Child Labor in Family Tobacco Farms in Southern Brazil: Occupational Exposure and Related Health Problems

Anaclaudia Gastal Fassa, Neice Muller Xavier Faria, Ana Laura Sica Cruzeiro Szortyka, Rodrigo Dalke Meucci, Nadia Spada Fiori and Maitê Peres de Carvalho
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Anaclaudia Gastal Fassa: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas 96030-000, Brazil
Neice Muller Xavier Faria: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas 96030-000, Brazil
Ana Laura Sica Cruzeiro Szortyka: Psychology Course, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas 96030-000, Brazil
Rodrigo Dalke Meucci: Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande 96203-900, Brazil
Nadia Spada Fiori: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas 96030-000, Brazil
Maitê Peres de Carvalho: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas 96030-000, Brazil

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 22, 1-17

Abstract: Tobacco farming is considered Hazardous Child Labor in Brazil. This study examined the work of children and adolescents in tobacco farming, characterizing the level of urinary cotinine and the occurrence of Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS), pesticide poisoning, respiratory symptoms, and musculoskeletal disorders. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a random sample of tobacco growers under 18 years old in Southern Brazil. Ninety-nine young people were interviewed at 79 family farms. The majority began working in agriculture before they were 14 and worked harvesting and tying hands of tobacco; 60% were 16 or 17 years old, and 51.5% were male. During their lifetime, 24.5% reported GTS, and 3% reported pesticide poisoning. In the previous year, 29.3% reported low back pain, 6.1% wheezing, and 16.2% coughing without having a cold. Half of the 12 young people evaluated had over 100 ng/mL of urinary cotinine. The study indicates that child laborers do various activities and present a high prevalence of health problems. Health workers should be trained to identify child laborers and their impacts on health. Full-time farm schools could provide knowledge about sustainable agricultural production, reducing the rates of age-grade mismatch, without taking young people away from rural areas.

Keywords: child labor; agriculture; rural health; cotinine; tobacco; pesticides; occupational health; epidemiology; cross-sectional studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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