A Case Study on Practices and Acute Toxicity Symptoms Associated with Pesticide Use Among the Farmers of Mid Brahmaputra Valley of Assam

Abstract

In this study, an attempt was made to assess the knowledge, attitude, practices regarding pesticide handling and acute toxicity symptoms of pesticide use among the farmers of mid Brahmaputra Valley of Assam. The study included a sample size of 90 farmers taken from 6 villages of Sonitpur district of Assam, India. The farmers include both full-time and part-time agriculturists. Data collection was done through a questionnaire survey. Of the total samples, 82.2% used chemical pesticides and majority acknowledged them as harmful. Despite awareness of the health risk by the handling of pesticides, 75.68% reported not using any personal protective measures. 13.51% stated that they did not have separate work clothing, neither they washed them separately. Of the pesticides used, 52% belong to WHO class II (moderately hazardous), 8% belong to class III (slightly hazardous), and 4% belong to class Ib (highly hazardous). We had found that 59.46% of the farmers complained of Acute Pesticide Poisoning (APP), 24.32% sometimes complained of APP whereas 16.22% never complained of APP. The main self-reported toxicity symptoms include headache, nausea, burning of eyes, vomiting, shortening of breath, vision disturbance, and excessive sweating. The study revealed that lack of adequate knowledge and risky behavior during handling; storage and disposal of pesticides were a common scenario among the farmers. The use of pesticides in modern times cannot be stopped but certainly can be checked with proper training and Government initiatives.KeywordsAgricultureChemical pesticidesKnowledge of farmersSafety measuresAcute Pesticide Poisoning