Hispanic Farm Workers at Risk for Some Cancers
Subject: Hispanic Farm Workers at Risk for Some Cancers...................
Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 12:16:25 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of
California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker, I thought you might like to read an article dated:Monday December 24 5:18 PM ET entitled: Hispanic Farm Workers at Risk for Some Cancers.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Hispanic farm workers have a slightly higher risk of leukemia and other cancers including those of the stomach, cervix and uterus, compared with their peers in other occupations in the US, according to the results of a study by California researchers.
The report, published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, suggests that inadequate screening for cancer and possibly occupational exposures may be to blame.
Exposure to agricultural chemicals including fertilizers and pesticides is relatively high since farm workers ``must be in close physical proximity to crops (oftentimes soon after pesticides are applied) and working conditions often preclude the opportunity to wash skin or clothing during work hours,'' write Dr. Paul K. Mills and Sandy Kwong of the Cancer Registry of Central California in Fresno.
In the study, the investigators evaluated the medical records of California members of the labor group, United Farmworkers of America. After identifying all those in the registry who were diagnosed with cancer during the study period between 1987 and 1997, the results were compared with the general population of California.
Mills and Kwong identified 1,001 men and women with cancer, 854 of whom were Hispanic.
Compared with the Hispanic population of California, the Hispanic farm workers were 59% more likely to develop leukemia, 70% more likely to develop stomach cancer, 63% more likely to develop cervical cancer, and 68% more likely to develop endometrial cancer--also known as cancer of the lining of the uterus, the report indicates.
``Occupational exposures, particularly pesticides, may explain the elevated risk of leukemia,'' the authors write. And they speculate that the higher rates of cervical cancer may be due to a lower level of Pap smear screening for this form of cancer among female farm workers.
``The elevation in risk of (endometrial) cancer is more difficult to explain, especially since previous studies of Mexican immigrants have shown lower rates of this cancer,'' Mills and Kwong note.
SOURCE: American Journal of Industrial Medicine 2001;40:596-603. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011224/hl/hispanic_1.html
Well Mr. Helliker, It is time for New Year's Resolutions. Why not resolve to allow the use of safe and far more effective (unregistered) alternatives to control pest problems? A lot of farm workers and their families will thank you. I talk a lot to people in California who have been POISONED by your "registered" pesticides, they also would like to be free from "registered" contamination. It truly is up to you!
Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten
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