FA R M
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I N F O R M AT I O N
B U L L E T I N
Voice of the Fields California
September 2021
FREE
Wildfire Update
Spanish: www.airnow.gov/aqi/aqi-basics-in-spanish/
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HE DIXIE FIRE that began on July 13 has now become the biggest wildfire in California history. While those living in the Plumas, Butte, Lassen and Tehama counties have felt the impacts of the Dixie Fire the most, it has also blanketed many other parts of California with skies of grey smoke and caused widespread poor air quality conditions.
In light of the Dixie Fire (as well as the approaching peak of wildfire season), it is important for farmworkers to know their rights to personal safety amid growing wildfire evacuation zones and poor air quality conditions. If the Air Quality Index (AQI) is above 150, your employer is required to give you an N-95 mask. N-95 masks filter out harmful particles in the air that could otherwise get into your lungs and even your bloodstream. Due to the nature of their job, farmworkers have a high risk of being exposed to
hazardous air quality conditions, such as air that has been polluted from wildfire smoke. This year could be one of the worst wildfire seasons on record for California, especially since the current drought has left much of California’s land dangerously dry. Though it is your employer’s responsibility to monitor the AQI and wildfire conditions, it may be helpful for you to know where to access this information yourself. To check your local AQI, visit the AirNow website: English: www.airnow.gov
COVID-19 UPDATES
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RECENT STUDY conducted by Harvard University found a link between wildfire smoke and rising COVID-19 cases and deaths.
It’s no secret that smoke-filled air is harmful to the lungs and medical experts have known for years that particulates in wildfire smoke collect in the lungs and cause inflammation. This is why employees working outside are required by law to be provided with an N95 mask by their employer. Since the beginning of the pandemic, health officials worried that smoke exposure may also worsen COVID-19 cases and deaths. Now, new research has confirmed their concerns.
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FTER MEETING rigorous standards for emergency use, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This means that “the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said the acting FDA commissioner, Dr. Janet Woodcock. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are also FDA approved for emergency use. While Pfizer and Moderna are two-shot vaccines, Johnson & Johnson is only one. All three are recommended by medical experts for vaccination.
Volume 31, Number 9
We talked about how breathing smoky air causes lung inflammation and as a result, COVID-19 symptoms can be made much worse. Coronavirus attacks the lungs and causes inflammation, and if your lungs are already inflamed from breathing wildfire smoke, symptoms and impacts are likely to be more extreme. But, doctors aren’t just worried about wildfire smoke worsening COVID-19 symptoms. Breathing smoke also suppresses the body’s immune system. This means that wildfire smoke also likely increases the risk of getting COVID-19. According to Harvard’s findings, 20% of COVID-19 cases in Washington and California were linked to wildfire smoke exposure in certain counties. Between Oregon, Washington, and California, researchers found that particulate matter in wildfire smoke accounted for 19,742 COVID-19 Thursday 10am cases and 748 deaths in 2020.
To track California’s wildfires to see if there is are any active fires burning near you, you can download the CalFire App, or go to the CalFire’s website: English: www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/ Spanish: www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/?lang=es Additionally, if you work in Ventura County, you can sign up for text alerts in English or Spanish to notify you when Ventura’s air quality is dangerous or polluted. To sign up, text “smoke” for English notifications or “humo” for Spanish to 855-522-0034. Although California’s labor laws are among the strictest in the nation, these laws are not always adequately enforced. If you find that your employer is not complying with Cal OSHA’s safety requirements, you can file an anonymous complaint here: English: www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/complaint.htm Spanish: www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Spanish/complaint.htm The good news is that in 2021, we now have the COVID-19 vaccine which is more than 90% effective against contracting the virus, and more than 95% effective against severe symptoms for those that are fully vaccinated. The bad news is that we are only a little over halfway through 2021 and have already had about 5,000 more fires than in 2020. We also now have COVID-19 variants that are massively more infectious and harmful than the original virus. In other words, it’s likely that this year’s wildfires will increase COVID-19 cases and deaths like they did in 2020, particularly among those that are unvaccinated. Do your part by getting vaccinated for free, regardless of immigration or insurance status. Learn more about getting vaccinated by visiting the following websites. Many vaccine locations have walk-in availability, so you may not even have to make an appointment. California website and call center for walk-in availability and appointments: English: myturn.ca.gov Spanish: myturn.ca.gov/es_US.html Call Center: 1-833-422-4255 CDC website for walk-in availability and appointments: English: www.vaccines.gov/search/ Spanish: www.vacunas.gov/search/ Continued on next page