Agricultural Medicine

Agricultural employment is plagued with one of the highest levels of mortality among occupational groups in the United States, making the health and safety of farmers, farm workers, and farm residents a leading priority for epidemiologists, occupational health and safety professionals, rural health providers, public health practitioners, and extension agents and educators.

Satisfying a growing need for a textbook on this significant aspect of public health, Agricultural Medicine is the first comprehensive textbook and reference for students of public health and health professionals in the field of rural medicine. Agricultural health and safety engages a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals, engineers, sociologists, epidemiologists, and psychologists for whom this book is an overdue yet essential reference.

The authors bring a combined 60 years of practice, research, teaching, and scholarship in agricultural medicine to the design and content of this book. Their farm background and ownership add practicality and relevancy to their presentation. An overview of the industry and workforce—agricultural production in the global economy, demographics of the workforce, regulations, statistics, and organizations targeting agricultural health and safety—provides context for the broad but thorough coverage of diseases, infectious and toxic agents, and potential injuries to which agricultural populations are exposed daily.

Dedication.

About the Authors.

Foreword.

Preface.

1. Introduction and Overview.

2. Special Risk Populations in Agricultural communities.

3. Agricultural Respiratory Diseases.

4. Agricultural Skin Diseases.

5. Cancer in Agricultural Populations.

6. Health Effects of Agricultural Pesticides.

7. General Environmental Hazards in Agriculture.

8. Musculoskeletal Diseases in Agriculture.

9. Physical Factors Affecting Health in Agriculture.

10. Psychosocial Conditions in Agriculture.

11. Acute Agricultural Injuries.

12. Veterinary Biological and Therapeutic Occupational Hazards.

13. Zoonotic Diseases: An Overview.

14. Prevention of Illness and Injury in Agricultural Populations.

Index.

Kelley J. Donham, MS, DVM, DACVPM; Professor and Associate Head for Agricultural Medicine; Department of Occupational and Environmental Health; Director, Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health; College of Public Health, University of Iowa.

Anders Thelin, MD, PhD, an occupational medicine physician specializing in agricultural medicine.

Worldwide, agricultural employment is plagued with one of the highest levels of mortality among occupational groups. Occupational deaths among farmers in the 15-member European Community is more than twice that for all other occupations. In the United States, agricultural death rates are nearly five times the rate for all occupations. The deaths cost the U.S. economy more than 40 billion dollars annually. Every day, an average of 9,000 U.S. workers sustain disabling injuries on the job. Occupational and environmental health and safety of farmers, farm workers, and farm residents is a growing priority for epidemiologists, occupational health and safety professionals rural health providers, public health practitioners, and extension agents and educators. Agriculture is an essential industry that is too often taken for granted in industrialized countries, especially when it comes to its human resources.

Agricultural Medicine: Occupational and Environmental Health for the Health Professions provides in-depth information on occupational and environmental illnesses, injuries, and prevention associated with productive agriculture. Written to reach a broad range of health and safety professionals, the authors motivate readers to apply this information to serve the health and safety needs of the agricultural population. Satisfying a growing need for a textbook on this significant aspect of public health, Agricultural Medicine is the first comprehensive textbook and reference for students of public health and health professionals in the field of rural medicine.

• The first comprehensive text and reference for students and agricultural medicine professionals, as well as for farmers and agricultural practitioners.
• Written by a multidisciplinary team of professionals from the agricultural medicine fields.
• Includes chapters on special high risk populations, environmental hazards, and prevention.

Agricultural health and safety engages a multidisci0plianry team of medical professionals, veterinarians, engineers, sociologists, epidemiologists, and psychologists for whom this book is an overdue, essential reference.