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. 2021 Apr 1:42:257-276.
doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-012420-105014. Epub 2021 Jan 4.

Environmental Health Threats to Latino Migrant Farmworkers

Federico Castillo  1 , Ana M Mora  2   3 , Georgia L Kayser  4 , Jennifer Vanos  5 , Carly Hyland  2 , Audrey R Yang  4 , Brenda Eskenazi  2
Affiliations

Environmental Health Threats to Latino Migrant Farmworkers

Federico Castillo et al. Annu Rev Public Health. .

Abstract

Approximately 75% of farmworkers in the United States are Latino migrants, and about 50% of hired farmworkers do not have authorization to work in the United States. Farmworkers face numerous chemical, physical, and biological threats to their health. The adverse effects of these hazards may be amplified among Latino migrant farmworkers, who are concurrently exposed to various psychosocial stressors. Factors such as documentation status, potential lack of authorization to work in the United States, and language and cultural barriers may also prevent Latino migrants from accessing federal aid, legal assistance, and health programs. These environmental, occupational, and social hazards may further exacerbate existing health disparities among US Latinos. This population is also likely to be disproportionately impacted by emerging threats, including climate change and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Latino migrant farmworkers are essential to agriculture in the United States, and actions are needed to protect this vulnerable population.

Keywords: Latino; agriculture; farmworkers; immigration; migrants.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example of the potential compounding effects of high exposures to both pesticides and extreme heat on outdoor farmworkers in California, United States. Panel a indicates the spatial distribution of total pesticide use in California for 2017 (from http://www.trackingcalifornia.org/pesticides/pesticide-mapping-tool as of June 25, 2020). Panel b illustrates the summer [June, July, August (JJA)] average daily temperature maxima (K) during the early twentieth century across California based on ground observations (https://psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded/data.livneh.html). Black markers indicate county locations for both the Central Valley and Imperial Valley, where 2017 estimates show high agricultural production, high agricultural labor force, and high population growth. Map created by Michael Wehner of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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