Key considerations for assessing soil ingestion exposures among agricultural workers.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Soil ingestion is a critical, yet poorly characterized route of exposure to contaminants, particularly for agricultural workers who have frequent, direct contact with soil.

Objective

This qualitative investigation aims to identify and characterize key considerations for translating agricultural workers' soil ingestion experiences into recommendations to improve traditional exposure science tools for estimating soil ingestion.

Methods

We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 16 fruit and vegetable growers in Maryland to characterize their behaviors and concerns regarding soil contact in order to characterize the nature of soil ingestion in the agricultural context.

Results

We identified and discussed four emergent themes: (1) variability in g

SUBMITTER: Lupolt SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8170865 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature