title: Occupational and environmental reproductive hazards education and resources for communities of color.
abstract: Little research has been published on the occupational and environmental hazards affecting people of color. Even less is known about the hazards that affect women of color. Although women of color have always been aggressive participants in the work force, their labor activity has increased dramatically over the last decade. Current job placement patterns suggest that women of color are concentrated in the lowest-paying and most hazardous jobs. In this paper, we specifically focus on occupational and environmental reproductive health concerns. We write with the understanding that reproductive hazards can affect pregnant women, nonpregnant women, and men, as well as the health and development of young children. Emphasis is placed primarily on African American women, because information on Hispanic, Native American, and Asian women is very limited. We discuss the participation of women of color in the labor force, using the U.S. Department of Labor categories. We review specific occupational hazards associated with each category of work and briefly discuss environmental hazards, noting that communities of color are at a disproportionate risk of exposure. Finally, we present the consensus report of the Community Education Working Group from the Woods Hole Conference on Occupational and Environmental Reproductive Hazards.
authors.affiliation: Center for Studies of Ethnicity and Race in America, University of Colorado at Boulder 80309.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dula
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurtz
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Samper
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D005260:Female; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000009:adverse effects; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D016272:Occupational Health; D009790:Occupations; D011287:Prejudice; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014481:United States; D014931:Women, Working
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances