June – July 2017 - Launching pesticide mitigation research project

The main goal for this trip was to implement an agricultural chemical awareness demonstration with a group of farmers in El Rosario. This initiative is part of the CLARO study funded by the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. This particular study hopes to track knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards the useof agricultural chemicals. Just over 40 participants registered for this study in March during the Fuerza trip. The current demonstration involved adding a fluorescent tracer to the agricultural chemicals and then analyzing the location and distribution of fluorescence on the participant when they returned after a morning of spraying their crop.

Mixing mortar for the new shower facility, part of the pesticide safety project.

Dionisio and ACTS team members discuss design options.

Dionisio gives a tour of the new facility in July.

Medical students prepare high concentration Tinopal solutions for use in July 2017 CLARO 1 Agricultural research study.

High concentration Tinopal solution and personal protective equipment is given to participating farmers as part of the study. Farmers spray their fields using this fluorescent tracer.

ACTS team member takes fluorescent images of participants hands while interpreter asks survey questions as part of study.

Men sit waiting to be screened at the El Rosario dental clinic.