The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #46251

Anne Bracker, MPH, CIH¹, Marcia Trape-Cardoso, MD, FACP¹, Michael Grey, MD, MPH¹, Bruce Gould, MD², and Laura Victoria Barrera, MPH². (1) Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT 06030-6210, (860) 679-2369, bracker@nso.uchc.edu, (2) Connecticut Area Health Education Center Program, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 06030-3960

Migrant farm workers from Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic harvest shade and broadleaf tobacco in Connecticut. During the growing season university medical students, healthcare providers and outreach workers provide these tobacco workers with free preventive health care and related services during evening clinics and health fairs. In an effort to improve the occupational medicine knowledge of the clinicians and students working with these tobacco workers, the University’s Occupational and Environmental Medicine Unit developed an occupational health-training program for the migrant clinic coordinators. This training included a didactic session and a site visit to a tobacco farm. The occupational health-training program was supplemented by a surveillance initiative coordinated by the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health. Occupational medicine professionals (MDs and IH’s) were present at a majority of the evening clinics and health fairs and reinforced the importance of considering occupational exposures as part of the diagnosis and management of farm workers’ injuries and illnesses. During the summer of 2001, over 300 workers from eight tobacco farms sought medical care at least once. Of the 41 work-related incidents reported, the primary diagnoses were categorized as sprains/strains, DeQuervain's tenosynovitis, muscle spasm (39%); allergies, irritation, rhinitis (22%); or dermatitis (22%). No cases of acute nicotine poisoning, Green Tobacco Sickness, were identified during the summer of 2001. Surveillance for Green Tobacco Sickness will be enhanced during the summer of 2002 and the data collected will be presented.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session participants will be able to

• list three different types of training methods that can be used to teach those caring for migrant workers about occupational/environmental health issues.
• recognize the primary occupational illnesses and injuries identified in Connecticut’s shade and broadleaf tobacco worker population.
• describe the strategies that have been developed to enhance surveillance for Green Tobacco Sickness in Connecticut’s shade and broadleaf tobacco worker population.

Keywords: Migrant Farm Workers, Occupational Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.