Farming

This project responds to specified PPE needs for the tree fruit and related industries in Washington State that can reduce pesticide handler exposure and potential pesticide-related illness. Three safety concerns of WA airblast pesticide applicators were addressed: 1) data-driven respirator cartridge change-out schedule, 2) field efficacy of gloves used by pesticide handlers, 3) the effectiveness of a PPE hat that could be used with PPE suits and jackets.

This video project integrates current pesticide safety standards into the video, Fieldworker Orientation and Food Safety/Orientation/Orientation para el Trabajador Agricola y Seguridad Alimenticia. The video is bilingual and will be used by growers and workers in Washington and across the United States to ensure effective food safety practices.

This project worked toward minimizing agricultural worker and family pesticide exposure in the tree fruit industry by translating and disseminating research results and overcoming barriers to pesticide safety practices, particularly those that affect the large Hispanic workforce in the Pacific Northwest.

This project collaborated with Hmong refugee farmers in Washington State to identify and address farm hazards using novel community-based participatory approaches along with conventional industrial hygiene methods, and a systematic assessment of the working conditions and practices of Hmong refugee farmers.

El Proyecto Bienestar (EPB) or, Well Being Project, is a long-standing community health intervention effort guided by a Yakima Valley community advisory board. The partnership is comprised of: The University of Washington; Northwest Communities Education Center/Radio KDNA; Heritage University; and Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic.

This sub-project was housed under another program, The Center for Child Environmental Health Risks Research, which worked to understand the mechanisms that define children’s susceptibility to pesticides. Center researchers, including some that also worked at PNASH led field studies with a farmworker community to bring a unique and successful approach to the study of children’s environmental health. This center was funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and NIEHS.