Cancer, lung disease, miscarriages: are Uruguay’s rice workers paying too high a price to bring in the crop?

Uruguay is Latin America’s second-biggest rice exporter, but concerns over worker safety remain. Photograph: Joerg Boethling/Alamy

Julio de los Santos, now 50, noticed something was wrong when he began losing his strength and experiencing pain in his legs and kidneys. He couldn’t hold tools and could barely stand. His visits to the doctor became more frequent until he ended up in intensive care, where his wife was told to prepare for the worst.

He survived, but today depends on more than 30 medications and a ventilator.