Occupational Health Hazards of Pesticides Use among Commercial Vegetable Farmers of Kirtipur Municipality, Kathmandu

Abstract

Background: Occupational health and safety are the integral components of the general concepts of health. In Nepalese context, misuse of pesticides have been observed and practiced in several ways. Nepalese farmers use too much pesticide than needed with too little protection when using pesticides due to which many accidental poisonings occur annually. This study aims to assess the occupational health hazards related to pesticide use among commercial vegetable farmers of Kirtipur municipality, Kathmandu. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 107 randomly selected commercial vegetable farmers in Kirtipur Municipality of Kathmandu by using semi-structured questionnaire. Data were collected using face to face interview method. The questionnaire included socio-demographic characters, pesticide use practices, storage and disposal techniques and health effects among the farmers. Data were entered in Epidata and then analyzed in SPSS version 21. Frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were calculated to measure the practice of pesticide use and occupational health hazards related to pesticide use among farmers. Result: The study is comprised of 52% male and 48% female. About 89% of farmers were wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during spraying of pesticides. Maximum numbers of farmers change clothes and take a bath right after the application of pesticide i.e. 87% and 88% respectively. Almost half of the vegetable farmers (45.1%) use burn method for disposal of empty pesticide containers. However, 45.6% of the respondents experience health problems within 48 hours of pesticide application. Conclusion: The study concluded that almost half of the pesticide users have shown various symptoms of health hazards. Unsafe equipment and condition, inadequate training, limited availability and use of PPE all contribute to the health hazards of pesticide users.