New and Emerging Research in Agricultural, Forestry, and Fishing Safety and Health - Agriculture Forestry and Fishing Research at NIOSH - page 172

tion, 2000). The AFF Program needs to address these emerging developments in
forestry services with targeted surveillance and research so that workers can avoid
or mitigate such exposures.
Blurring Boundaries for Food Harvesting and Food Processing
With continuing changes in available technologies and economic pressures to
increase profits by providing value-added products, many farms are increasing the
amount of food processing performed on site. Post-harvest food processing gener-
ally entails cooling, cleaning, sorting, and packing. The primary goals of moving
food processing closer to the fields and to the sea are to control undesirable chemi-
cal changes in the product, minimize physical damage, and obtain better control of
pathogens through sanitation procedures. As these processes become more closely
integrated with traditional harvesting activities, workers may be exposed to new
hazards with which they are not familiar. There is a potential for increased worker
exposure to risks and hazards when preventing food contamination and when
maintaining ready access to sanitary facilities, drinking water, and food during the
workday. Potential hazards include exposure to chemicals used as pesticides, or to
control or enhance ripening or retard spoilage (such as argon, carbon dioxide, and
carbon monoxide), or as sanitizers (such as hypochlorite solutions and ozone).
Increased risk of repetitive motion injuries may result from new tasks associated
with processing and packaging produce, such as twisting motions required to core
lettuce. Additional surveillance and research activities may be required to fully
characterize the magnitude and nature of these new hazards, and to develop ap-
propriate intervention strategies.
Food Safety and Food Security
Hazardous food agents or contaminants can cause illness among people di-
rectly involved in food production. The list of hazardous agents is long and includes
microbial and parasitic agents, multi-drug resistant bacteria, and antibiotic and
pesticide residues. Other controversial issues, such as genetically modified foods
that could contain allergens or toxins not found in conventionally produced foods,
are also receiving attention from consumer and producer groups. Consumer prefer-
ences for ready-to-eat foods, changes in demographics and climate, and access to
global markets have changed the incidence of food safety risks. In addition, there
is a risk of intentional and unintentional food contamination due to agroterror-
ism or lack of oversight of food quality control. Those are all major concerns for
public and private institutions.
Studies that integrate all the players and steps in the food chain—from farmers,
ranchers, hired workers, forestry service workers, and fishermen to transport and