Environmental Health

[Editor’s note: This blog was written by Farmworker Justice. Farmworker Justice is a national farmworker advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. FJ’s blog, Harvesting Justice, can be found here.]

The weekend is here! In the Central Valley, MCN’s California Office is anticipating its first serious scorcher, with temperatures predicted to get around 106 Fahrenheit -- or higher. Before we head off to the creek to claim a shady spot, we’d like to offer our weekly rundown of news and insights from the world of migrant health, courtesy of MCN staff members.

[Editor’s Note: This post is part of our occasional series profiling the work of young clinicians and health justice activists who work with Migrant Clinicians Network.]

Today, as every day, two Latino workers will die in the US as a result of work-related injuries or illnesses. These deaths are largely preventable. Thousands of workers will die this year, on farms, on fishing boats, at construction sites, in transportation, all over America.  

Last year, Migrant Clinicians Network celebrated the newly updated Worker Protection Standard (WPS), released by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The long-awaited changes promise stronger protections for the nation’s agricultural workers while they grow and harvest the food that ends up on our tables. Now comes the next phase: education around the changes, implementation, and enforcement.

[Editor’s note: This week is National Public Health Week. Climate change has long been recognized as a significant and emerging global public health threat.

Happy Friday! We hope your springtime days are warm and healthy and not too allergy-ridden. Before we go sneezing into the weekend, here are a few news stories that MCN staff members thought are too good to be missed. Hope you enjoy them, too.