Unstable work hours in youth harms health when older
Working unstable hours early in your career can harm health later in life.
People with unstable work schedules in their 20s, 30s and 40s have worse physical and mental health at age 50, according to a study published April 3 in PLOS ONE.
Researchers looked at data on more than 7,000 people collected over 30 years, finding that those who worked unstable or non-standard hours — defined as outside the traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule — had more sleep problems and depressive symptoms when older.
About 60% of people in the study worked mostly standard or stable hours that followed a regular schedule. Another 30% worked mostly standard hours in their 20s but later had a combination of evening, night and variable hours later. Ten percent were not working.
People with unstable work schedules in their 20s, 30s and 40s slept less, had lower sleep quality and had poorer physical health and were more likely to have symptoms of depression when they were 50 than those who had standard, stable schedules throughout their career. The worst harms to mental functioning were found in people who worked regular hours in their 20s and then switched to more volatile schedules later.
The impacts did not harm all people equally. Women, people with low education levels and Black workers were more likely to have nonstandard schedules and associated harms to their physical and mental health than white men and those with higher educations.
The prevalence of precarious jobs, such those that require work during early mornings, evenings or nights or have irregular or unpredictable hours, has been on the rise in recent decades, the researchers noted. Such jobs include ride-hailing, on-demand shopping or delivery work, which increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hispanic people at higher risk from harms of agricultural pesticide
Paraquat, a weedkiller linked to Parkinson’s disease, poses disproportionate risks to Hispanic farmworkers and families in California, new research finds.
Five counties accounted for 66% of all paraquat use in California from 2017-2021, according to an analysis of state pesticide data by the Environmental Working Group. The counties — Kern, Kings, Fresno, Tulare and Merced — are home to most of the state’s agricultural activities.
Low-income communities with high proportions of Hispanic residents had highest exposure to paraquat, which is banned from use in more than 50 countries but is allowed for use on U.S. crops.
The top four communities with the most exposure were all in Kern County, a paraquat “hot spot” that had a population of about 916,800 as of 2022. All of the four communities — Shafter, Wasco, Delano and McFarland — had poverty rates that were above 20% and populations that were at least 82% Hispanic.
Paraquat is commonly used to kill weeds before planting almonds, corn, soybeans, wine grapes and other crops. The pesticide lingers in soil and can be spread via dust in the air, posing health risks to people who live nearby as well as to California farmworkers, 96% of whom are Hispanic.
Workers who spray paraquat are twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease as those who use other pesticides, previous research has found. About 5.3 million pounds of paraquat, which is also linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and childhood leukemia, were used in California during the study period, the researchers said.
In February, the Environmental Protection Agency released a draft report that contends paraquat can safely be used on crops, a conclusion disputed by a coalition of public health and environmental groups that sued the agency.
Suicidal thoughts common among young rural Black men
Black men who experience racism and adversity in childhood think about suicide often as young adults, a recent study of rural residents shows.
Published in Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, the research found that a third of rural, young adult Black men experienced thoughts of suicide or death in past two weeks.
Past trauma, deprivation and racism among the study participants, who were followed from their teens to their early 20s, increased risks for suicidal thoughts. Past negative experiences included physical and emotional abuse, not having enough to eat, witnessing abuse and a lack of access to needed medical care.
Nationally, about 12% of people ages 12 to 17 and 5% of people ages 18 and older report having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, according to recent findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
The new study found that growing up in poverty and experiencing discrimination as a child or young adult can serve as a barrier to developing healthy and trusting relationships. Poor relationships can cause feelings of isolation, which can lead to thoughts of death and suicide, the researchers said.
Suicide was the third-leading cause of death for Black men ages 19 and younger as of 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and fourth-leading cause of death for Black men ages 20-44. Suicide rates increased 19% for Black Americans from 2018-2021, data released last year show.
Low-VOC paints still contain chemicals
Water-based paints used by consumers may be less odorous than some other options on the market, but they still contain potentially hazardous compounds, a new study says.
Researchers examined 40 water-based paints from top-selling brands, many of which were labeled as having low or no volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs, and less odors. High concentrations of VOCs pose risks to health, including eye, nose and lung irritation with short-term exposure, and asthma, cancer and cardiovascular disease with long-term exposure. As a result, paint manufacturers have worked to lower or eliminate VOCs in their products in recent years.
In the study, published April 3 in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, researchers found 20 semi-volatile organic compounds in paint samples at concentrations of up to 3.5% by weight. Semi-VOCs can persist for years and become part of household dust, the study noted.
Eleven types of chemicals that are considered by the World Health Organization to be VOCs were identified in 24 of the wet paint samples. Almost half the samples also had some level of isothiazolinones, which are preservatives associated with skin irritation and asthmatic symptoms. While endocrine-disrupting phthalates not found in high quantities, researchers detected phthalate-replacement chemicals.
Other recent public health news of interest includes:
• Thousands of U.S. cases of tuberculosis are attributable to structural racism, an April 2 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds.
• Filters can help reduce arsenic levels by half in American Indian communities that use well water for drinking, cooking and other needs, according to March 27 research in Environmental Health Perspectives.
• A final rule from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will fine oil and gas companies that unnecessarily release methane on federal and tribal land.
• Despite their higher risk for cervical cancer, Hispanic women are nearly a third less likely than white women to be vaccinated against the disease, a study in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics says.
• The Environmental Protection Agency will be required to develop maximum limits for coal mining pollution in streams in West Virginia under a new agreement reached with environmental groups.
• Black men are less likely to be accepted to receive heart transplants than white men, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds.
The Watch is written by Michele Late, who has more than two decades of experience as a public-health journalist.
