Protégete: Development of Pesticide Protective Clothing for Migrant Farmworkers on Tobacco Farms

• Main Author: Luong Vu, Victoria Quynh Nhu
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2020
• Subjects: Occupational safety; Textile Research
• ISBN: 9798643183198

The tobacco industry relies heavily on human labor, particularly migrant farmworkers, requiring them to work in extreme weather conditions and heavily utilize chemical pesticides (Mobed & Schenker, 1992; Fisher, 2000; Novotny et al, 2015). Migrant farmworkers are therefore at high risk of experiencing acute pesticide poisoning, green tobacco sickness, dehydration, and heat stroke while working in the fields. Migrant farmworkers are currently wearing cotton t-shirts, button down shirts, Tyvek coveralls and sometimes trash-bags as protective garments, which are not suitable for preventing exposure to the hazards on the field. In order to address the lack of available proper protective clothing against pesticide exposure for migrant farmworkers, this research continued the development of a pesticide repellent garment against flumetralin, a common pesticide used in tobacco farming. This study utilized hemp woven fabric modified with a Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) finish on the surface that acts as a barrier by preventing dermal absorption of flumetralin. Mixed methods were carried out in two phases. The first phase involved performing standard physical, chemical, and laundering tests to determine the durability and effectiveness of the treated hemp against the flumetralin pesticide. The second phase involved holding a focus group with six tobacco growers from North Carolina to determine their value perception of the garment. Analysis of the data revealed that the PAA treated hemp is effective in protecting from the pesticide and durable enough to withstand laundering and tearing compared to fabrics currently worn in the fields. Data from the focus group showed that participants perceived the garment to have high value but had many suggestions to improve the value of the garment. This study will prove useful for not only migrant farmworkers on tobacco farms, but tobacco farmers in protecting against exposure to flumetralin pesticide. The researcher recommends that future development of this protective garment should consider protection against green tobacco sickness as well.