Dear Lyndon, I
thought you might like to read an article that was published Tuesday, March
28, 2000, in the San Jose Mercury News. entitled: Farmworker health probe -
Pregnancy: Study will try to gauge the effects of household hazards in the Salinas Valley.
BY DALE RODEBAUGH - Mercury
News Staff Writer
In the first comprehensive look at the household
surroundings of pregnant farmworkers and their newborns, a team of scientific
sleuths is measuring the air they breathe and the dust that collects in their
Salinas Valley homes.
The five-year study will look at the potential health
effects of low-level, chronic exposure to such menaces as pesticides, pollens,
mold, dust and other allergens common to an agricultural community, said
director Brenda Eskenazi, a University of California-Berkeley professor.
The $8.5 million project, called Center for Health
Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas, is financed by two national
sources -- the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health
and Human Services. The program acronym, CHAMACOS, means kids in Spanish.
Certain aspects of the CHAMACOS project have been the
subject of other studies, past and current, Eskenazi said. But they have been
of shorter duration and had a narrower focus or fewer participants, she said.
``We're looking at potential effects of exposure to
pesticides and allergens on the health of babies over time, beginning with
their mother's pregnancy,'' Eskenazi said.
Gwenn Collman, an epidemiologist at the Department of
Health and Human Services, said the study is important for its focus.
``There is real concern in communities across the nation
about environmental exposures that may have health effects. This study
responds to the community's agenda as opposed to a researcher's agenda,''
Collman said.
The local needs are important, said Laura Caballero, a
founder of Lideres Campesinas, a now statewide grassroots organization that
educates farmworker women about pesticides, sexual assault, domestic violence
and AIDS.
Caballero,
40, who spent more than 20 years working in packing sheds and fields, said she
knew nothing about agricultural chemicals (POISONS) until she received
training through Lideres Campesinas.
``We went looking for our own answers,'' said Caballero,
recalling that doctors would diagnose as stress or a virus the cold sores that
plagued her only during her shifts in a packing shed, where she worked with
produce-conserving chemicals.
Lengthy scope
The Salinas Valley project will follow 500 women from
early pregnancy through delivery and then the first two years of their
infants' lives. The program could be extended, depending on funding, Eskenazi
said.
``We chose the Salinas Valley for our study because farm
families come and go there less frequently than in the Central Valley. So we
lose fewer of our (study) population,'' Eskenazi said.
Expectant mothers are recruited for CHAMACOS when they
seek prenatal attention under Medi-Cal at Natividad Medical Center or La
Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas.
Enrolling participants has been slow, with 200 aboard,
said field coordinator Selene Jaramillo.
``All of this is alien to them. We have to make them
understand how important it is to be part of the project,'' Jaramillo said.
``All data must be confidential because we're dealing
with a population that is not used to a lot of attention and one that, because
of different circumstances, has a mistrust of anything affiliated with
government,'' she said.
In addition
to sampling air and dust in farmworker homes, technicians will check
residences for mold, mildew, rodent feces, cockroach residue and use of
chemical substances. They also will measure how
far dwellings are from agricultural fields, parks or golf courses where
chemicals (POISONS) are used.
The value of the home surveys will depend on the level of
trust between program organizers and participants, Caballero said.
``Unless participants feel at ease, they may try to be on
their best behavior, cleaning their house or putting away (housecleaning)
chemicals,'' Caballero said.
The blood, urine and breast milk of mothers will be
analyzed periodically. Developmental assessments of infants at six-month
intervals will include height, weight, and language, motor and cognitive
skills.
If it is found that mothers and infants in farm families
are being affected by exposure to harmful substances, ways will be sought to
reduce or eliminate the risks, Eskenazi said.
Measures could be as simple as teaching families to use
mattress covers to control exposure to dust mites, washing work clothes
separately and renovating houses, as was done in old neighborhoods to
eliminate exposure to lead-based paint, Collman said.
Organizers hope educational material can be developed to
help other farm communities undertake similar programs.
Year in preparation
Organizers spent a year developing questionnaires,
testing field procedures and devising a data-tracking-and-management system.
Enrollment of pregnant farm laborers began late last
year.
In addition to gaining insight into health and
environment issues, participants receive about $200 worth of assistance during
the study. The incentives include
food coupons, a car seat or stroller and used clothing and toys.
Dale Rodebaugh covers Morgan Hill, agricultural issues
and public safety in San Benito County. Contact him at drodebaugh@sjmercury.com,
(408) 847-1617 or by fax, (408) 847-2282.
Well Lyndon, when they "scientifically"
prove POISONS are really not "healthful" for babies and/or people,
then will you "legally" allow the use of safe and far more effective
alternatives to be used to actually control pest problems in California?
It may come as a surprise to you but I also do not trust
"government".
Respectfully, Stephen
L. Tvedten.
(Editor's Note: The goal of this study
is commendable. But the question still stands: Why do we continue to
study people "to death" when common sense tells you there is something
wrong that is harming children. I would suggest that first removing all the environmental hazards then studying
the improvements over 5 years.)
