Farmworkers at Risk

The report examines the vulnerability of approximately 2.4 million US farmworkers to the combined risks of pesticide exposure and extreme heat. It argues that climate change increases these risks by expanding pest ranges and increasing the frequency of dangerous heat days. Focusing on California, Florida, and Washington, the report highlights a lack of federal heat standards and inconsistent pesticide safety enforcement. It recommends federal OSHA heat standards, the extension of labor protections like minimum wage and overtime to farmworkers, and a transition toward agroecological farming systems to reduce pesticide dependence.

• US farmworkers face extreme vulnerability due to social and political marginalization, including exclusion from New Deal legislation that provided minimum wage, overtime pay, and collective bargaining rights to other private sector workers.
• Occupational injuries and deaths among farmworkers are significantly underreported; estimates suggest government reports miss 79 percent of nonfatal injuries and 74 percent of deaths in agriculture.
• Farmworkers are at a disproportionately higher risk of heat-related mortality, dying from heat-related causes at approximately 20 times the rate of workers in other civilian occupations.
• Climate change is expected to increase pesticide risks by expanding the range of pests and pathogens, reducing pesticide efficacy at higher temperatures, and increasing pesticide volatilization rates, which raises airborne concentrations.
• Heat stress increases the human body's susceptibility to pesticides and other toxicants, and warmer temperatures can transform certain organophosphate pesticides into metabolites that are 5 to 100 times more toxic than the parent chemical.
• Protective clothing required for pesticide handling increases the risk of heat stress; nonbreathable coveralls can increase the 'feels like' temperature by up to 27°F.
• In California, the average pesticide application rate of 8.1 kg per acre is more than 4.5 times the national average, and farmworkers face an average of 102 days per year with a heat index over 80°F.
• Florida has the highest pesticide application rates in the US, nearly seven times the national average, and farmworkers there historically experienced an average of 193 days between April and October with a heat index over 80°F.
• Washington's pesticide application rate is 4.5 times the national average, and while historically cooler, the Pacific Northwest is now on average more than 1.5°F warmer than in the first half of the 20th century.
• There is no federal standard specifically protecting workers from dangerous heat; OSHA relies on a 'general duty clause' which is difficult to enforce.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2019). Farmworkers at Risk. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/farmworkers-at-risk-report-2019-web.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Farmworkers at Risk. 2019. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/farmworkers-at-risk-report-2019-web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Farmworkers at Risk |date=November 2019 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/farmworkers-at-risk-report-2019-web.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2019farmworkers, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Farmworkers at Risk}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/farmworkers-at-risk-report-2019-web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }