As temperatures get hotter, pesticides are more dangerous to farmworkers
As temperatures get hotter, pesticides are more dangerous to farmworkers
随着气温升高，农药对农场工人的危害日益加剧
For the nation’s 2.4 million farmworkers, climate change is poised to exacerbate the harms of pesticides, a growing body of research shows. Heat stresses the body, making it more vulnerable to pesticides and other toxicants, and protective clothing worn in the heat only adds to this stress. Hotter temperatures can also lead to higher evaporation rates, increasing farmworkers’ exposure as more pesticides are applied to crops. And heat can boost rates of chemical transformation of pesticides into more toxic compounds.
越来越多的研究表明，对于全美 240 万农场工人而言，气候变化正准备加剧农药带来的危害。高温会给人体带来压力，使其更容易受到农药和其他有毒物质的侵害，而在高温下穿着防护服只会增加这种压力。更高的气温还会导致农药蒸发率上升，随着农作物上喷洒更多农药，农场工人的接触量也随之增加。此外，高温还会加速农药发生化学转化，生成毒性更强的化合物。
“When it’s in the air, you are inhaling it through your nose. You are exposed to it through your other organs like skin. Your skin can absorb some of the pesticides [that are] in the air, and also when you’re sweating as part of doing your work you are increasing the pore size of your skin,” said Omanjana Goswami, a scientist in the food and environmental program at the Union for Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group. “It is awful. There is no other word for it.”
“当农药弥漫在空气中时，你会通过鼻子吸入它。你还会通过皮肤等其他器官接触到它。空气中的农药会被皮肤吸收，而且当你因工作而流汗时，皮肤毛孔会张大，从而增加吸收量，”倡导组织“忧思科学家联盟”（Union for Concerned Scientists）食品与环境项目科学家奥曼贾纳·戈斯瓦米（Omanjana Goswami）表示，“这太可怕了，找不到其他词来形容。”
In addition to threatening workers, rising temperatures likely will expand pesticide use, as pests and pathogens enlarge their ranges and more weeds spring up in crops, according to a report by the Union for Concerned Scientists. Thousands of US farmworkers suffer annually from acute pesticide poisoning, although data is limited, according to the Union for Concerned Scientists report, citing the Environmental Protection Agency. Many cases go unreported, and states also have different reporting practices.
根据“忧思科学家联盟”的一份报告，气温升高不仅威胁工人健康，还可能导致农药使用量增加，因为害虫和病原体的活动范围扩大，农作物中的杂草也会更多。该报告援引美国环保署的数据指出，尽管相关数据有限，但每年仍有数以千计的美国农场工人遭受急性农药中毒。许多病例未被上报，且各州的报告制度也各不相同。
The problem affects a population that is particularly vulnerable. A majority of US farmworkers were born in other nations and are people of color. Jeannie Economos, pesticide safety and environmental health project coordinator at the Farmworker Association of Florida, characterized farmworkers as “landless farmers.” “This is definitely a case of environmental injustice,” she said. “If they had access to capital, to land, to nondiscriminatory regulations and practices, to financial assistance, they might be able to be farmers themselves. But they’re not. And if they had legal status and they weren’t being demeaned because of their immigration status, if they weren’t experiencing horrible conditions in their home countries, they might be farmers themselves. But they are relegated to being farmworkers because they are at the behest of government and the system.”
这一问题影响着一个特别脆弱的群体。大多数美国农场工人出生于其他国家，且属于有色人种。佛罗里达州农场工人协会（Farmworker Association of Florida）农药安全与环境健康项目协调员珍妮·埃科诺莫斯（Jeannie Economos）将农场工人描述为“无地农民”。她说：“这绝对是一个环境不公正的案例。如果他们能获得资金、土地、非歧视性的法规和实践以及经济援助，他们或许能成为自耕农。但他们没有。如果他们拥有合法身份，没有因移民身份而受到贬低，没有在母国经历可怕的境遇，他们或许也能成为农民。但他们被迫沦为农场工人，因为他们受制于政府和体制。”
Farmworkers are at risk whether or not they work directly with pesticides, and field workers who do not directly handle the chemicals account for the majority of reported poisonings, the Union for Concerned Scientists said in its report. Many employers do not post adequate warnings about fields that recently were sprayed and fail to provide protective gear or trainings on how to use it, the report said. Other research shows that protective PVC gloves actually can break down as temperatures increase and become less impervious to the chemicals. Family members or other close contacts can be exposed when they encounter residue on farmworkers’ skin and clothing.
