Aerial Spraying Of Pesticides Research Articles

Assessing the effectiveness of mitigating pesticide-related disease risk among pesticide-spraying drone operators in Taiwan.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of pesticide poisoning, liver and renal failure, dermatitis, respiratory problems, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, keratitis, and epilepsy among pesticide-spraying personnel and to assess the effectiveness of a new method of aerial pesticide application in reducing this risk. A total of 2268 pesticide spraying operators (1651 ground-based field crop operators and 617 aerial pesticide spraying drone operators) who passed the national certification examination between 2010 and 2020 in Taiwan were included. Ground-based operators served as the positive control group, while 2463 farmer controls were matched from the Farmers' Health Insurance database as the negative control group. Data from the National Health Insurance Research Database were used to track possible pesticide-related disease cases. Logistic regression was employed to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Drone operators had significantly reduced risks of dermatitis, asthma and chronic bronchitis compared to ground-based operators. This was observed in allergic contact dermatitis (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.24-0.68), unspecified contact dermatitis (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.35-0.97), asthma (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.12-0.60), and chronic bronchitis (OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.06-0.93), after adjusting for age, sex, working areas, and licensing years. However, no significant differences were found when comparing drone operators to matching farmers. Aerial pesticide spraying using drones may contribute to a decreased risk of dermatitis, asthma and chronic bronchitis, suggesting potential health benefits for operators. Further field pesticide exposure surveys are recommended to validate these findings and assess health risk indicators.

Desert Locust Invasion in Uganda: Effects on Household Food Consumption and Effective Control Interventions

Desert locust invasions are still a danger to the well-being of natural and man-made ecosystems in the tropics. This study examined desert locust invasion duration, survival probability, and control as well as their effects on household food item consumption in the drylands of Uganda. Primary socioeconomic data were collected using various methods (household survey, focus group discussion, and key informant interviews) in May/June 2020 to document the perceptions of households regarding locusts. Our findings reveal that the most significant drivers of desert locust invasions were rainfall, surface temperature, strong winds, soil moisture, soil type, and vegetation type (p ≤ 0.05). The locusts lasted between 3 and 4 weeks. The survival probability of locusts beyond 1 week was 90%. There were significant differences in the day’s food items consumed before and after the locust invasion, except for ground nuts and cashew nuts (p ≤ 0.05). The number of days per month the food items were consumed decreased after the locust invasion. The most effective locust control measure undertaken was the use of ground and aerial pesticide spraying. The major sources of desert locust control information were radio and television. This information is a prerequisite in desert locust invasion preparedness, response, and recovery but can also strengthen sustainable green economy efforts, especially in fragile semi-arid ecosystems.

Influence of the downwash airflow distribution characteristics of a plant protection UAV on spray deposit distribution

During the aerial spraying of pesticides by plant protection UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), droplets are deposited below the aircraft under the influence of rotor airflow. The existence of a downwash airflow can improve the deposition of spray on target crops. However, during operation, variations in flight altitude and the gradual decrease in the payload of pesticide solution in the tank leads to changes in the flow field below the UAV which affects droplets distribution. In order to study this, the downwash airflow speed and droplet distributions below a UAV under different flight altitudes (1.5–3 m) and payloads (0-10 kg) were measured and analysed. The results indicated that the changes in operational parameters normally found during operation can change distribution of downwash airflow in all directions but particularly vertical and this can affect the distribution of spray below the UAV. Through correlation analysis, it was shown that the vertical component of airflow (downwash) had a significant positive correlation with spray deposition and penetration (P < 0.05, B = 0.082, B = 0.029), and a negative correlation with droplet deposition uniformity (coefficient of variation) and drift (P < 0.05, B = −3.818, B = −0.042). Thus, it can be seen that downwash is conducive to spray deposition and penetration, which can improve the droplet distribution uniformity and reduce drift. Thus, the influence mechanism of UAV airflow on droplet distribution was explored and shown to strongly influence have the quality of spraying by plant protection UAVs.

