Pesticide knowledge and safety practices in farm workers from Tubah Sub-Division, North West Region, Cameroon
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Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the safety measures practiced by farmers with use of pesticides in Tubah Sub-Division. The data gathered would be useful for drafting policies related to use of pesticides to reduce its effects on human health and the environment. This survey was carried out in November 2016 in Tubah Sub-Division, Mezam Division of the North West region of Cameroon. A structured questionnaire was administered to 120 homesteads of the study area. The results revealed that 94.2% of the farmers were untrained in pesticide safety measures, 30.8% did not observe any safety interval before consuming freshly treated crops and 25.8% did not read instructions on pesticide labels before handling. Fifty five percent of the farmers did not use any protective equipment, 79.2% practiced careless pesticide disposal, 13.3% stored pesticides in stores and 7.5% stored pesticides inside their houses. Eighty percent of the families stored their crops via hanging in the house and smoking the crops, while 10.8% stored their crops in sealed bins. Water washing followed by removing the outer cover was applied as a crop cleaning procedure prior to cooking or consumption. Major symptoms such as headache, wheezing, dizziness and skin problems were observed in the homesteads. Some environmental changes observed after application of pesticides were damage of non-target plants and disappearance of insects. It could be concluded that in Bambili, farmers lacked proper knowledge regarding safe handling and use of pesticides and the adverse effects of improper pesticide use to human health and the environment.
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C. C. Nguemo, M. Tita, and M. A. Abdel-Wahhab, “Pesticide knowledge and safety practices in farm workers from Tubah Sub-Division, North West Region, Cameroon”, Int.J.Halal.Res, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 39-47, Dec. 2019.
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References
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WHO. World Health Organization, 1991. Safe use of pesticides. Fourteenth report of the WHO expert committee on vector biology and control. World Health Organ Tech. Rep. Ser. 813, 1-27.
Woodruff, T.J., Kyle, A.D., Bois, F.Y., 1994. Evaluating health risks from occupational exposure to pesticides and the regulatory response. Environ. Health Perspect. 102(12), 1088-1096.
Yang, T., Zhang, Z., Zhao, B., Hou, R., Kinchla, A., Clark, J. M., He, L., 2016a. Real-Time and in situ monitoring of pesticide penetration in edible leaves by surface-enhanced raman scattering mapping. Anal. Chem. 88 (10), 5243-5250.
Yang, T., Zhao, B., Hou, R., Zhang, Z., Kinchla, A. J., Clark, J. M., He, L., 2016b. Evaluation of the penetration of multiple classes of pesticides in fresh produce using surface-enhanced raman scattering mapping. J. Food Sci. 81(11), T2891-T2901.
Yang, T., Zhao, B., Kinchla, A.J., Clark, J. M., He, L., 2017. Investigation of pesticide penetration and persistence on harvested and live basil leaves using surface-enhanced raman scattering mapping. J. Agric. Food Chem. 65, 3541-3550.
Zalom, F.G., 2001. Pesticide use practices in integrated pest management. In: Handbook of pesticide toxicology. Academic press: New York, NY, 2nd Edition: 275-283
Atreya, K., 2007. Pesticide use knowledge and practices: gender differences in Nepal. Environ. Res. 104(2), 305-311.
Batzer, J.C., Gleason, M.L., Weldon, B., Dixon, P.M., Nutter, F.W.J., 2002. Evaluation of postharvest removal of sooty blotch and flyspeck on apples using sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide with peroxyacetic acid, and soap. Plant Dis. 86 (12), 1325-1332.
Cha, E.S., Hwang, S.S., Lee, W.J., 2014. Childhood leukemiamortality and farming exposure in South Korea: a national population-based birth cohort study. Cancer Epidemiol. 38, 401-407.
Chen, S., He, F., Zhang, Z., Gao, Y., Zhou, A., Xie, C., Xiong, L., Chen, D., Wang, S., Jia, J.,1998. Evaluation of a safety educational programme for the prevention of pesticide poisoning. Med. Lav. 89(Suppl 2), S91-98.
Damalas, C.A., Koutroubas, S.D., 2016. Farmers' exposure to pesticides: toxicity types and ways of prevention. Toxics 4, 1-10.
Das, S., Bagchi, A., Gangopadhay, S., Ghosh, S., 2016. Work related health disorders of female agricultural workers correlated with sawing and ploughing in Bengal: an ergonomic profile. Int. J. Current Res. Acad. Rev. 4, 155-166.
Focho, D.A., Newu, M.C., Anjah, M.G., Nwana, F.A., Ambo, F.B., 2009. Ethnobotanical survey of trees in Fundong, Northwest Region, Cameroon. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 5, 17-21.
Gay L. R., 1992. Educational Research: Competences for analysis and application (3rd ed) Paris: Merrill.
Gimou, M.-M.; Charrondiere, U.R.; Leblanc, J.C.; Pouillot, R. Dietary exposure to pesticide residues in Yaoundé: The Cameroonian total diet study. Food Addit. Contam. 2008, 25, 458-471.
Grung, M., Lin, Y., Zhang, H., Ste en, A.O., Huang, J., Zhang, G., et al., 2015. Pesticide levels and environmental risk in aquatic environments in China- a review. Environ. Int. 81, 87-97.
Hurtig, A.K., San Sebastián, M., Soto, A., Shingre, A., Zambrano, D., Guerrero, W., 2003. Pesticide use among farmers in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Arch. Environ. Health. 58(4), 223-228.
