摘要：Objectives. The purpose of this study was to assess water quality in migrant farmworker camps in North Carolina and determine associations of water quality with migrant farmworker housing characteristics. Methods. We collected data from 181 farmworker camps in eastern North Carolina during the 2010 agricultural season. Water samples were tested using the Total Coliform Rule (TCR) and housing characteristics were assessed using North Carolina Department of Labor standards. Results. A total of 61 (34%) of 181 camps failed the TCR. Total coliform bacteria were found in all 61 camps, with Escherichia coli also being detected in 2. Water quality was not associated with farmworker housing characteristics or with access to registered public water supplies. Multiple official violations of water quality standards had been reported for the registered public water supplies. Conclusions. Water supplied to farmworker camps often does not comply with current standards and poses a great risk to the physical health of farmworkers and surrounding communities. Expansion of water monitoring to more camps and changes to the regulations such as testing during occupancy and stronger enforcement are needed to secure water safety. Water is the essence of human life, part of every cell and vital for every function of our body. The World Health Organization has declared access to a regular supply of safe water a basic human right which has to be respected, protected, and fulfilled. 1 The consequences of failing to do so are alarming: diarrheal diseases causing 2 million annual deaths worldwide; outbreaks of cholera, legionella, and other waterborne pathogens; and cancer and tooth and skeletal damage because of unsafe levels of arsenic and fluoride. 2 Developing countries carry the main burden of these diseases. However, provision of safe water is a global responsibility shared by individuals as well as local, state, and federal governments. For this purpose, international and local guidelines and regulations have been created to ensure drinking water quality. 3–5 Migrant farmworkers represent a particularly vulnerable population within the US for diseases resulting from unsafe drinking water, in conjunction with other environmental and occupational hazards. 6 The large number of migrant farmworkers that labor in the United States has little control of their living environments, including the water available for drinking, bathing, and laundry. 7 Although federal and state regulations have been developed to ensure adequate and safe housing for migrant farmworkers, the standards are often not met. 8 The few studies published on water quality indicate that contamination of drinking water is a continuing concern. 9 Although pesticides and nitrates contained in drinking water represent a recognized problem, this study focuses on fecal contamination of water. 10 Total coliform were found in drinking water of half of 30 farmworker camps tested in North Carolina in 1989. 11 A US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation into the drinking water quality of migrant camps in Wisconsin revealed that water in 67% of camps contained total coliform bacteria in 1997. 12 Two of 5 farmworker camps located in Colorado were also tested positive for total coliform in 2002. 13 Breaches in water safety are persistent and widespread. 9 This study describes the quality of drinking water and tests its association to housing characteristics and living conditions in 181 migrant farmworker camps located in eastern North Carolina during the 2010 agricultural season. The results are further compared with previously published data of water quality. 11
