In recent years, we have seen wildfires become headlines as they have gone from seasonal events to major disasters in places like Canada, Alaska, and California. Canada's 2023 wildfire season resulted in millions of burned acres, causing air quality emergencies in several states along the North and East Coast of the United States. In California, we watched as earlier this year several fires destroyed entire urban neighborhoods, displacing thousands of people and leaving fatalities across Los Angeles. These events not only cause financial losses but have a direct and indirect effect on the health of populations. Some populations may be more affected than others depending on their exposure; one particular at-risk population is agricultural workers.
“Wildfire Smoke as an Occupational Risk Factor: Clinician’s Guide,” a new resource from Farmworker Justice in partnership with Migrant Clinicians Network, informs and increases the capacity of health care providers to support agricultural workers in preventive and risk mitigation practices related to wildfires. The guide provides a background on recent wildfire events, the effect these events have on outdoor air quality, and how to interpret air quality levels. One of the key sections is the description of the populations that are at higher risk of suffering adverse health effects, such as the elderly, children, and agricultural workers. This resource also describes the different health implications and actions that patients can take to protect themselves, such as using respiratory protection. Finally, this guide addresses in a comprehensive, easy-to-understand way, the different actions that health care providers and outreach workers can take to promote the protection of the population they serve.
Protecting the health of agricultural workers during natural disasters is particularly essential since they are the backbone of our food and nutrition chain. Implementing simple education and outreach programs and supporting respiratory protection programs can go a long way to keep them safe and healthy.
Access the new Wildfire resource on the MCN website, where you can flip through it on the site or download it as a PDF. It will soon be available in Spanish as well. https://www.migrantclinician.org/resource/wildfire-smoke-occupational-risk-factor-clinicians-guide.html
