing to the group a university perspective of agricultural health and safety, David Reid, associate dean for Health and Human Development in the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, emphasized the need to improve the quality of life for everyone in California agriculture. Reid advocates diverse approaches ranging from improving farmworker housing to designing safer farm equipment. He strongly urged the Center to shape its programs in conjunction with the consumers--those individuals involved in agricultural production.

From an occupational health perspective, Bob Spear, director of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) and professor of Environmental Science at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, spoke about the need for extension specialists to serve as intermediaries between farmers and university faculty. Spear noted that interventions to achieve agricultural health and safety should be diverse and include education, engineering and regulatory approaches. He also stressed the importance of student involvement in the Center.

Representing the farmworkers' perspective, Richard Mines of the U.S. Department of Labor's National Agricultural Worker's Survey discussed the many challenges in improving health and safety of the farmworker population. He noted that services provided to farmworkers are variable, and that fewer than 50 percent of poverty-level farmworker families receive available services.

Henry Buckwalter, research scientist at the Uniroyal Chemical Co., and a member of the Center's Internal Advisory Committee, presented his views from an industry perspective. He stated that "strains and sprains" constitute the greatest health and safety problem, as measured by economic cost. Buckwalter emphasized the need for continued identification and characterization of hazardous exposures by the Center. Buckwalter also noted some of the unique challenges associated with health and safety issues in California, including historical polarization and failure of the industry and farm labor to work together on the issues.

Finally, Bill Krycia, regional manager for Cal OSHA, presented the audience with a government perspective on the issues, noting the changing nature of agriculture and the importance of developing health and safety programs that respond to change. Krycia explained that new tools and equipment must be acceptable to the farmers and farmworkers who use them and that adequate attention must be paid to safety issues. He emphasized that for many reasons the existing data on agricultural injuries in California is incomplete and also that the well-recognized "classical" hazardous issues remain today, most notably injury risks from agricultural machinery.

The commonalties and differences in perceptions and formulations of health and safety needs in agriculture varied with the perspective of the speakers and their organizational or demographic orientation. Overall this very valuable session provided considerable food for thought to the retreat participants engaged in developing the strategic plan for the Center.

The second day of the retreat was devoted to presentations by leaders of the Center's thematic cores, focusing on strategic plans for the next four to five years. The retreat was extremely successful, calling attention to several areas of need and presenting possible solutions. As we continue to evaluate and modify Center goals, we will work toward achieving our mandate of improving the health and safety of everyone involved in Western agriculture. My thanks to all the retreat presenters, attendees and staff members for their work in making the event a success.

During a noon seminar in June titled "Update on Agricultural Lung Disease in California," Center Director Marc Schenker discussed some of the projects funded by the Center that focus on respiratory disorders.

Following one of the Center's earlier studies, investigators discovered reduced vital capacity of the lungs of California grape workers, a group known to be exposed to elevated levels of dust and silica. This study of 750 grape workers revealed restrictive lung function consistent with silicates, crystalline silica and other inorganic dusts. This study has led to further invest-igations into the magnitude of in-organic dust ex-posure of workers in agriculture, and the effects of various dust exposures on lung function.

"Crystalline silica (quartz) makes up 30 percent of the earth's crust, and it's in the soil everywhere. Central Valley soilconsists of moderately high concentrations of quartz because it has been created by runoff from the Sierras, which have high granite deposits," explained Schenker. "The soil also contains many silicates, and investigators are working to determine if they are hazardous to the lungs. Preliminary findings indicate that silicates in California soils can cause some pulmonary reaction, but they're not as severe as those associated with quartz exposure."

Historical data show many case reports of pulmonary fibrosis clearly associated with agricultural dust exposure. In several cases, researchers have found evidence of interstitial fibrosis in the lungs of agricultural workers in California and elsewhere, although the prevalence of these disorders has not yet been determined. Analyses of dusts in the lungs have revealed similarities to soil composition in the same area.

Seeking to capture a more global view of the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, the Center funded a farmer health study, for which investigators selected a random sample of 4,500 farms of the 57,000 farm operations in California. Taking into consideration age, smoking status, asthma and other factors, researchers found a strong association of wheezing and chronic bronchitis with agricultural dust exposure.

"Significant dust is generated from soil perturbation--for example, disking and tilling. We have data that proves that an enclosed cab is probably one of the most significant ways to decrease dust exposure to operators. However, our statewide survey indicates that two-thirds of California farmers say that their primary farm vehicle does not have an enclosed cab," said Schenker.

Despite the potential for respiratory disease associated with rice cultivation, Center investigators found no published data describing the respiratory health of rice farmers. A study involving Northern California rice farmers investigated exposure to dust associated with field preparation and harvest as well as smoke during burning of postharvest stubble.

"We found some association of coughing with hours of burning rice, and an increase in chest X-ray opacity among the rice farmers. Field preparation is where the highest respiratory hazard levels occur," said Schenker.

