Environmental Systems and Occupational Health Policy Analyses to Interrupt the Impact of Structural Racism

Faculty Associate Devon Payne-Sturges has been awarded a multi-million dollar grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to investigate structural racism and health among Black and LatinX migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs).

The project, “Research Employing Environmental Systems and Occupational Health Policy Analyses to Interrupt the Impact of Structural Racism on Agricultural Workers and Their Respiratory Health (RESPIRAR),” will involve investigation of the environmental health of agricultural farms, policy and legal analyses, and system engagement with farm owners, advocates, and state officials. Researchers will use a three-pronged approach:

• Environmental health – Researchers will assess the air quality inside MSFW housing and determine the best ventilation using techniques and algorithms developed by Donald K. Milton, professor of environmental health. They will also test MSFW for SARS-CoV2 and other respiratory viruses. 
• System engagement – Researchers will engage farm owners, farm operators, state agency leaders, state policymakers and MSFW advocates using a technique called “Community-Based System Dynamics.” Through interviews and group work, participants will explore their roles in MSFW inequities. 
• Policy and legal analyses – Along with partner Marley S. Weiss, professor of law at UM Carey School of Law, researchers will study states’ legal actions to protect MSFW health during the pandemic and if those actions altered the trajectory of the pandemic during its first year.

While much in-person work came to a halt at the height of the pandemic, essential workers carried on to ensure Americans could access basic needs. Facing the risk of being fired, many farm workers continued to work despite being sick.

“Legally, farm workers are exempt from overtime pay. They don't have health care, and they don't have sick leave. These are policy decisions made on purpose that are creating vulnerabilities," said Payne-Sturges. Farm workers are often additionally exposed to unsafe environments and toxic chemicals at work. Despite the enhanced risks placed on farm workers during the pandemic, there has been a shortage of data on the impacts of the pandemic on this population.

Field work began in Spring 2023. Payne-Sturges is optimistic that the study will inform best practices and policies that buffer the mechanisms of structural racism that impact the farm workers.