Differences in Knowledge, Awareness, Practice, and Health Symptoms in Farmers Who Applied Organophosphates and Pyrethroids on Farms

Abstract

ObjectiveThis cross-sectional study aimed to examine farmers' knowledge, awareness, practices regarding pesticide use, and prevalence of health symptoms related to pesticides exposure among farmers who applied organophosphates (OP) and pyrethroids (PY).MethodsData regarding demographic variables and health symptoms pertinent to pesticide use was collected from 67 farmers who applied OP and 50 farmers who applied PY using interviews from January to March 2021.ResultsThe farmers who applied OP had lower knowledge, awareness, and prevention practices regarding pesticide use than those who applied PY. After adjustment of covariate variables, the farmers who applied OP had a significantly higher prevalence of respiratory conditions (OR = 8.29 for chest pain, OR = 6.98 for chest tightness, OR = 27.54 for dry throat, and OR = 5.91 for cough), neurological symptoms (OR = 10.62 for fatigue and OR = 6.76 for paresthesia), and neurobehavioral symptoms (OR = 13.84 for poor concentration, OR = 3.75 for short term memory, and OR = 8.99 for insomnia) related to pesticide exposure than those who applied PY.ConclusionOur findings suggest that OP had a more adverse effect on human health than PY, resulting in a higher prevalence of pesticide-related symptoms. The outcomes of this study have the benefit of providing vital information for all stakeholders with regard to the implementation of safe practices in the utilization of personal protective equipment (PPE) and pesticide use in a health intervention and health promotion program.

Síntomas y signos por exposición directa e indirecta a plaguicidas en habitantes de Bailadores, Municipio Rivas Dávila, Estado Mérida, 2018

“…Resultados similares fueron publicados por Hutter et al (2021), quienes hallaron diferencia no significativa para estas variables entre agricultores expuestos a plaguicidas y agricultores de productos orgánicos, no expuestos a plaguicidas, ambos grupos residenciados en la misma zona. La tos es uno de los síntomas más frecuentemente reportados por la población agrícola (Rozzo y Pérez, 2020), principalmente la expuesta a insecticidas organofosforados (Thammachai et al, 2022), debido a que el incremento de la acetilcolina producida por estos plaguicidas afecta la función pulmonar, al actuar en los receptores muscarínicos periféricos, en los receptores nicotínicos de los músculos respiratorios y centros cerebrales superiores, y por efecto tóxico directo en la membrana de los alvéolos (Giyanwani et al, 2017).…”

“…Adicionalmente, Thammachai et al (2022) reportaron que en agricultores aplicadores de organofosforados la frecuencia de alteraciones digestivas duplicó la referida por agricultores expuestos a plaguicidas piretroides.…”

“…Ambos síntomas son característicos de la exposición a organofosforados, como resultado de la inhalación, ingestión, contacto dérmico o exposición ambiental(Kushik y Chandrabhan, 2006). En concordancia,Thammachai et al (2022) compararon la prevalencia de síntomas entre agricultores que aplican organofosforados y piretroides, y encontraron visión borrosa en 44,4% y 14%, respectivamente. Los síntomas oculares producidos por los plaguicidas son atribuidos al efecto de estos compuestos sobre varios componentes del globo ocular, principalmente el tejido conjuntival, y constituyen indicadores tempranos de toxicidad, previo a la aparición de signos de alteración ocular (Molina-Montoya y Castro-Buitrago, 2018).…”

Exposure Routes and Health Risks Associated with Pesticide Application

“…The serious health problems related to pesticide exposure in developing countries occur because of insufficiently qualified institutions governing and evaluating their production and sales [14,147,148]. Moreover, developing countries lack strict laws and regulations that properly regulate pesticide exports and imports [125,149]. As an example, Atreya et al [150] showed that it is crucial and necessary to set strict regulations to control farming practices in Nepal because farmers continue to buy highly toxic, obsolete pesticides.…”

Impacts of Pesticides on Oral Cavity Health and Ecosystems: A Review

“…Other key characteristics are described in Table 1 [ 4 , 5 , 19 ]. This work focused on the classification of pesticides based on their chemical compositions ( Figure 1 ) and their target organisms in H, I, FN, A, and R [ 4 , 5 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”