In a related study, investigators are examining the relationship between mineral dust exposure in the farming industry and histopathological changes occurring in the lungs of California farmworkers. The specific aims of this project are to:

• document and quantify pathologic lesions in anatomical pathways in lung tissues from Hispanic males, whose deaths from accidental causes, such as motor vehicle accidents and gunshot wounds, were documented in autopsies conducted by the Fresno, California, coroner's office;
• compare lung pathology among deceased agricultural workers to that of deceased non-agricultural workers;
• determine the quantity and identify mineral particles in lung tissue samples obtained through airway microdissection techniques and histological findings; and
• compare quantity and identity of mineral particles in lung tissue samples that showed fibrosis upon histological examination to those that showed no evidence of fibrosis upon histological examination.

"This is an interesting study because it detects early disease in the lungs, and we have a very systematic way of looking at dust and pulmonary response. It may answer some of the questions that aren't easy to answer on by spirometry or questionnaire," explained Schenker.

Particle analysis from four of the farmworkers showed crystalline silica concentration between 15 and 20 percent present in the lungs. The largest component of the dusts was aluminum silicate or other silicates, and all dust particles in the lungs were submicron in size--that is, a respirable size.

Another major investigation conducted by Dr. Schenker and his collaborators aims to understand symptomatic and pulmonary function changes in a sampling of people identified in a 1993 farmer health study as having respiratory symptoms. They will be studied in comparison with a random sample of the entire population as a reference. A total of 777 farmers were polled and investigators conducted computer-aided telephone interviews (CATI), visited farms and took blood samples to measure for various immunological markers of respiratory disease. Investigators gave each participant a diary and peak flow meter to test pulmonary function several times a day over a period of a few weeks. Again, results indicate that time spent in a dusty job is strongly associated with respiratory symptoms, especially wheezing.

Schenker concluded, "All of these studies are exciting because they target where our research and intervention efforts should be to identify the causes of respiratory disease in California farmers and farmworkers. The possibility of preventing respiratory disease in this population requires the multidisciplinary efforts of people involved in all aspects of agricultural health."

The first phase of Stiles' efforts resulted in La Loteria del Manejo Seguro, a driver safety training game that teaches Spanish-speaking drivers about California driving laws, road signs and hazards. The game, similar to bingo, was introduced to numerous migrant education students from high schools throughout the Central Valley. Key to these efforts were Jenny Rodriguez and Jim Grieshop.La Loteria is currently available through the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) at $10 per game.

"We thought the game would be valuable to day-haulers or "raiteros," the bus drivers who sell rides to workers in vans that may be unsafe with no safety restraints and are not certified by the appropriate state agencies. These are the most serious because last year in one crash as many as twelve people were killed or injured in the Central Valley while riding in one of these vans. We wanted to educate the workers on how they should be safely and legally trans-ported and also to teach them about U.S. driving laws, which are very different from Mexico's," explained Stiles. "We also found in our research that compared to the national average, few migrant families wear seat belts and children are usually not in car seats." In addition, Stiles discovered that many migrant farmworkers don't know how to read road signs, which led to the next phase of her work--developing manuals in Spanish and English to accompany the La Lotería game.

In 1995 a two-year grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety enabled Stiles and her colleagues to develop a more comprehensive program called Maneje Seguro! (Drive Safely). Based on "La Loteria del Manejo Seguro," the program included community training, safety festivals and news media informational campaigns. "We developed a `train the trainers' program that targeted Spanish-speaking high school students, the children of farmworkers in Monterey, Fresno, Yolo and Madera counties. This was a two-pronged effort: 1) to teach these kids as novices or beginning drivers, and 2) to allow them to use their knowledge to inform their parents. Because of their long work days, it's difficult to get the farmworkers to become trainers," said Stiles.

One of Stiles' first projects with the Center involved developing training materials for farmworkers, including a multimedia bilingual field sanitation and personal cleanliness package encompassing training booklets, pamphlets, photos and audio tapes in English and Spanish. She then co-produced a similar tractor safety package. "Growers, farm bureaus and state agencies in California, Oregon and Washington have purchased nearly 300 copies of these safety materials. They are adaptable to most field situations, and I still receive requests for copies," said Stiles. Both are available through the Department of Human and Community Development Cooperative Extension Unit for a minimal fee.

In honor of her nationally recognized motor safety program, Stiles received an "outstanding outreach" award from DANR in July for her leading role in developing the program. She also serves as a co-coordinator of Yolo County Farm Bureau's First on the Scene Safety Training, and working closely with Dona Mast of the California Farm Bureau Federation, Stiles was instrumental in laying critical groundwork for the Center's Farm Safety 4 Just Kids program.

Born in Kansas City, Mo., Stiles received her bachelor's degree in 1973 from the University of Kansas, Lawrence. From 1973 to 1975, she served with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), initially with migrant farmworkers in Montana then moved to Alaska to assist primarily in housing and development issues.

"At that time the trans-Alaska pipeline was under construction. Large numbers of workers came to build the pipeline which created a `zero vacancy' rate. Rent-gouging was prevalent and out of control. Of course, those impacted most dramatically were the low-income families. I walked into apartments where these poor families were living with no heat or running water and poor insulation. In several I found water had frozen in the bathtubs," she said. "We were successful in putting a couple of these large complexes into escrow in order to fix these hazardous conditions.