Influence of the atmospheric boundary layer stability on aerial spraying studied by computational fluid dynamics

Atmospheric stability can significantly influence the spray drift in aerial applications; however, to date its effects remain unclear. In this study, a large spatiotemporal aerial application simulation model was constructed using different atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) stabilities. Three sets of ABL stability conditions were considered: unstable, stable, and neutral. Velocity, temperature, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence dissipation rate were set in detail as boundary conditions. The simulation results indicated that, using a simulation of the typical fixed-wing agricultural aircraft operating at typical altitudes and speeds, the upwind vortex decays more slowly than the downwind vortex, while the movement of the downwind vortex is also faster. The strength of the vortex was found to influence the droplet concentration. Droplets dispersed more quickly under unstable conditions probably because of the turbulent kinetic energy were greater. Droplets under stable conditions moved much rapidly downwind but drifted at lower altitudes than under unstable conditions. The diameter of most of the drift spray droplets was <100 μm. The simulation results indicated that off-target deposition in the stable case was greater than in the unstable case by nearly 300% around at downwind distances of 100 m, 180 m, 700 m, and ∼200% at around 220 m and 550 m. Therefore, unstable atmospheric conditions, which are most likely to occur from 06:00 and 19:00 during a day appear to be a better choice for reducing drift losses. The simulation results are expected to help improve the comprehensive understanding of aerial application drift and to assist in choosing appropriate times and conditions to perform such operations. • Aerial spraying of pesticides is studied considering atmospheric boundary layer. • Vorticity field, droplet movement at various atmospheric stabilities are simulated. • Results show vortex shape and decay rate are affected by atmospheric stabilities. • Spraying operations in unstable weather conditions enable wide distribution. • Spraying operations in stable conditions result in more off-target deposition.

Influence of the Downwash Wind Field of Plant Protection UAV on Droplet Deposition Distribution Characteristics at Different Flight Heights

The aerial spraying of pesticides by plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is a process in which the spray droplet deposition on target sites occurs under the influence of the downwash wind field. The downwash wind field is the most important factor affecting droplet deposition distribution characteristics in an aerial spray. To understand the mechanism of the downwash wind field, spray tests were conducted at different flight heights by using a DJI UAV, and the downwash wind field in the three-dimensional direction (X-directional wind, Y-crosswind, and Z-vertical wind) was measured by using a wind speed measurement system for UAV. Combined with the droplet deposition of aerial spray, the distribution characteristics of the downwash wind field and the influence of the downwash wind field on droplet deposition were studied. The results showed that it had obvious differences in the distribution of the downwash wind field for UAV at different flight heights. As the flight height increases, the downwash wind field in X-direction and Z-direction showed a strong to weak trend, while the downwash wind field in Y-direction showed an opposite trend. In addition, it was found that the downwash wind field in Y-direction and Z-direction both have a significant influence on droplet deposition. With the increase of flight height, the change of the downwash wind field led to a gradual decrease in droplet deposition in the effective spray area, and droplets deposited more uniformly. For the DJI T16 plant protection UAV in this test, the optimal flight height was 2.0 m, and the downwash wind field had a better improvement effect on droplet deposition. Therefore, in order to make full use of the downwash wind field of UAV, the appropriate flight height should be selected to improve droplet deposition of liquid pesticide and achieve a better control effect for crop disease and pests when UAV is used for aerial spray operations in the field. This study revealed the influence mechanism of the downwash wind field on droplet deposition of aerial spray, and proposed appropriate operation parameters from the perspective of practical operation. It was expected to provide data support for improving the operation quality of aerial spraying and the formulation of field operation specifications.

Trade-offs versus reassurance: framing competing risks in the 2016 Zika outbreak.

Environmental threats increasingly entail important risks from government responses. In considering the risks of a new vector-borne disease, for example, decision-makers must also grapple with potential risks from responses such as the aerial spraying of pesticides. In communicating about these complex risks, public officials often choose different “frames” that promote different conceptualizations of the issue. Yet prior research has paid limited attention to how public officials frame the related risks of the environmental threat and the public response. This paper starts to fill that gap by conducting a content analysis of statements by public officials regarding risks from the threat of a local outbreak of the Zika virus in South Florida in 2016, as well as risks from the response of aerial pesticide spraying. Based on limited prior research, we hypothesize that public officials are likely to have adopted a “risk maximization” frame that stressed the high risks from exposure to Zika, but a “risk trade-off” frame when discussing aerial spraying. In actuality, we find that officials strongly favored a “reassurance” frame that downplayed both types of risks. Based on this analysis, we suggest framing strategies for disease outbreaks and other threats with potentially risky government responses may vary significantly depending on local contexts and that the South Florida experience was a missed opportunity to test the strategy of trade-off framing.

