Newswise — A dangerous work environment and limited access to health care are related to higher death rates and negative health outcomes among Texas shrimpers in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a new study from UTHealth Houston. The research, published June 6, 2024 in the American Journal of Public Health , shows how under-regulated, dangerous, and physically demanding work performed largely by migrant and refugee workers in the Gulf of Mexico had adverse health impacts, according to the authors. “We originally were looking at how to prevent slips, trips, and falls and thought we would do some kind of life preserver intervention,” said lead author Shannon Guillot-Wright , PhD, associate professor with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health .
“But when we started talking to shrimpers, they would tell us about their more basic, pressing needs. We heard stories about cancer, eye infections, diabetes, dental problems, housing and food instability, and the list went on and on. They weren’t interested in hearing that they should wear a lifejacket, they were interested in getting health care.
” The fishing industry has an occupational fatality rate nearly 40 times higher than the national average, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From 2000 to 2019, 201 commercial fishermen died of traumatic injury in the Gulf of Mexico, with vessel disasters and falls ove.