As the world experienced record heat this summer, farmworkers are a group as vulnerable as any to the dangers of rising heat and sun exposure.
That's why it's encouraging to see a partnership from Emory University's School of Nursing and the Georgia Institute of Technology — with the backing of the Farmworker Association of Florida — proactively tackling the growing risks to workers.
MIT Technology Review reported on their innovative solution of a sensor that monitors vital signs and could alert workers if they are on the verge of heat-related health issues.
The Emory research program's work on farmworker health dates back to 2009, and the sensor project began in 2022 when the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences awarded the team a $2.46 million grant.
The sensor is capable of monitoring important data from the wearer, including skin temperature and heart rate. Importantly, the soft device doesn't interfere with farmworkers' manual work and can comfortably be worn for hours around the chest.
Right now, the group is working on using data from the sensor to help model the risk of heat-related injuries. The goal is to provide an extra layer of protection, as farmworkers are primarily in charge of their own health.
For workers unavoidably exposed to the searing heat for hours on end, dangerous outcomes like heat stroke are increasingly possible. Extreme weather like droughts and heat waves are on the rise due to our collective reliance on dirty energy and the Earth-warming pollution that it creates. The landscape in the U.S. for protecting workers from the effects of the planet's overheating is lacking.
The Biden administration has proposed what would be the first federal heat protections, but they have not yet been finalized. On the state level, there are similar frustrations. When Miami-Dade County tried to create heat protections, the Florida state government quickly scuttled its efforts.
"The United States is primarily focused on educating workers on drinking water [and] the symptoms of heat-related illness," Roxana Chicas, an Emory assistant professor, noted to MIT Technology Review.
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Farmworkers are also reluctant to raise their voices about their conditions. The majority of them are from Latin America, and about half of them are undocumented, as the Review reported. Those factors make it "difficult for [them] to speak up" as they don't want to do anything that "may jeopardize their livelihoods," Chicas said. The fact that the FWAF is involved has helped, per the report.
Chicas revealed farmworkers in the past would soldier on even as they contended with severe headaches, dehydration, fevers, and early signs of kidney failure.
The FWAF project aims to do more than protect against heat-related illnesses. As part of it, participants can get an overall health screening that many lack due to minimal access to health care. The FWAF will help facilitate the care they need with free or low-cost providers.
FWAF research coordinator Ernesto Ruiz told MIT Technology Review that "community-based participatory research can't just be extractive, eliciting data and narratives."
"It has to give something in return," he added.
Meanwhile, in the fields, widespread adoption of the sensors could go a long way in sounding the alarm when farmworkers need a break.
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