Labor, Health, and Environmental Justice

Labor has a long history in the development of America’s economy and political democracy, and Labor Day pays tribute to workers who create “so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership.” Labor leaders and organizations have helped improve the quality of life for generations of workers across the country, including safer occupational and environmental health practices. 

At the University of Arizona, researchers are contributing to ongoing efforts to improve working conditions and workers' health today. 

Here, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health researchers are involved in a new study to count Arizona farmworkers to help reduce health disparities. Farmworkers fuel Arizona's economy and feed the nation, but they are also susceptible to injury, diseases, and stress. A current and credible count of Arizona farmworkers will help organizations and agencies better meet the needs of this vital yet vulnerable community.

Meanwhile, the Superfund Research Center investigates how chronic exposure to arsenic-containing mine waste contributes to the development of diabetes in the U.S. Southwest; the new Western Environmental Science Technical Assistance Center for Environmental Justice will help historically marginalized communities access clean air, land and water; and the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center works with at-risk communities in the Southwest to determine the contribution of chemical and other environmental exposures to health inequities.

Such efforts illustrate the intrinsic relationship between occupational health, environmental justice, equity, and workers’ safety, and Labor Day presents an opportunity to reflect on how we can help create safe and healthy spaces for everyone.