Farm workers’ small children no longer toil in the fields alongside their parents, but they still may become victims of agricultural pesticides.

The Oregon Child Development Coalition last week concluded two weeks of testing in Ashland that it hopes will help determine the effects of second-hand pesticide exposure in the young children of farm workers.

"We want to chart low-dose chronic exposure in these children to explore the health effects on them," said Rachelle Travers, pesticide project supervisor for the OCDC.

At the OCDC of Jackson County Migrant Head Start program in the former Briscoe school site on North Main Street, 43 Hispanic 4- and 5-year-old children from across Jackson County were given a test called the Behavioral Assessment and Research System (BARS).

The BARS test measures a variety of neurological functions, such as attention, memory and coordination.

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Among adults who have taken the test, there has been evidence of negative effects on those exposed to pesticides, Travers said. Final test results on children have not yet been concluded. The results from Jackson County should be completed within 12 months.

"There are so many factors in testing children, so it takes time to rule out all the variables," she said.

Half of the families tested worked in agriculture while the other half did not. This is the ninth year the test has been performed in Oregon, said Travers. Oregon Health Science University, which is a partner in the study, said migrant farm workers are among the most disadvantaged, medically indigent persons, and have the poorest health of any group in the United States, The infant morality rate is 125 percent higher than the general population and the life expectancy of migrants is 49 years, compared to the national average of 75, OHSU officials said.

Children and adolescents are more susceptible to pesticides because they absorb more of them per pound of body weight, the officials said.

Travers estimated that about 45,000 4- and 5-year-old migrant children live in Oregon.

Sally Guyer, interim director of the Migrant Worker Head Start program at Briscoe, said many of the workers are unaware they are exposing their children. The chemicals are often brought into the home on a worker’s boot or clothing. The chemicals can be transferred in small amounts to the floor, a toy or food, leading to constant low-level exposure, she said.

"The more awareness, the more workers will take steps to ensure their children are not exposed, like taking off their boots before they enter their home," Guyer said

"There’s nothing more motivating than to tell parents if you do this, your kids can be more successful," she said.

Adela Villa of Medford waited with her son Jesus Sanchez, 5, as he was about to be tested last week.

Villa, who works at a motel in Medford, said she heard about the testing through the Head Start school and wanted her son to participate.

"It’s a good thing they’re trying to make (sure) the kids are OK and are safe," she said.

Bill Choy is a reporter for the Mail Tribune and the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 482-3456.