ILO, 2011. Safety and health in agriculture. Research Report. Labour Protection Department, International Labour Organization, Switzerland
Jallow, M.F., Awadh, D.G., Albaho, M.S., Devi, V.Y., Thomas, B.M., 2017. Pesticide knowledge and safety practices among farm workers in Kuwait: results of a survey. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 14(4), 340-354.
Kaewboonchoo, O., Kongtip, P., Woskie, S., 2015. Occupational health and safety for agricultural workers in Thailand: gaps and recommendations, with a focus on pesticide use. Environ. Occup. Health Policy 25, 102-120.
Kamga, A.; Kouame, C.; Tchindjang, M.; Chagomoka, T.; Drescher, A.W. Environmental impacts from overuse of chemiclas fertilizers and pesticides amongst market gardening in Bamenda, Cameroon. Rev. Sci. Tech. For. Environ. Bassin Congo 2013, 1, 6-19.
Lerro, C.C., Koutros, S., Andreotti, G., Hines, C.J., Blair, A., Lubin, J., et al., 2015. Use of acetochlor and cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study. Int. J. Cancer 137, 1167-1175.
Markel, T.A., Proctor, C., Ying, J.,Winchester, P.D., 2015. Environmental pesticides increase the risk of developing hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. J. Pediatr. Surg. 50, 1283–1288.
Matthews, G.; Wiles, T.; Baleguel, P. A survey of pesticide application in Cameroon. Crop Prot. 2003, 22, 707-714.
Mekonnen, Y., Agonafir, T., 2002. Pesticide sprayers’ knowledge, attitude and practice of pesticide use on agricultural farms of Ethiopia. Occup. Med. 52(6), 311-315.
Mugenda O.M., Mugenda A.G., 1999. Research methods: Quantitative and qualitative approach. Pp. 15-40 ACTS Press Nairobi, (Kenya).
Okello, J.J., Okello, R.M., 2010. Do EU pesticide standards promote environmentally friendly production of fresh export vegetables in developing countries? Evidence from Kenyan green bean industry. Environ. Develop. Sustain. 12(3), 341-355.
Oliveira-Silva, J.J., Alves, S.R., Meyer, A., Perez, F., Sarcinelli, P.N., da Costa Mattos, R., C., Moreira, J.C., 2001. Influence of socioeconomic factors on the pesticides poisoning, Brazil. Rev. Saude Publica. 35(2), 130-135.
Padilla, A., 2013. Occupational Health and Safety of Agricultural Workers: ILO Conventions and Gaps. Research Report. Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP), Malaysia.
Phung, D.T., Connell, D., Miller, G., Rutherford, S., Chu, C., 2013. Needs assessment for reducing pesticide risk: a case study with farmers in Vietnam. J. Agromedicine 18, 293-303.
Pouokam, G.B., Lemnyuy, A.W., Ndikontar, A.S., Sidatt, M.E.H., 2017. A Pilot Study in Cameroon to Understand Safe Uses of Pesticides in Agriculture, Risk Factors for Farmers' Exposure and Management of Accidental Cases. Toxics. 5(4). pii: E30. doi:10.3390/toxics5040030.
Recena, M.C., Caldas, E.D., Pires, D.X., Pontes, E.R., 2006. Pesticides exposure in Culturama, Brazil-knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Environ Res. 102(2), 230-236.
Remoundou, K., Brennan, M., Hart, A., Frewer, L.J., 2014. Pesticide risk perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes of operators, workers, and residents: a review of the literature. Hum. Ecol. Risk. Assess. 20, 1113-1138.
Salameh, P.R., Baldi, I., Brochard, P., Abi Saleh, B., 2004. Pesticides in Lebanon: a knowledge, attitude, and practice study. Environ. Res. 94(1), 1-6.
Soliman, K.M., 2001. Changes in concentration of pesticide residues in potatoes during washing and home preparation. Food Chem. Toxicol. 39(8), 887-891.
Verger, P.J.P., Boobis, A.R., 2013. Reevaluate pesticides for food security and safety. Science 341, 717-718.
WHO. World Health Organization, 1991. Safe use of pesticides. Fourteenth report of the WHO expert committee on vector biology and control. World Health Organ Tech. Rep. Ser. 813, 1-27.
Woodruff, T.J., Kyle, A.D., Bois, F.Y., 1994. Evaluating health risks from occupational exposure to pesticides and the regulatory response. Environ. Health Perspect. 102(12), 1088-1096.
Yang, T., Zhang, Z., Zhao, B., Hou, R., Kinchla, A., Clark, J. M., He, L., 2016a. Real-Time and in situ monitoring of pesticide penetration in edible leaves by surface-enhanced raman scattering mapping. Anal. Chem. 88 (10), 5243-5250.
Yang, T., Zhao, B., Hou, R., Zhang, Z., Kinchla, A. J., Clark, J. M., He, L., 2016b. Evaluation of the penetration of multiple classes of pesticides in fresh produce using surface-enhanced raman scattering mapping. J. Food Sci. 81(11), T2891-T2901.
Yang, T., Zhao, B., Kinchla, A.J., Clark, J. M., He, L., 2017. Investigation of pesticide penetration and persistence on harvested and live basil leaves using surface-enhanced raman scattering mapping. J. Agric. Food Chem. 65, 3541-3550.
Zalom, F.G., 2001. Pesticide use practices in integrated pest management. In: Handbook of pesticide toxicology. Academic press: New York, NY, 2nd Edition: 275-283