Three organizations from the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) have received a $ 3 million 5-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the impact of air and climate pollution on the renal health of sugar workers in Guatemala . The award provides funding to recognize the contribution of air pollutants to kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu), a growing international disease.
This inter-institutional and interdisciplinary team will be led by principal investigators John Adgate, PhD, MSPH, from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the ColoradoSPH at the University of Colorado; Lee Newman, MD, MA from the Center for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) at the ColoradoSPH at the University of Colorado; and Joshua Schaeffer, PhD, from ColoradoSPH at Colorado State University. They will explore an unconventional notion that air and dust can lead to renal damage among sugar workers. In many countries, sugar fields are burned before harvesting the canister, releasing air pollutants that contribute to adverse health effects.
The initial work of the research team, and the work of other researchers, strongly recommends that sugar workers be exposed throughout the fall to air, soil, and ash particles containing silica, metals, and the agro- glyphosate. chemical and that these exposures may affect renal health. This study will be one of the first to link renal dysfunction not only to inhalation, but also to exposure effects to hot working conditions and dehydration. Sugar cutters participating in the study wear air pollution monitoring devices in backpacks while working. A team from CHWE in the fields monitors the health of the workers and at the same time measures pollution, heat and humidity.
Agricultural workers have always had an unnecessarily high risk for work-related injuries and illnesses. Now the stakes are even higher due to rising global temperatures and higher levels of chronic disease. What we are learning with our colleagues in Guatemala has the potential to help workers back in the US and abroad. “
Dr. Lee Newman, Center for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE), ColoradoSPH at the University of Colorado
The researchers work with Pantaleon, one of the largest agribusinesses in Latin America, with which CHWE has partnered to conduct research over the past five years. Thanks to this collaboration, the team has a unique opportunity to disseminate their findings not only through research publications, but also by interacting with other international industry organizations. The team will use this public-private partnership to extend the impact and translation of science into practice.
“When we think of air pollution, scientists usually look for damage to the lungs and heart. But when we breathe in dust, the smallest particles can get into the blood flow and also into the kidneys, “said Dr. Newman. “If we can show that the dusty work contributes to kidney damage, there are important, practical steps that an agricultural industry can take to prevent this epilepsy.”
Source:
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus