Acute Pesticide Poisoning among Female and Male Cotton Growers in India

Mancini, Francesca; Bruggen, A.H.C. van; Jiggins, Janice; Ambatipudi, Arun C.; Murphy, Helen

doi:10.1179/oeh.2005.11.3.221

Cited by 95 publications

(54 citation statements)

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“…The use of dust masks, which are relatively cheap, may suggest that farmers’ choices of PPE were influenced by considerations of minimizing costs. Similar findings about non usage of PPE amongst farmers have been reported in studies conducted in northern Greece [24] and India [25] and is often reported in other developing countries [2,18,22]. For example, Clark and colleagues [22] reported that, in the tropics, use of PPE is poorly tolerated because of discomfort associated with hot and humid conditions and prohibitive costs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Farmers' knowledge, practices and injuries associated with pesticide exposure in rural farming villages in Tanzania

Lekei

Ngowi

London³

2014

BMC Public Health

221

175

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BackgroundPesticides in Tanzania are extensively used for pest control in agriculture. Their usage and unsafe handling practices may potentially result in high farmer exposures and adverse health effects.The aim of this study was to describe farmers’ pesticide exposure profile, knowledge about pesticide hazards, experience of previous poisoning, hazardous practices that may lead to Acute Pesticide Poisoning (APP) and the extent to which APP is reported.MethodsThe study involved 121 head- of-household respondents from Arumeru district in Arusha region. Data collection involved administration of a standardised questionnaire to farmers and documentation of storage practices. Unsafe pesticide handling practices were assessed through observation of pesticide storage, conditions of personal protective equipment (PPE) and through self-reports of pesticide disposal and equipment calibration.ResultsPast lifetime pesticide poisoning was reported by 93% of farmers. The agents reported as responsible for poisoning were Organophosphates (42%) and WHO Class II agents (77.6%).Storage of pesticides in the home was reported by 79% of farmers. Respondents with higher education levels were significantly less likely to store pesticides in their home (PRR High/Low = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.1-0.7) and more likely to practice calibration of spray equipment (PRR High/Low = 1.2; 95% CI = 1.03-1.4). However, knowledge of routes of exposure was not associated with safety practices particularly for disposal, equipment wash area, storage and use of PPE . The majority of farmers experiencing APP in the past (79%) did not attend hospital and of the 23 farmers who did so in the preceding year, records could be traced for only 22% of these cases.ConclusionsThe study found a high potential for pesticide exposure in the selected community in rural Tanzania, a high frequency of self-reported APP and poor recording in hospital records. Farmers’ knowledge levels appeared to be unrelated to their risk. Rather than simply focusing on knowledge-based strategies, comprehensive interventions are needed to reduce both exposure and health risks, including training, improvements in labeling, measures to reduce cost barriers to the adoption of safe behaviours, , promotion of control measures other than PPE and support for Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Farmers' knowledge, practices and injuries associated with pesticide exposure in rural farming villages in Tanzania

Lekei

Ngowi

London³

2014

BMC Public Health

221

175

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“…The present studies were in agreement with the findings of Mancini et al (2005), where 10 times more poisonous cases were reported with marginal farmers than large farm holders. However, some farmers (32% in India and 4% in Nepal) take assistance from agricultural labour for insecticidal sprays.…”

Section: Application Of Chemicals Storage and Disposalsupporting

confidence: 93%

Farmers' perception on plant protection in India and Nepal: a case study

Rao

Prasanth

et al. 2009

Int. J. Trop. Insect Sci.

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Participatory rural appraisal was undertaken in 70 villages in India and Nepal, covering 1185 farmers to generate baseline information on the current plant protection practices. The study revealed that 93% of the farmers in India and 90% in Nepal had adopted chemical control for the management of various insect pests in different crops; however, less than 20% of the farmers expressed confidence on their efficacy. In India, 52% of farmers get their plant protection advice from pesticide dealers, while in Nepal, the majority of the farmers (69%) make their plant protection decisions through agricultural officers. A majority of the farmers (73% in India and 86% in Nepal) initiate the plant protection based on the first appearance of the pest, irrespective of their population, crop stage and their damage relationships. About 50% of the farmers in India and 20% in Nepal were not using any protective clothing while spraying. Health problems associated with the application of plant protection chemicals were reported by farmers. The cost of plant protection on various crops ranged from 7 to 40% of the total crop production cost. Though integrated pest management (IPM) has been advocated for the past two decades, only 32% in India and 20% in Nepal were aware of IPM practices. IPM implementation in selected villages brought a 20 -65% reduction in pesticide use in different crops. The vegetable samples analysed for pesticide residues revealed the presence of residues.

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“…Similarly, a limited number of women used PPE when mixing and spraying pesticides and very few locked up their pesticides when not in use. Such practices put these women at high risk for adverse acute and chronic pesticide related health effects which have been well documented in the literature 7 27 28. Reproductive, neurological and carcinogenic effects known to be associated with pesticides are likely to compound existing health problems such as HIV infections in this community, having economic and social consequences for farmers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pesticide safety training and practices in women working in small-scale agriculture in South Africa

et al. 2010

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Objectives Unregulated use of pesticides continues in developing countries in the presence of illiteracy and limited safety training and practices. This paper describes training and safety practices when mixing and spraying pesticides, and acetylcholinesterase levels among women farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods A cross-sectional study conducted in women working in small-scale agriculture in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 2006 assessed pesticide training and safety practices using a questionnaire survey and measured acetylcholinesterase levels in 803 women. Three components of safety behaviour were identified through principle component analysis and described. Results The mean age of participants was 41.8 years (range 18e82 years) with a mean of 6.9 years (range 1e12 years) of education among school attendees. Among the 803 women included, 366 (45.6%) were the primary sprayers on their farm. Only 16.4% of the sprayers had ever attended a pesticide training course and only 18.0% reported ever reading pesticide labels. Of the women using some form of protective equipment, 56.7% and 54.9% reported doing so when mixing and spraying pesticides, respectively. The mean acetylcholinesterase level corrected for haemoglobin among study participants was 28.9 U/g Hb (95% CI 28.4 to 29.4). Conclusion Women working in small-scale agriculture in rural KwaZulu-Natal with limited access to pesticide training observe few safety practices when mixing and spraying pesticides.

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Acute Pesticide Poisoning among Female and Male Cotton Growers in India

Cited by 95 publications

References 0 publications

Farmers' knowledge, practices and injuries associated with pesticide exposure in rural farming villages in Tanzania

Farmers' knowledge, practices and injuries associated with pesticide exposure in rural farming villages in Tanzania

Farmers' perception on plant protection in India and Nepal: a case study

Pesticide safety training and practices in women working in small-scale agriculture in South Africa

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