ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS AND SANITARY RISKS: A STUDY OF FARM WORKER EXPOSURE AND HEALTH IMPACTS

Аннотация

INTRODUCTION Agricultural workers are essential to the global Understanding the sanitary risks associated with food supply, yet they often face substantial health these exposures is crucial to addressing and risks due to prolonged exposure to environmental mitigating the health impacts on farm workers, a pollutants. These pollutants include pesticides, group that often has limited access to healthcare fertilizers, heavy metals, and other chemicals used and protective equipment. This research aims to to enhance crop yield or manage pests, as well as analyze the range of pollutants to which farm industrial pollutants that may contaminate nearby workers are exposed and assess the direct and air, water, and soil. Due to the nature of their work, indirect sanitary risks associated with these farm workers are frequently exposed to these substances. By examining current practices, substances through inhalation, skin contact, and pollutant concentrations, and health outcomes, this ingestion, which can have cumulative adverse study seeks to provide a comprehensive overview effects on their health over time. Studies have of the risks and offer evidence-based shown that such exposure is linked to various recommendations for minimizing exposure and health issues, including respiratory disorders, improving the health and safety of farm workers. dermatological conditions, neurological symptoms, This study contributes to the growing body of and even long-term chronic illnesses such as research on occupational health risks in agriculture cancer and reproductive issues. by focusing specifically on the sanitary implications of pollutant exposure. By highlighting https://www.theamericanjournals.com/index.php/tajabe 1 THE USA JOURNALS THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING (ISSN – 2689-1018) VOLUME 06 ISSUE11 the vulnerabilities and specific health risks that To complement the quantitative data, in-depth farm workers face, we aim to inform policy, guide interviews were conducted with a subset of farm preventive measures, and support improved workers. These interviews explored workers' occupational health standards for this essential but perceptions of exposure risks, their use of personal often underserved population. protective equipment (PPE), and their access to healthcare and sanitation facilities. Insights from