manuscript in preparation
Heat and wildfire smoke exposure among Washington's H-2A workforce
With support from the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center
H-2A workers are temporary foreign workers that comprise a large portion of the agricultural workforce in the United States. Unlike U.S. citizens, these workers rely on their employers for their visa, housing, and transportation. As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of both wildfires and extreme heat events, H-2A workers, who do physically demanding work outdoors, are particularly vulnerable to these exposures and their health effects.
The study I conducted is the first to quantify worker-days of exposure to heat and wildfire smoke among H-2A workers both at worksites and at employer-provided housing overnight. The analysis focused on Washington State, one of the only states in the country with rules on occupational heat and wildfire smoke exposure for outdoor workers, and found these exposures frequently co-occur and are most common during months with the highest numbers of H-2A workers.
analysis underway
Cyanobacterial blooms, neurotoxins, and ALS mortality
In collaboration with the Neuro Climate Working Group
Cyanobacterial blooms are becoming more frequent, persistent, and severe due to warming climates and eutrophication from fertilizer runoff. Residential proximity to cyanobacterial blooms, which release a neurotoxin called BMAA, has been associated with increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) morbidity and mortality. However, these studies are localized and do not take aerosol transport into account.
In a national ecological study using satellite-derived bloom metrics and county-level ALS mortality, we are modeling BMAA exposure through aerosol transport, residential proximity, and drinking water routes. The model is still being finalized, but initial results suggest a relationship between aerosolized bloom plumes and ALS mortality. The lake game below is a small nod to this project.
dissertation
Occupational psychosocial exposures and mental health
We all know work can be stressful, but for some workers, long hours, isolation, lack of support, and experiences of bullying and harassment have real implications for mental health and wellbeing. For my dissertation, I did a deep dive into occupational psychosocial exposures and mental health, utilizing national data from the National Health Interview Survey as well as conducting a survey of U.S. mariners.
At the national level, I found that those who worked in occupations where interpersonal violence was common were more likely to be hypervigilant, a state of chronic stress associated with hypertension and PTSD. Women, and Black women specifically, were overrepresented in high-violence occupations and were more likely to report hypervigilance.
U.S. mariners work long hours onboard ships where they frequently live for months at a time in close quarters with the rest of the crew. Using latent profile analysis, I assessed mariners' psychosocial environments using a variety of indicators on interpersonal experiences, social support, and job satisfaction. Three unique types of onboard environments emerged: Supportive, Isolating, and Hostile. Those in the Hostile and Isolating environment groups were more likely to report poor mental health and had higher intent to leave the industry.
published
Water infrastructure and childhood blood lead in Wake County, NC
What's in your drinking water? You may remember hearing during the Flint Water Crisis that municipal water systems treat their water with anti-corrosives to prevent lead from leaching into the water from old pipes. Many homes built before the passing of the Safe Drinking Water Act's lead rule (1986) still have lead pipes today; this is particularly a problem for those on untreated well water.
For my master's thesis and subsequent paper, I created a database spatially linking childhood blood lead levels, residential history, and county tax records to assess the relationship between private well water and childhood blood lead levels. We found that children whose residences had private wells had significantly higher odds of having elevated blood lead levels.
Toca
Sophie