Title: Community health risks of industrial agriculture | Healthy food playbook
Headings: Community health risks of industrial agriculture
Community health risks of industrial agriculture
Takeaways
Agricultural practices and environmental health risks
Industrial agricultural inputs and risks
Fertilizer
Pesticides
Antibiotics
Public health impacts of agricultural practices
Water pollution
Air pollution
Climate health and greenhouse gas emissions
Antimicrobial resistance
Food system vulnerability
Farmworkers in the United States
Health risks for agricultural workers
Mobile Clinic: Bassett Health, Cooperstown, New York
Recommended practices for hospital community health engagement
Water quality
Air quality
Farmworker and farm owner health
Beyond community benefit
Partners
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Content: For instance, agriculture is a significant source of air pollution, which contributes to a range of respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. The industrial-scale, conventional system endangers farm workers and owners, who regularly face serious occupational hazards and limited access to health care. “In fact, our industrialized food and agriculture system comes with steep costs, many of which are picked up by taxpayers, rural communities, farmers themselves, other business sectors, and future generations. When we include these “externalities” in our reckoning, we can see that this system is not a cost-effective, healthful, or sustainable way to produce the food we need." — Union of Concerned Scientists
Farmworkers carrying shovels at the end of their work day in Colorado ( Staurt Rankin/Flickr ). Industrial agricultural inputs and risks
Fertilizer
Nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture, predominantly due to runoff, contaminate water sources, harming aquatic ecosystems and making water unfit for human consumption and exposure. Animal waste, used as fertilizer, can contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance and overuse can lead to nitrate contamination of surface and groundwater sources. Ammonia released from the use of fertilizers and manure impacts air quality by combining with pollutants to form aerosols that can cause heart and pulmonary diseases. Pesticides
Pesticide drift, which can occur during application and afterward carried by vaper, results in airborne dust and droplets that settle outside of the area targeted for use, increasing the range of exposure, and affecting nearby fields, homes, and schools. Through runoff and leaching agricultural pesticides contaminate ground and surface water.