Pesticide risk perceptions among bystanders of aerial spraying on bananas in Costa Rica

Little is known about how bystanders perceive risks from pesticide use in areas with frequent aerial spraying of pesticides. This research aims to better understand how bystanders (school workers) from three counties of the Limón province in Costa Rica, who did not have a contractual relationship with agricultural production, perceive risks of pesticides in the areas where they work and live. A face-to-face survey was carried out among 475 school workers, of whom 455 completed all 33 questions on pesticide risk perception. An exploratory factor analysis characterized underlying perceptions of pesticide exposure. Nine factors explained 40% of total variance and concerned severity and magnitude of perceived risk, manageability, benefits and support of pesticide use, amongst others. We subsequently analyzed what variables explained the five factors with satisfactory internal consistency, using separate multivariable linear regression models. Older school workers, (male) elementary teachers, and women school workers (particularly from schools situated near agricultural fields with aerial spraying of pesticides), felt greater severity and/or magnitude of risk from pesticide use. This study shows that bystanders are concerned about health risks from pesticide use. Their risk perceptions are not only shaped by gender and age like previously reported in the literature, but also by job title and geographical context. Understanding of what hazards people care about and how they deal with them is essential for successful risk management, bystanders should therefore be considered as a relevant actor in debates around pesticide issues and for informing the development of regulations and risk reduction strategies.

Harris County Public Health Mosquito and Vector Control Division Emergency Response to Hurricane Harvey: Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance and Control.

Hurricane Harvey made a landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast on August 25, 2017, stalling over Harris County as a tropical storm for 4 days (August 26-29), dumping approximately 127 cm of rain. This tremendous amount of rainfall overwhelmed the county's natural and man-made drainage systems, resulting in unprecedented widespread flooding. Immediately following, Harris County Public Health Mosquito and Vector Control Division conducted a countywide emergency vector control response by integrating surveillance, control, and education strategies. This included landing rate counts, mosquito and avian surveillance, arbovirus testing, ground-based ultra-low volume (ULV) and aerial pesticide spraying, and community outreach. The immediate response lasted for 4 wk through September, resulting in 774 landing rates, 49,342 ha treated by ground-based ULV, 242,811 ha treated by aerial ULV, 83,241 mosquitoes collected, 1,807 mosquito pools tested, and 20 education/outreach sessions. Recovery activities of 3 additional education/outreach events continued through October while surveillance and control activities returned to routine status.

Environmental nursing: Leaders reflect on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

The notion that “it takes a village” rings particularly true for the incredible progress that a small village of environmental health nursing leaders has helped to accomplish. Many nurses who come to environmental health also have had an abiding relationship to “nature” which in many cases has meant the great outdoors—our experiences hiking and camping, on our farms, and in gardens. For some nurses protecting our land, air, and water is a natural extension of this first relationship with nature. As nurses, we learn that our environments also include indoor environments, such as our workplaces, schools, and institutions. Our environments are also our neighborhoods and communities in relation to nearby industries, hazardous waste sites, aerial spraying of pesticides, and oil/gas wells. And as nurses we weave our knowledge about the human body, vulnerable populations, and health disparities into our learning so that environmental health and environmental justice become the goal posts for our newly integrated environmental health and nursing efforts. The seminal report “Nursing, Health & Environment,” prepared for the Institute of Medicine in 1995, identified four key areas for nursing focus. Since then, these are addressed as the REAP Framework: Research, Education, Advocacy, and Practice. This article contains a compendium of stories about and by seven nursing leaders and one Indigenous midwife who have written, worked, and led in environmental health and nursing over the past 50 years. It is our way of sharing nurses’ history in these endeavors and celebrating it in the context of this month's 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

The Politics of Counter-Expertise on Aerial Spraying: Social Movements Denouncing Pesticide Risk Governance in the Philippines

ABSTRACTIn various places in the world, aerial spraying of pesticides has met with resistance from local communities potentially endangered by toxic pesticide drift. Social movements, and the counter-expertise that they mobilise, often trigger changes in state regulations of the practice. This article describes such struggles over risk regulation in the Philippines, where aerial spraying is common in large monoculture banana plantations. It has provoked local activism contesting the socio-economic power of landed and business elites and has challenged the government’s approach to managing pesticide risks. This article develops the argument that different types of counter-expertise must be recognised. The case shows that it can be difficult for movements to articulate these different types of counter-expertise. Furthermore, the weak state characteristics of the Philippine state has shaped the ambiguous responses of risk governance to multiple actors’ divergent knowledge claims. The result is a legal impasse in which civil society has successfully pushed the issue of aerial spraying onto the national political arena, but the state has as yet been unable to develop a comprehensive pesticide risk regulation independent of powerful business interests.

