
No face masks so California’s farmworkers are left unprotected - jelliclesfarm
https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/03/farmworkers-unprotected-face-masks-coronavirus/
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jelliclesfarm
[..] The mask shortage may leave farmworkers vulnerable to the airborne fungus
that causes Valley Fever, Coccidioides immitis. The disease’s symptoms are
similar to the flu, including fatigue, shortness of breath, fever and
sometimes lethal lung problems.

Unlike the flu, however, Valley Fever attacks the weakest part of the body.
While most people who inhale the fungus may simply think they have a cold, in
others, the effects can last a lifetime, and result in death or amputation.

It’s not just Valley Fever. Dr. John Balmes, a professor of medicine at
University of California San Francisco, said farmworkers can be bombarded by
dust and dirt while sowing, tending, picking and packing produce, and the
particles can be dangerous to their health, setting off asthma attacks and
irritating airways.

Many field laborers prefer to put on N95 or dust masks when heading out to
work in the open, exposed to the elements. According to Balmes, N95 masks
protect against vapor particles, such as sulphur, a common fungicide applied
by farmworkers, or Coccidioides. Dust masks only protect against larger
particles and simply guard against irritation of the throat and airways.

Now, however, many say they have switched to bandannas, which Balmes said
offer little-to-no protection.

“That exposure can trigger an asthma attack, even if it’s not diesel or
infectious particles, just plain soil,” said Balmes, who also is a professor
of environmental sciences at UC Berkeley and a co-investigator on the CHAMACOS
study, a long-term research project that investigates the impact of pesticides
on children in the Salinas Valley.[..]

