Heat and Hydration Assessment of Migrant Grape-Workers in Sonora, Mexico

Details

• Personal Author:
  Wagoner R
• Description:
  The demanding physical labor that makes agricultural production possible in Northern Mexico is exacerbated by extreme temperatures, migration, and lack of health and safety oversight on a national level. This study addressed heat and hydration in a commercial grape farm in Northern Mexico where 95% of the land is classified as arid or semi-arid. Notably, one-third of Mexico's heat-related deaths reported from 2002 to 2010 occurred in agricultural workers in this region. Migration status, low socioeconomic ranking, and poor literacy rates contribute to the vulnerability of workers in this region to heat exposure. Furthermore, there is growing concern about the direct and indirect health effects of climate change, especially in regions such as Sonora that have limited access to resources and occupational health control methods. A total of 38 participants were recruited for three sampling periods during spring and summer 2016. For each sampling period, an oral questionnaire was administered in Spanish; core body temperature was measured using ingestible thermometers; urine was collected and analyzed for specific gravity; and the effective Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) and metabolic rate were calculated. The majority of participants listed Chiapas as their home state, nearly half spoke an indigenous language as well as Spanish, most were between the ages of 18 and 24, and none had completed high school. The effective WBGT was higher during the summer. However, the core body temperature of workers in the spring were not significantly different than the core body temperatures of workers in June and August. As indicated by urine specific gravity, the majority of workers in all months were either mildly or clinically dehydrated. These results indicate the need for enhanced administrative and engineering controls, policies, and binational collaborations to reduce levels of heat stress and dehydration in agricultural workers in Northern Mexico. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Emigration And Immigration Farmers Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Occupational Health Safety Temperature
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Industry Author Keywords: Occupational Body Temperature Climate Change Environmental Justice Exposure Assessment Farm Workers Heat Stress Migrant Workers Susceptible/Vulnerable Temperature Effects Workplace

  More +
• Publisher:
  International Society of Exposure Science
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055964
• Citation:
  27th Annual Conference of the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES 2017): Integrating Exposure Science Across Diverse Communities, October 15-19, 2017, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Ottawa, Canada: International Society of Exposure Science, 2017 Oct; :SU-PO-25
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Los Angeles
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  27th Annual Conference of the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES 2017): Integrating Exposure Science Across Diverse Communities, October 15-19, 2017, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7eec0e5bdfe75713189fcbe879f33e8744f05f2bc7252a9dff235618ebe9dd8079a36b6601ba6624eb8d1995cf8eb8654df17e06ba0b04fecf3754212bd81f27
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213708/cdc_213708_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 324.53 KB ]