Children's Environmental Health in Agricultural Settings

Abstract

Children residing in rural settings may encounter environmental hazards derived from agricultural production activities. Health consequences of organic dusts, farm chemicals including pesticides, machinery noise, excess sun exposure, and zoonotic infectious agents have been clearly described among farm-working adults. The author reviews the related evidence base on child health with a life-stage perspective on their differential exposure and vulnerabilities. Methemoglobinemia among infants consuming nitrate-contaminated well water, neurodevelopmental health impacts associated with early life exposure to organophosphate pesticides, and diarrheal disease due to zoonotic infectious agents are well-described pediatric concerns. There is suggestive but more limited evidence for respiratory health consequences from air contaminants associated with confined animal feeding operations and hearing deficits for children exposed to machinery-related noise. Many contaminants of concern for children in these environments remain largely understudied-diesel exhaust, biomass burning, solvents, veterinary antibiotics, and silica-containing particulate matter. Overall, the state of knowledge and programmatic activities on agriculturally derived environmental contaminants and child health is immature and much less complete than for working adults. This overview provides a context for research, policy, and programmatic needs.

Determinants of Sunburn and Sun Protection of Agricultural Workers During Occupational and Recreational Activities

“…These findings corroborate previous studies which reported lesser use of sun protection by young people (below age 30) (20,28). Young workers might also do more physical outdoor tasks and less administrative or in-vehicle work than more senior workers (29,30). However the pro-tanning attitude was not found to be significantly associated with age (p = 0.58).…”

Characterizing the joint effects of pesticide exposure and criteria ambient air pollutants on pediatric asthma morbidity in an agricultural community

“…Agricultural communities may have fewer urban ambient air pollution sources (e.g., motor vehicle traffic and industrial emissions), but have substantially more unique local sources like pollen and similar aeroallergens, and emissions from industrial-scale agricultural operations including windblown dust, animal agricultural emissions and pesticide drift from large crop-growing operations, 12,13 all of which have been suggested to contribute to respiratory disease. 14,15…”

Exposição de crianças a agrotóxicos: uma revisão integrativa

“…As crianças que vivem em ambientes rurais encontram riscos ambientais derivados de atividades de produção agrícola, tanto pela exposição múltipla e contínua quanto pelas condições de trabalho e saúde, que podem agravar consideravelmente os efeitos produzidos por esses contaminantes químicos (Perry, 2003;Karr, 2012;Miller, Marty e Landrigan, 2016).…”