Abstract 5740: Gauging the awareness and safety practices regarding herbicide usage, toxicity and cancer prognosis among agrarian communities in rural Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract Farming is the mainstay occupation in Northern Nigeria and a recent government policy for revamping of agriculture in Nigeria have prompted the use of more fertilizers and pesticides for higher yields. Of note, was the rise in the use of herbicides which is seen as an innovative and easier approach for controlling weeds and other grass pests. Inappropriate application and non-compliance to safety instructions for usage of pesticides are however common in rural communities of the developing world who often already had disproportionate health disparities. Few studies investigated the association of pesticides toxicity with cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCD) in subsistence agriculture of rural communities. This study aims to gauge the farmers' safe usage of herbicides and investigate the associated toxicity challenge with respect to cancer prognosis among the agrarian communities of rural Zaria in northern Nigeria. Preliminary data was collected by purposive cluster sampling, conducting face-to-face interviews. Samples of identified commonly used herbicides, water from major irrigation rivers and valleys as well as cultivated vegetables were also collected and sent to the Mycotoxin and Pesticides Laboratory of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria for determination of their glyphosate contents; a common bioactive chemical in herbicides. The findings reveal that more than half of the respondents (77%) own only small farms (<1-4 ha) and 64% amongst are literates. While majority of respondents (66%) are aware that insecticides but not herbicides can be toxic, only 27% think that herbicides in particular pose potential long term health association to cancer prognosis. The findings generally reveal that majority of the farmers employ unhealthy practices by not following recommendations regarding the safe usage of pesticides during farming and storage. It was established that there is widespread poor adherence to printed safety instruction on pesticides labels. However, variables like education level, scale of farming and extension worker's guidance significantly impacts farmers' safe usage of pesticides. Majority (85%) of all analysed herbicides contains glyphosate whereas the nearby irrigation water and cultivated vegetables samples show an unacceptable level (3.46 - 4.06 and 114.05 - 319.16 ppm respectively) higher than standard allowable limits, suggesting a link between the herbicides usage and residual glyphosate bioaccumulation in irrigation water and plants. The most commonly identified illnesses among the communities are malaria, respiratory infections, skin diseases, prostate cancer and hypertension. Although the study could not establish correlation between these diseases and glyphosate levels, a possible association between pesticides toxicity and the observed prevalence of prostate cancer, skin and lung diseases some of which may be cancers cannot be ruled out. Further specific and careful studies are warranted and underway to establish if these associations exist. Government's health and agricultural extension workers as well as development partners need to refocus efforts on educational awareness on environmental carcinogens and create policy on the biosafety of pesticide usage among agrarian communities in Nigeria. Citation Format: Mubarak L. Liman, Alhassan M. Alhassan, Uju D. Ejike, Yusuf Walliyullah, Mohammed Bashir, Danazumi Samaila, Jibril B. Ishaq. Gauging the awareness and safety practices regarding herbicide usage, toxicity and cancer prognosis among agrarian communities in rural Zaria, Nigeria [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5740.