The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences featured School of Public and Population Health Associate Professor Cynthia Curl and Post-doctoral Researcher Carly Hyland in a recent article about projects funded by the institute.
Curl and Hyland — both Partnerships for Environmental Public Health grant recipients — were highlighted for their work in agricultural health.
Curl and Hyland are working with local communities to monitor and reduce the impact of pesticides and other environmental exposures in food production.
As head of the Curl Agricultural Health Research Lab, Curl works to provide information, initiatives and resources to Idaho students and communities about agricultural health.
“The goal of our research is to develop evidence-based public health messages about how various agricultural systems affect the health of both workers and consumers,” Curl said of the lab’s mission.
Hyland leads a grant-funded multidisciplinary research team with the Curl Agricultural Lab. The team is examining pesticide exposure among female Latinx Idaho farmworkers. Particularly, comparing pesticide exposure to male workers and also looking at factors that might uniquely affect exposure, such as improperly fitting protective equipment, which is often made for men.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences article notes Curl and Hyland’s extensive list of community partners, including Women, Infants, & Children clinics, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, the Idaho Organization of Resource Councils, and various nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups.
“What I have heard from all our community partners is that they’re incredibly grateful for this research because there’s a huge need for it in Idaho,” Hyland said in the article. “They are engaged and excited about working with us hopefully for a long time to come.”