“忧思科学家联盟”在报告中指出，无论是否直接接触农药，农场工人都面临风险，而那些不直接处理化学品的田间工人反而占了报告中毒病例的大多数。报告称，许多雇主没有在近期喷洒过农药的田地张贴足够的警告标志，也未能提供防护装备或相关使用培训。其他研究表明，防护性 PVC 手套在高温下实际上会发生降解，从而降低对化学品的阻隔能力。当家人或其他密切接触者接触到农场工人皮肤和衣服上的残留物时，也可能受到波及。
Chronic pesticide exposure is associated with cancer, depression, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and reproductive issues, according to the Union for Concerned Scientists report. “We tell people, don’t pick up your children when you get home until you take your clothes off and take a shower, because you’re going to contaminate your kids,” Economos said.
根据“忧思科学家联盟”的报告，长期接触农药与癌症、抑郁症、糖尿病、神经退行性疾病和生殖问题有关。“我们告诉人们，回家后在脱掉衣服并洗澡之前，不要抱孩子，因为你会污染你的孩子，”埃科诺莫斯说。
Heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States. Every year, thousands of US workers suffer heat-related illnesses and injuries. A total of 1,042 worker deaths related to heat were documented between 1992 and 2022, an average of 34 annually, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Excess heat affects the body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature, which can lead to heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke. Hotter temperatures can also exacerbate nervous system, respiratory, cardiovascular, and diabetes-related conditions and even affect children’s ability to learn. For outdoor laborers, symptoms such as fatigue and dizziness especially can be hazardous when the work involves dangerous conditions or equipment.
高温是美国与天气相关的头号杀手。每年都有数以千计的美国工人遭受与高温相关的疾病和伤害。根据职业安全与健康管理局（OSHA）援引劳工统计局的数据，1992 年至 2022 年间，共记录了 1,042 例与高温相关的工人死亡案例，平均每年 34 例。过热会影响人体调节内部温度的能力，从而导致热痉挛、热衰竭和中暑。更高的气温还会加剧神经系统、呼吸系统、心血管和糖尿病相关的疾病，甚至影响儿童的学习能力。对于户外劳动者来说，当工作涉及危险环境或设备时，疲劳和头晕等症状尤其危险。
There are few federal or state regulatory protections for farmworkers from heat. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 2024 proposed a new standard that would more clearly define employer obligations and require employers to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplaces. Two years later, the proposal is moving forward, but slowly. In the absence of a specific federal regulation, OSHA has relied on the general duty clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The clause requires employers to provide a workplace free of “recognized hazards” that can cause “death or serious physical harm.”
目前，针对农场工人防暑降温的联邦或州级监管保护措施寥寥无几。职业安全与健康管理局在 2024 年提出了一项新标准，旨在更明确地界定雇主义务，并要求雇主评估和控制工作场所的高温危害。两年过去了，该提案虽在推进，但进展缓慢。在缺乏具体联邦法规的情况下，OSHA 一直依赖 1970 年《职业安全与健康法》中的“一般义务条款”。该条款要求雇主提供一个没有可能导致“死亡或严重身体伤害”的“已知危害”的工作场所。
California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington have implemented state-level heat protections. But some states, including Florida and Texas, have prohibited the protections at the local level. In 2024, Florida lawmakers banned local governments from establishing any such protections for outdoor workers. The legislation came after commissioners in Miami-Dade County considered a proposal that would have required construction and agricultural companies to provide water and rest breaks when the heat index hit at least 95 degrees. The proposal also would have required training in heat illness and first aid.
加利福尼亚州、科罗拉多州、马里兰州、明尼苏达州、内华达州、俄勒冈州和华盛顿州已经实施了州级的高温保护措施。但包括佛罗里达州和德克萨斯州在内的一些州，却在地方层面禁止了此类保护措施。2024 年，佛罗里达州立法者禁止地方政府为户外工人制定任何此类保护措施。此前，迈阿密-戴德县的专员曾考虑一项提案，要求建筑和农业公司在热指数达到至少 95 华氏度（约 35 摄氏度）时提供饮用水和休息时间。该提案还要求进行高温疾病和急救方面的培训。
“Farmwork is dignified, important work,” Economos said. “I’m not trying to get people out of farmwork. We’re trying to elevate farmwork because it is a skilled profession. Unlike what (people say), that it is unskilled work—try it.”
“农场工作是一项有尊严且重要的工作，”埃科诺莫斯说，“我并不是想让人们离开农场工作。我们是在努力提升农场工作的地位，因为它是一项技术性职业。不像人们所说的那样是无技术工作——不信你试试。”