Differences among Thai Agricultural Workers’ Health, Working Conditions, and Pesticide Use by Farm Type

Abstract

More than 11 million Thai people (38%) work in agriculture, but since most are in the informal sector, government enforcement and support are very limited. As a result, working conditions on Thai farms vary greatly, putting the health of many agricultural workers at risk. A cross-sectional study in three Thai provinces collected information on the work activities and conditions of 424 farmers representing five farm types: rice, vegetable, flower, rice/vegetable, and flower/vegetable. The agricultural workers were mainly women (60%); their average age was 53 but ranged from 18 to 87 years. More than 64% worked more than 5 days/week. Seventy-four percent of them had only primary school education. A number of the health and hazardous working conditions surveyed were significantly different by farm type. Rice farmers were found to have the highest prevalence of allergies, nasal congestion, wheezing, and acute symptoms after pesticide use, while flower farmers had the lowest prevalence of these health outcomes. Rice farmers reported the highest prevalence of hazardous working conditions including high noise levels, working on slippery surfaces, sitting or standing on a vibrating machine, spills of chemicals/pesticides, and sharp injuries. The lowest prevalence of these working conditions (except noise) was reported by flower farmers. Vegetable farmers reported the highest prevalence knee problems, while rice farmers had the lowest prevalence. Among these farmers, more than 27 different types of pesticides were reported in use during the past year, with the majority reporting use once a month. The flower/vegetable farming group reported the highest frequency of good exposure prevention practices during pesticide use. They were the most likely to report using cotton or rubber gloves or a disposable paper masks during insecticide spraying. Those farmers who only grew vegetables had the lowest frequency of good exposure prevention practices, including use of personal protective equipment. The economic cost of work-related injuries and illnesses among informal sector agricultural workers in Thailand is unknown and in need of study. Gaps in the regulations covering pesticide sales allow farmers to purchase pesticides without adequate training in their safe use. Training targeted to farm type regarding safe pesticide use and the prevention of accidents and musculoskeletal disorders is needed. Studies of chronic health effects among Thai farmers are needed, with special emphasis on respiratory, metabolic disease and cancer.

Multi-biomarker responses to pesticides in an agricultural population from Central Brazil

“…Thereby may be more vulnerable to adverse effects, especially pesticide poisoning ( Ward et al, 2006 ; Shirangi et al, 2011 ; Parks et al, 2016 ). The chronic diseases reported by pesticide-exposed participants in our study is in agreement with studies performed in similar conditions (directly and indirectly exposition) ( Mrema et al, 2017 ; Kongtip et al, 2018 ; Barrón-Cuenca et al, 2019 ). Moreover, other epidemiological studies have shown a higher risk of psychiatric problems, in people exposed to pesticides – especially those who have suffered from pesticide poisoning – in different countries such as Chile ( Corral et al, 2017 ), Egypt ( Rohlman et al, 2019 ), Korea ( Koh et al, 2017 ), Mexico ( Serrano-Medina et al, 2019 ), and Brazil ( Meyer et al, 2010 ; Farias et al, 2014 ; Campos et al, 2016 ; Nascimento et al, 2020 ).…”

Heat Stress, Physiological Response, and Heat-Related Symptoms among Thai Sugarcane Workers

“…Although sugarcane cutting is physically demanding work [ 25 , 26 , 27 ], we found the proportion of women working in this occupation was about 40%, which is consistent with a study of sugarcane cutters in Cambodia [ 28 ]. This situation may be caused by more recent economic factors that drive rural men to move to urban areas to work in the industrial sector or in other higher paying jobs [ 22 ]. The wages of sugarcane cutters depend on how much they cut, mostly 0.5–0.7 Baht (~US Cent 1.7–2.3)/binder for burnt cane (10–16 stalks) and 1.5–2 baht (~US Cent 5.0–6.7)/binder for green cane [ 29 ].…”

“…For data analysis, we grouped sometimes + regularly into an “ever” variable. This questionnaire has been previously used in other studies in Thailand [ 22 , 23 , 24 ], and it is available in the Supplementary Materials .…”

A descriptive study of prevalence of musculoskeletal illnesses among farmers in faisalabad, Pakistan

“…In the study on Kansas farmers done by Rosecrance and et al, about 60% of farmers reported the MSDs in the preceding 12 months [10]. These parameters are also shown by many other studies [22]. Harvest season is the most busiest duration regarding work for farmer while remaining period are quite relaxing for farmer and they are busy in others activities.…”

“…Another background factor that causes the prevalence of MSDs in farmer is age, which is shown by the relationship of age with pain occur in low back, elbow, shoulder and knee. The Osborne study indicated that the farmer's age is not a major factor of prevalence of MSDs in Farmers [22]. In the view of REBA assessment and prioritization, all the stages and phases of farming is dangerous and have potential to lead towards the musculoskeletal disorders.…”