Living in the Shadow of Humanity: Environmental Respiratory Threats to Migrant Backstretch Worker’s Employed at Thoroughbred Racetracks

Migrant backstretch workers are comprised of a group of itinerant laborers who care for horses across our nation’s racetracks. This vulnerable and marginalized group of individuals engages in an occupation that places them at considerable risk for developing health-related respiratory illnesses as a result of environmental factors. Workers are routinely exposed to equine dander, saliva, waste, and other environmental hazards, which are contributing factors leading to a decreased health status within this population, particularly as they present with increased incidences of allergies, asthma, and dermatological diagnoses. This article considers this unique population within the context of nurse caring and the environment, and explores the critical nature to which caring as an operationalized construct impacts vulnerable populations working in suboptimal environmental conditions that impart cumulative health risks. The theoretical framework guiding this program is Ray’s Transcultural Caring Dynamics in Nursing and Healthcare Model (Ray, 2010).