Finishing What She Started: BUSPH Alumna Receives Fulbright Scholarship to Continue Pesticide Exposure Research in Brazil
Boston University School of Public Health alumna Serena Arancibia, MPH ’10, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study the health risk perceptions female agricultural workers in Brazil have about their exposure to pesticides.
Brazil is one of the world’s top consumers of pesticides, according to the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency. A report issued by the agency said that many of the pesticides used in Brazil have been banned in other countries for causing health problems, such as neurological and reproductive disorders, as well as congenital malformations in children.
Brazilian agricultural workers, especially women, are at an increased risk of suffering from pesticide-related illnesses due to their frequent exposure to these chemicals. Although Brazilian male agricultural workers, who spend all day working in the fields, wear protective gear, Arancibia said the women do not because they tend to only be in the fields for a few hours a day. As a result, the country’s rural agricultural communities have a high rate of miscarriages and congenital birth defects.
“The women know pesticides are harmful,” said Arancibia, who was a dual concentrator in international health and maternal and child health. “They’ve seen other people get sick but they still don’t take the necessary precautions.”
Working with the public health institute of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) located in Rio de Janeiro, Arancibia will hold focus groups, interview female agricultural workers and design an intervention to reduce their contact with pesticides. Her investigation will run from March 2010 to December 2011.
Arancibia’s project is an extension of the practicum she participated in as part of her degree at BUSPH. She spent the summer of 2009 in Brazil researching pesticide exposure among agricultural workers. She is currently preparing for the research trip by reviewing the information she collected during her practicum.
The Fulbright Program is the largest U.S. international exchange program. Participants, who are chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, are provided with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Submitted by Elana Zak