Abstract
Pesticide exposure is an important rural public health concern that is linked to a spectrum of health outcomes in farmers. However, little is known about these effects on residents living in close proximity to agricultural fields and who are not involved in regular farming. This paper compared the effects of residential proximity to farming lands on a number of neurological and mental health outcomes in adults. A cross-sectional study was performed on 57 adults involved in farming only occasionally in rural Matlab in Bangladesh. A health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) and geocoding were used to define proximity to the agricultural field. Neurological health was measured using the trail making test, vibrotactile threshold measurement, and dominant ulnar nerve conduction velocity (NCV) amplitude. An adapted Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D) questionnaire was used to evaluate mental health. Results indicated that respondents living near agricultural fields had significantly higher vibrotactile threshold in big toes (p < 0.004) and needed a longer time to complete the trail making test (p < 0.004) than those living far from fields after accounting for the covariates. Results of this pilot study suggest further investigations to establish the impact of pesticide exposure among occasional and non-farmers on neurological health outcomes.
Highlights
Pesticide exposure is an important rural public health issue in many agriculture-dependent developing countries
South Asian region, where agriculture is a key determinant of economy and livelihood, the magnitude of risk of pesticide exposure is anticipated to be even higher due to a lack of resources, awareness, and education materials on protective equipment (PPE)
A study of over 500 farmers in rural Bangladesh reported a high proportion of farmers using toxic pesticides and almost 70% did not use any PPE during application [1]
Summary
Pesticide exposure is an important rural public health issue in many agriculture-dependent developing countries. Lack of knowledge about agricultural safety practices, especially about personal protective equipment (PPE), poses millions of rural people at greater risk to pesticide exposure. South Asian region, where agriculture is a key determinant of economy and livelihood, the magnitude of risk of pesticide exposure is anticipated to be even higher due to a lack of resources, awareness, and education materials on PPE. A study of over 500 farmers in rural Bangladesh reported a high proportion of farmers using toxic pesticides and almost 70% did not use any PPE during application [1]. Data of this Bangladesh study was consistent with other agricultural health studies conducted elsewhere
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