Sugarcane cutting work, risks, and health effects: a literature review

• Published in: Revista de saúde pública Vol. 52; p. 80
• Main Authors: Leite, Marceli Rocha, Zanetta, Dirce Maria Trevisan, Trevisan, Iara Buriola, Burdmann, Emmanuel de Almeida, Santos, Ubiratan de Paula
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Faculdade de Saúde Pública da Universidade de São Paulo 23-08-2018; Universidade de São Paulo
• Subjects: Agricultural Workers' Diseases - epidemiology; Air Pollutants, Occupational - toxicity; Brazil - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Farmers - statistics & numerical data; Health Policy & Services; Health Status; Humans; Occupational Health; Occupational Risks; Respiratory Tract Diseases - etiology; Review; Risk Factors; Rural Workers; Saccharum; Working Conditions; Revisão; Occupational Health; Rural Workers; Riscos Ocupacionais; Working Conditions; Occupational Risks; Trabalhadores Rurais; Saúde do Trabalhador; Review; Health Status; Condições de Trabalho; Nível de Saúde
• ISSN: 0034-8910; 1518-8787; 1518-8787
• DOI: 10.11606/S1518-8787.2018052000138

Describe the main work risks for sugarcane cutters and their effects on workers' health.
Critical review of articles, with bibliographic research carried out in the PubMed, SciELO Medline, and Lilacs databases. The following keywords were used: sugarcane workers, sugarcane cutters, sugarcane harvesting, cortadores de cana-de-açú car , and colheita de cana -de-açúcar . The inclusion criteria were articles published between January 1997 and June 2017, which evaluated working conditions and health effects on sugarcane cutters. Those that did not deal with the work impact of cutting burned and unburnt sugarcane in the cutter's health were excluded. The final group of manuscripts was selected by the lead author of this study and reviewed by a co-author. Disagreements were resolved by consensus using the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and, where necessary, the final decision was made by consulting a third co-author.
From the 89 articles found, 52 met the selection criteria and were evaluated. Studies have shown that cutters work under conditions of physical and mental overload, thermal overload, exposure to pollutants, and are subject to accidents. The main effects observed were respiratory, cardiovascular, renal, musculoskeletal, heat stress, dehydration, genotoxic, and those due to accidents.
Work on the manual cutting of sugarcane, especially of burned sugarcane, exposes workers to various risks, with different health impacts. Risk reduction for exposure to pollution and thermal and physical overload is required as a measure to preserve the health of the worker.