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Not to be graphic here, but when they are picking lettuce where the portable bathroom is - is important. These guys are pushed for time -- and if the potty is

Not to be graphic here, but when they are picking lettuce where the portable bathroom is - is important. These guys are pushed for time -- and if the potty is too far away... Also, to deal with this, some farms have movable portable bathrooms on wheels that hover over the produce or in between and follow the group, I am sure they leak. https://toddbigelow.photoshelter.com/image/I0000BLSwooXCRac https://toddbigelow.photoshelter.com/image/I0000BLSwooXCRac

DanAndersen 9y ago
This is an important part of the equation, and it's unfortunate that the article doesn't go into sufficient detail about the actual mechanisms by which the infection can happen. If anything, the article's mentions of "people are simply eating more fresh produce these days" and "some contamination can still slip through" foster an attitude of helplessness, as if this is a new normal we need to get used to. Poor living and working conditions for migrant farmworkers is a contributing factor to outbreaks like this. Workers who are present illegally or are otherwise marginalized and taken advantage of, even if they are part of legal guest-worker programs, suffer conditions where poor housing facilities or the need to work under great time pressures leads to inadequate sanitation. A 2017 story [0] illustrates this: >Kristina Espinoza, a labor department investigator who recently visited the farm, described a "makeshift labor camp" that was "dangerous" and "unsanitary," according to court documents. [...] Gonzalez had workers shower in nine stalls inside a cargo container; there was no functional sewage system, so wastewater accumulated underneath the container, Espinoza said. The electrical cord used to light the facility was exposed to standing water, posing a risk of electrocution, according to court documents. The workers shared one toilet in the trailer and had access to port-a-potties. [0] http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-farmworker-abuse-20170510-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-farmworker-abuse-20170...
- extrapickles 9y ago
  Not only that, but farmers need to sterilize sewage before using it as fertilizer. Some will claim they do this, and then pocket the difference.
Fomite 9y ago
There's also wildlife. There was a spinach outbreak of E. coli linked to wild hogs living in the field.

DanAndersen 9y ago

This is an important part of the equation, and it's unfortunate that the article doesn't go into sufficient detail about the actual mechanisms by which the infection can happen. If anything, the article's mentions of "people are simply eating more fresh produce these days" and "some contamination can still slip through" foster an attitude of helplessness, as if this is a new normal we need to get used to. Poor living and working conditions for migrant farmworkers is a contributing factor to outbreaks like this. Workers who are present illegally or are otherwise marginalized and taken advantage of, even if they are part of legal guest-worker programs, suffer conditions where poor housing facilities or the need to work under great time pressures leads to inadequate sanitation. A 2017 story [0] illustrates this: >Kristina Espinoza, a labor department investigator who recently visited the farm, described a "makeshift labor camp" that was "dangerous" and "unsanitary," according to court documents. [...] Gonzalez had workers shower in nine stalls inside a cargo container; there was no functional sewage system, so wastewater accumulated underneath the container, Espinoza said. The electrical cord used to light the facility was exposed to standing water, posing a risk of electrocution, according to court documents. The workers shared one toilet in the trailer and had access to port-a-potties. [0] http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-farmworker-abuse-20170510-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-farmworker-abuse-20170...

extrapickles 9y ago
Not only that, but farmers need to sterilize sewage before using it as fertilizer. Some will claim they do this, and then pocket the difference.

Fomite 9y ago

There's also wildlife. There was a spinach outbreak of E. coli linked to wild hogs living in the field.