In 1977 Stiles joined UC Davis in the Staff Personnel Affirmative Action Unit while earning her master's degree in community development in 1981. She has been actively involved with the Center since its inception in 1990.

A self-taught artisan, Stiles has a campus office distinguished by a 6-foot, wood-cut cactus finished in faux granite. It's one of many imaginative creations she makes from wood. "Woodworking has been a passion of mine for years, one that took me a while to realize," said Stiles. "One day I just pulled out my grandfather's jigsaw, started cutting and found I loved it. The only problem was that I began giving my creations away to admiring friends. Eventually I looked around and thought, `What happened to all of my wood furniture and wood art?' So I made myself a `keeper chair' or what I call my `throne,'" she said, pointing proudly to a high-backed, brightly colored outdoor chair she fashioned.

"My primary tools are the jigsaw, sander and drill and, of course, my safety glasses," said Stiles. "At Christmastime my friends usually ask, `So what power tools did you get for Christmas?' To me if I don't get a power tool for Christmas, it's not Christmas."

For Stiles, safety training has paid off in more ways than one.

The Center has become increasingly active in stimulating interactions involving health and safety professionals, educators and regulators among states within the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Western Region (Arizona, California, Nevada and Hawaii). This past summer, the Center's Regional Interactions Committee, chaired by Center Associate Director Patrick O'Connor-Marer, developed a survey that was sent to more than 1,500 individuals in the four western states to help identify some of the key people in each state involved with agricultural health and safety. Respondents to the survey showed high levels of interest in developing interactions and collaborations with UC investigators. Center Director Marc Schenker accompanied O'Connor-Marer on a recent visit to Hawaii, the first in their collaborative efforts to address health and safety on a regional level. "Our meetings proved to be extremely valuable especially because many of our investigators have been interacting with their counterparts in Hawaii and other states as representatives of various committees and professional organizations," explained O'Connor-Marer.

Hawaii's traditional agricultural industry had been dominated by livestock and production of sugar cane, pineapple, coffee and a variety of tropical fruits. But the industry is becoming much more diverse as many of the larger plantations in Hawaii are being broken up into smaller units. Lately a large influx of Southeast Asian people have been buying or renting land for small truck farms on which they are growing specialty vegetables and fruits. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture had been in contact with O'Connor-Marer regarding the UC Center's work with Southeast Asian and migrant farmworkers from Mexico. "The various language and cultural differences combined with lack of knowledge about pesticides and other laws are creating problems for regulatory agencies in Hawaii charged with reaching out to these communities and enforcing regulations," said O'Connor-Marer. "We are experiencing some of the same problems with similar populations in California."

Hawaii has a mandatory health insurance program provided by employers with 10 or more employees. This requirement covered most of the agricultural community until the plantations began breaking up into smaller units. Now farms with fewer than 10 employees are not covering their employees with health insurance. "Most of Hawaii's agricultural workforce is unionized and from our observations, this seems to be working well as far as the union's emphasis of health and safety," said O'Connor-Marer. "But the smaller farming units managed by Southeast Asian immigrants seem to be falling through the cracks."

O'Connor-Marer and Schenker met with several key people during two days of meetings that took place at four different locations in Hawaii. Robert Boesch, Pesticide Program Manager for the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, organized an outstanding meeting in Honolulu with representatives from his department, the University of Hawaii, the Hawaii State Department of Health, the Hawaii Department of Occupational Safety and Health, and the Hawaiian agricultural industry.

Robert Motooka, Senior Safety Administrator with the Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Co., assembled a group of very motivated and interested health and safety professionals on the island of Maui. Representatives from the agricultural industry, medical clinics, the labor union and others participated in this meeting.

Schenker and O'Connor-Marer also met with Arthur Kodama and Prema Menon at the University of Hawaii School of Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Program. In addition, they visited the Hawaii Department of Health and met with Bruce Anderson, Deputy Director for Environmental Health; Richard Vogt, State Epidemiologist; and Jon-Pierre Michaud, Toxicologist with the Office of Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response. "The meetings proved useful in informing Hawaiian health and safety professionals about the work that is taking place at the UC Center," said O'Connor-Marer. We identified many similar issues and problems that can be more efficiently addressed through collaborative efforts."

The Center's Regional Interactions Committee, consisting of O'Connor-Marer, Jim Grieshop, Barry Wilson and Kate Summerill, is planning to conduct similar visits in Arizona and Nevada. Some of the participants in each of these states will be recruited to work with their counterparts in California to help plan a regional conference that will be held in September 1998. This conference will provide a forum for people from all the states in the Western Region to discuss both common and unique issues associated with agricultural health and safety with the goal of promoting further interactions and collaborations.

Reproduction of material on this web site is hereby granted solely for personal use. No other use of this material is authorized without prior written approval of UC Regents.

Copyright © 2008 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.