Alicia L. Salvatore, MPH¹, Jose Camacho², Ana Vargas³, Elvia Cabrera², Geri Kavanagh-Baird², Jesus Lopez⁴, Asa Bradman, PhD⁵, and Brenda Eskenazi, PhD⁵. (1) Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), UC Berkeley, School of Public Health, 2150 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 600, Berkeley, CA 94720, (510) 642-8917, salvator@uclink.berkeley.edu, (2) CHAMACOS, 1441 Constitution Blvd., Salinas, CA 93906, (3) Natividad Medical Center, CHAMACOS, 1441 Constitution Blvd., Salinas, CA 93906, (4) California Rural Legal Assistance, 3 Williams Rd., Salinas, CA 93905, (5) Center for Children's Environmental Health Research, University of California, Berkeley, 2150 Shattuck Ave, Suite 600, Berkeley, CA 94720

Exposure to agricultural pesticides at work has health implications for both farmworkers and their children who may be exposed to them through “take home” of pesticides on clothing and skin. To decrease pesticide exposure for farmworkers and their children, the Center for Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), a community-university partnership, developed a work-site intervention that was conducted with Latino farmworkers (N =138) in the Salinas Valley, California. Using an experimental design, this intervention explored the impact that the provision of protective clothing, gloves, warm water hand washing facilities, soap, and field-based education have for increasing protective clothing and handwashing compliance, decreasing worker pesticide exposure, and increasing behaviors associated with preventing the transmission of pesticide residues from the fields to worker households. Multiple methods, including standardized questionnaires, in-field non-participant observation, environmental and biological sampling, focus groups and in-depth interviews, were used to assess both workers’ and growers reactions to the intervention as well as to directly measure the efficacy of intervention components on reducing worker pesticide exposure. Study findings, indicating that the provision of warm water, gloves, and coveralls can be effective in increasing worker handwashing and protective clothing compliance at work, will be presented. We will also discuss results of environmental and biological sampling used to assess potential for exposure and the protective efficacy of gloves and coveralls and offer recommendations for sustaining and disseminating this intervention.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe the CHAMACOS intervention;
• list multiple factors influencing positive changes in handwashing and protective clothing use;
• discuss the protective efficacy of gloves and coveralls and their potential to reduce children’s pesticide exposure.

Keywords: Agricultural Work Safety, Pesticide Exposure

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.