Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, Kenya
This study assessed pesticide usage practices, knowledge and health effects of pesticides through occupational exposure in randomly selected horticultural farmers in Imenti North, Imenti South and Buuri Sub-counties in Meru, Kenya, where horticultural crops are grown intensively for export and local...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2021-02-01
|
| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021002231 |
| _version_ | 1818849090179432448 |
|---|---|
| author | Gabriel M. Marete Joseph O. Lalah Jane Mputhia Vitalis W. Wekesa |
| author_facet | Gabriel M. Marete Joseph O. Lalah Jane Mputhia Vitalis W. Wekesa |
| author_sort | Gabriel M. Marete |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study assessed pesticide usage practices, knowledge and health effects of pesticides through occupational exposure in randomly selected horticultural farmers in Imenti North, Imenti South and Buuri Sub-counties in Meru, Kenya, where horticultural crops are grown intensively for export and local consumption. The study was done through use of questionnaire distributed to farmers' households, agricultural extension workers and health care workers. The survey established that various classes of pesticides were used in horticultural crop farming and animal production in all the three sub-counties, with the most frequently used (>60 respondents out of 173) being parathion, diazinon, dimethoate, permethrin, pirimiphos methyl, endrin, deltamethrin, dieldrin, propoxur and endosulfan. It was found that there is a gap between the existing government regulations on pesticide use and safe handling and the implementation of these regulations by dealers, farmers and farm workers in the three sub-counties as some of the pesticides that were being used such as parathion, endrin, dieldrin and carbofuran had been banned by the government. Although most farmers had general information on pesticide usage through various social groups and contact with agricultural extension workers, only 32–43 % of the farmers had received training on pesticide handling and use. Most farmers (65%) had knowledge of safe pesticide handling procedures including reading labels on packages and wearing protective clothing; but many farmers (44% in Buuri, 57% in Imenti South and 60% in Imenti North) did not wear the requisite protective clothing when applying pesticides. The agricultural extension workers (52%) and health care workers (59%) were trained in their work and had at least a certificate level qualification from a tertiary institution. Most agricultural extension workers (95%) and health care workers (71%) had experience of dealing with pesticides and knew how to administer 1st AID against pesticide poisoning, respectively. Farmers (26%) reported experiencing health effects after using pesticides, with most effects being felt after using dimethoate, malathion, carbofuran, carbaryl and heptachlor. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) association between various factors (availability of protective clothing, hiring of labourers, farm land size, expenditure on pesticides and expenditure on treatment, respectively) on intoxication from pesticide exposure. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T06:27:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-20b87a6864634cddaa47e71d9fb5cc6c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T06:27:42Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-20b87a6864634cddaa47e71d9fb5cc6c2022-12-21T20:32:29ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402021-02-0172e06118Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, KenyaGabriel M. Marete0Joseph O. Lalah1Jane Mputhia2Vitalis W. Wekesa3Department of Geoscience and the Environment, School of Physics and Earth Sciences, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428-00200, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Geochemistry and Environmental Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Material Science, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428-00200, Nairobi, Kenya; Corresponding author.Department of Geoscience and the Environment, School of Physics and Earth Sciences, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428-00200, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Technical and Applied Biology, School of Biological and Life Sciences, Technical University of Kenya, P.O. Box 52428-00200, Nairobi, KenyaThis study assessed pesticide usage practices, knowledge and health effects of pesticides through occupational exposure in randomly selected horticultural farmers in Imenti North, Imenti South and Buuri Sub-counties in Meru, Kenya, where horticultural crops are grown intensively for export and local consumption. The study was done through use of questionnaire distributed to farmers' households, agricultural extension workers and health care workers. The survey established that various classes of pesticides were used in horticultural crop farming and animal production in all the three sub-counties, with the most frequently used (>60 respondents out of 173) being parathion, diazinon, dimethoate, permethrin, pirimiphos methyl, endrin, deltamethrin, dieldrin, propoxur and endosulfan. It was found that there is a gap between the existing government regulations on pesticide use and safe handling and the implementation of these regulations by dealers, farmers and farm workers in the three sub-counties as some of the pesticides that were being used such as parathion, endrin, dieldrin and carbofuran had been banned by the government. Although most farmers had general information on pesticide usage through various social groups and contact with agricultural extension workers, only 32–43 % of the farmers had received training on pesticide handling and use. Most farmers (65%) had knowledge of safe pesticide handling procedures including reading labels on packages and wearing protective clothing; but many farmers (44% in Buuri, 57% in Imenti South and 60% in Imenti North) did not wear the requisite protective clothing when applying pesticides. The agricultural extension workers (52%) and health care workers (59%) were trained in their work and had at least a certificate level qualification from a tertiary institution. Most agricultural extension workers (95%) and health care workers (71%) had experience of dealing with pesticides and knew how to administer 1st AID against pesticide poisoning, respectively. Farmers (26%) reported experiencing health effects after using pesticides, with most effects being felt after using dimethoate, malathion, carbofuran, carbaryl and heptachlor. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) association between various factors (availability of protective clothing, hiring of labourers, farm land size, expenditure on pesticides and expenditure on treatment, respectively) on intoxication from pesticide exposure.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021002231Pesticide usageHorticultural farmersAgricultural extension workersHealth care workersHealth impactsMeru county |
| spellingShingle | Gabriel M. Marete Joseph O. Lalah Jane Mputhia Vitalis W. Wekesa Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, Kenya Heliyon Pesticide usage Horticultural farmers Agricultural extension workers Health care workers Health impacts Meru county |
| title | Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, Kenya |
| title_full | Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, Kenya |
| title_short | Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, Kenya |
| title_sort | pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in meru county kenya |
| topic | Pesticide usage Horticultural farmers Agricultural extension workers Health care workers Health impacts Meru county |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021002231 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gabrielmmarete pesticideusagepracticesassourcesofoccupationalexposureandhealthimpactsonhorticulturalfarmersinmerucountykenya AT josepholalah pesticideusagepracticesassourcesofoccupationalexposureandhealthimpactsonhorticulturalfarmersinmerucountykenya AT janemputhia pesticideusagepracticesassourcesofoccupationalexposureandhealthimpactsonhorticulturalfarmersinmerucountykenya AT vitaliswwekesa pesticideusagepracticesassourcesofoccupationalexposureandhealthimpactsonhorticulturalfarmersinmerucountykenya |