Hilario
Molina, MARTI research associate and sociology professor, is spearheading a
farmworker environmental health and research project in collaboration with Friends
of Farmworkers (FOF).
In January 2015, Molina initiated a new MARTI
(Mid-Atlantic Addiction Research and
Training Institute) outreach and research initiative in partnership with Friends of Farmworkers. FOF is an organization that has provided free legal aid to Pennsylvania
farmworkers for almost 40 years. Together, they submitted a research proposal
to the Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Justice Small Grants
Program. The research project, titled “Fulfilling the Promise: Empowering
Farmworkers and Overcoming Pesticide-Related Environmental and Health
Challenges in Northwestern Pennsylvania,” provides education sessions on
exposure to pesticides to farmworkers in Erie County, Pa.
The new initiative is important and timely. Until recently, the EPA
and other government agencies have fallen short in informing and protecting all
farmworkers, not just pesticide handlers, against pesticide exposure. More
attention is now being devoted to this problem, and for good reason. The
Natural Resources Defense Council found that “the great majority—88 percent—of
farmworkers are Latinos; they and their families face regular pesticide
exposure, which can lead to increased risks of lymphoma, prostate cancer, and
childhood cancers” (NRDC, 2004). Farmworkers who mix, load, and apply
pesticides are more vulnerable to pesticide exposure than other workers because
of spills, splashes, and inadequate protections; harvesters face exposure from
direct spray, drift, or contaminated crops and soils. Farmworker family members
are also vulnerable as pesticide residues are introduced to homes through the
workers’ person and clothing; and pesticide drift contaminates homes near
agricultural fields. Immediate health effects of pesticide exposure include
rashes, eye irritations, and nausea and vomiting; long-term exposure can cause
cancer, neurological disorders, reproductive health problems, and birth
defects.
In addition, Molina will work with students from IUP’s Tlacuilo
Honor Society to develop language-appropriate resources to be used in the
pesticide education workshops. Examples of said resources are: an image-rich
Spanish language pamphlet that explains pesticide exposure and related health
risks; Spanish language CDs with narration for pesticide exposure and workers’
rights in obtaining health and medical care and legal recourse; and a bilingual
(English-Spanish languages) pocket-sized resource card with contact information
of local, state, and federal agencies that support and aid farmworkers with
pesticide exposure and other health issues. As a precaution, FOF lawyers will
review all material for accuracy in the presentation of legal issues.