TY - JOUR
T1 - "Pesticides protect the fruit, but not the people"
T2 - using community-based ethnography to understand farmworker pesticide-exposure risks.
AU - Snipes, Shedra Amy
AU - Thompson, Beti
AU - O'Connor, Kathleen
AU - Shell-Duncan, Bettina
AU - King, Denae
AU - Herrera, Angelica P.
AU - Navarro, Bridgette
PY - 2009/11
Y1 - 2009/11
N2 - OBJECTIVES: We used community-based ethnography and public health risk assessment to assess beliefs about pesticide exposure risks among farmworkers in the Lower Yakima Valley of Washington State. METHODS: We used unstructured and semistructured interviews, work-site observation, and detailed field notes to gather data on pesticide exposure risks from 99 farmworkers. RESULTS: Farmworkers' pesticide-relevant beliefs and attitudes could be grouped into 5 major themes: (1) dry pesticides are often perceived as a virtually harmless powder, (2) farmworkers who identify themselves as allergic to pesticides are more acutely affected by exposure, (3) the effect of pesticide exposure is more severe for those perceived as physically weak, (4) protective equipment is used selectively in response to financial pressure to work rapidly, and (5) some farmworkers delay decontamination until they find water deemed an appropriate temperature for handwashing. CONCLUSIONS: We elucidated farmworkers' pesticide-relevant beliefs regarding perceived danger and susceptibility to pesticides, the need to put safety second to financial considerations, and reasons for delaying decontamination. Researchers and policymakers should incorporate these data in study designs and legislation concerned with farmworker exposure to pesticides.
AB - OBJECTIVES: We used community-based ethnography and public health risk assessment to assess beliefs about pesticide exposure risks among farmworkers in the Lower Yakima Valley of Washington State. METHODS: We used unstructured and semistructured interviews, work-site observation, and detailed field notes to gather data on pesticide exposure risks from 99 farmworkers. RESULTS: Farmworkers' pesticide-relevant beliefs and attitudes could be grouped into 5 major themes: (1) dry pesticides are often perceived as a virtually harmless powder, (2) farmworkers who identify themselves as allergic to pesticides are more acutely affected by exposure, (3) the effect of pesticide exposure is more severe for those perceived as physically weak, (4) protective equipment is used selectively in response to financial pressure to work rapidly, and (5) some farmworkers delay decontamination until they find water deemed an appropriate temperature for handwashing. CONCLUSIONS: We elucidated farmworkers' pesticide-relevant beliefs regarding perceived danger and susceptibility to pesticides, the need to put safety second to financial considerations, and reasons for delaying decontamination. Researchers and policymakers should incorporate these data in study designs and legislation concerned with farmworker exposure to pesticides.
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U2 - 10.2105/ajph.2008.148973
DO - 10.2105/ajph.2008.148973
M3 - Article
C2 - 19890166
AN - SCOPUS:73349085618
SN - 0090-0036
VL - 99 Suppl 3
SP - S616-621
JO - American journal of public health
JF - American journal of public health
ER -