Migrant Farmworkers' Perceptions of Pesticide Risk Exposure in Adams County, Pennsylvania: A Cultural Risk Assessment

Abstract

Agricultural exceptionalism, a system in which regular labor laws and standards do not apply to farm labor, makes migrant farmworkers particularly vulnerable populations-economically, socially, and in terms of environmental health. To address inequities inherent in migrant farmworker marginalization, studies advocate for actively engaging the migrant farmworker population in the conversation surrounding these issues. We conducted 40 semistructured interviews with migrant farmworkers in Adams County, Pennsylvania, to understand pesticide risk exposure perceptions and practices. We employed the Health Belief Model as our cultural risk assessment frame, using it in combination with technical risk assessment, which uses government calculations (from the Environmental Protection Agency) to quantify pesticide risk exposure. We used mixed methods analyses (quantitative and qualitative) to compare and understand farmworker demographics, perceived risk, perceived control, and risk behavior. Results show that demographics -e.g., age, education, visa status-are important factors in risk perception. They also confirm observations present in many earlier studies. While trainings and educational materials are valuable to help build awareness of risk, a systemic lack of control over their circumstances make it hard for migrant farmworkers to engage in safe behavior. Results also highlight the limitations of technical risk assessment. Such calculations, however, rarely account for risk perceptions and experiences of farmworkers themselves. Acknowledging the voices of migrant farmworkers is an essential first step in rebalancing inequities of power in our food

An Evaluation of a Pesticide Training Program to Reduce Pesticide Exposure and Enhance Safety among Female Farmworkers in Nan, Thailand

“…Part three related to health beliefs from the HBM and was used to assess material perceptions. There were six questions on each of the following: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers from the previous studies [47][48][49][50][51].…”

Riesgos relacionados con el uso de pesticidas: prácticas, percepciones y consecuencias sanitarias en los páramos colombianos y venezolanos

“…En los últimos años, las investigaciones han demostrado que los riesgos asociados con el uso de pesticidas pueden verse incrementados por varios factores como la edad, el nivel de educación, los ingresos, el tamaño de las parcelas cultivadas y la capacitación en el uso de pesticidas (Matthews et al, 2008;Hashemi et al, 2012;Karunamoorthi et al, 2012;Jallow et al, 2017). También muestran que la exposición a los pesticidas está fuertemente determinada por la percepción del riesgo (Kishi, 2002;Guivant, 2003;Ngowi et al, 2007;Nicourt y Girault, 2009;Hashemi et al, 2012;Karunamoorthi et al, 2012;Khan et al, 2015, Jin et al, 2017Edelson et al, 2018). Y es que si los agricultores no perciben los riesgos asociados al uso de pesticidas, no tomarán las medidas de reducción necesarias, poniendo en peligro sus vidas.…”