Looking at the Gaps and Program Needs to Address the Impact on Children of Agricultural Workers in Puerto Rico During and After Public Health Emergencies

Details

• Personal Author:
  Liebman AK ; López-Correa AY ; Pagán-Santana M
• Description:
  Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean, wildfires in the western United States, flooding in parts of Pakistan, and extreme heat waves in Europe are examples of recent natural disasters that became public health emergencies. The consequences of these events, including access to essential services and damage and destruction of infrastructure, create a cascading impact, affecting the immediate and long-term health and well-being of the population. Intense climate-related events are projected to increase in intensity and impact. However, these do not affect everyone equally and vary depending on the characteristics of individuals, their work, ethnicity, residence, and language, among others. Moreover, the social, economic, and political systems in which these events occur can function as either increase risk or foster protection. In the case of agricultural workers, they are subject to various environmental stressors throughout their workday and experience greater risks than workers in most other industries. They are in a more vulnerable position regarding the effects that climate change may have on their work. Moreover, other psychosocial factors intrinsic to farming, such as social and working conditions, made agricultural workers one of the most affected populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The physical effects that extreme events can have on the health of agricultural workers, and the damage and social effects of public health emergencies related to the climate crisis can also impact their children, especially those who are also part of the agricultural labor force. For minors who participate in agricultural work, the effect of disasters adds to the damage and general impact of high-risk exposures and lack of labor protection that are already of concern because of the effect on their health and development. In addition to the characteristics and vulnerabilities of individuals, there are geographic regions where the risk and vulnerability to extreme climate-related is higher. This is the case of Puerto Rico, which has experienced several significant climate-related events in the past 10 years that caused millions of dollars in economic losses and the deaths of thousands of people. These catastrophic events have placed Puerto Rico first among the places most affected by the climate, according to the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index report. Beyond these climatic threats, this US territory faces economic and political challenges weakening potential protective factors during and after these disasters. This includes limited access to education and health services and essential infrastructures such as water, electricity, and communications. Housing and food security are also impacted. When considering these geographic, environmental, and political factors, as well as the socio-economic indicators of individuals, some populations are extremely vulnerable, which is the case of farming communities in Puerto Rico. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Climate Change Farmers Occupational Health Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Puerto Rico Children Climate Climate Change Emergencies Farm Workers Farmworkers Natural Disasters Psychosocial Factors Public Health Socioeconomics

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• ISSN:
  2296-2565
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Puerto Rico ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066901
• Citation:
  Front Public Health 2022 Nov; 10:1046701
• Contact Point Address:
  Marysel Pagán-Santana, Migrant Clinicians Network, Puerto Rico Office, San Juan, PR, United States
• Email:
  mpagan@migrantclinician.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20080930
• Source Full Name:
  Frontiers in Public Health
• End Date:
  20250929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5083c0b6dec17a95e308024818eef269d601fe22c77525a9f2e4e09d4943e38cc5a40e87d46ebbbc3c765564707450fee5573a467015200388d5bb54e93e387d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231196/cdc_231196_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 136.67 KB ]