Influence of a Young Pinus radiata Canopy on Aerial Spray Drift

Abstract. An experiment was undertaken to test the hypothesis that AGDISP, a mechanistic model that simulates the landing position of droplets aerially released for pesticide application, overestimates downwind airborne spray concentrations by not accounting for the turbulence generated within the canopy sublayer. AGDISP is used by pesticide regulators in many parts of the world to quantify exposure from aerial pesticide spraying as part of an assessment of risks to public health and the environment. Using a novel design, airborne spray drift was measured in a 3.2 m high radiata pine plantation, 65 m downwind from the aerial spray flight line, using a small circular sampling array. The spray sampling array consisted of a central 10 m high mast plus a set of 16 secondary masts distributed evenly around a circle with a radius of 5 m from the central mast. All spray applications were made with a Bell Jet Ranger using a spray mix of water plus a fluorescent tracer and a droplet spectrum with a volume median diameter of 101 µm. A single treatment comprised six passes along the flight line, and there were 28 replications. Airborne spray was sampled with both rotorods and artificial foliage placed at four heights on the central mast, ranging from approximately half canopy height to 3 times canopy height. The secondary towers sampled airborne spray using the same collectors placed at just above canopy height and at half canopy height. Other measurements included leaf area distribution, prevailing meteorological conditions, and turbulence using sonic anemometers. Backscatter LiDAR was used in an attempt to quantify the height and density of the spray cloud in the vicinity of the central mast. Rotorod and artificial foliage deposition values were highly correlated, giving confidence in the sampling approach. Neither wind speed nor release height had a significant effect on airborne spray flux in the 0 to 10 m zone, but results were complicated by a spurious negative correlation between wind speed and spray release height. The lack of dependence of deposition on wind speed in this experiment is surprising but is explained both by the variance in the data as well as the physics of small droplet movement in the atmosphere. At the individual sample level, measurements of airborne spray using either rotorods or artificial foliage were poorly correlated with AGDISP predictions. However, when data were averaged across replications, there was a very strong correlation between measurements and AGDISP data, even though in absolute terms, and as hypothesized, AGDISP significantly overpredicted the quantity of airborne spray. As indicated from a comparison with measured deposition, the backscatter LiDAR appeared effective in describing the spray cloud profile, and it suggested a total spray cloud profile that was more complex than the AGDISP model prediction. Keywords: Aerial application, AGDISP, Canopy deposition, Pesticides, Spray drift.

Regulatory Science and Social Movements: The Trial Against the Use of Pesticides in Argentina

INTRODUCTIONIn 1996, Argentina pioneered the adoption of genetically modified (GM) soy, and other varieties of GM seeds - corn, cotton - soon followed. The genetic manipulation made the seeds resistant to the herbicide Roundup, based on the chemical glyphosate. As a broadspectrum, non-selective weed killer, glyphosate inhibits an enzyme in plants that does not exist in human and animal cells, killing all plant life except the crop. As a result GM soy seeds could be grown without any need to plow. The adoption of GM seeds in Argentina was surprisingly fast and widespread, and it marked a turning point (Vara 2005). Since then, the agricultural sector has embarked on a pathway of change in which intensive, high input commodity crop production has become dominant. Today Argentina is the third world producer of GM soy, after the US and Brazil; and is the world leader in soy oil (45% of the global market), and soy flour (43%) production. GM soy represents 25% of Argentine exports. Since 1996 the number of hectares under cultivation of GM crops has increased exponentially in Argentina, along with the growth of the use of glyphosate-based herbicides (REDUAS - Medicos de Pueblos Fumigados 2002).While agrarian productivity levels increased; rural populations started to report an increase in the incidence of certain pathologies which they associated to the use of glyphosate. Simultaneously, a growing number of independent studies from various countries have revealed links between pesticide exposure and the reported illnesses: cancer, reproductive health ailments, including miscarriages, birth defects, infertility, delayed pregnancies (Antoniou and Fagan 2012, Arbuckle, Lin, and Mery 2001, Axelrad, Howard, and McLean 2003, Benachour and Seralini 2009, Dallegrave et al. 2003, Hardell, Eriksson, and Nordstrom 2002, Marc, Mulner-Lorillon, and Belle 2004, Marc et al. 2005, Marc, Belle, et al. 2004, McDuffie et al. 2001, Paganelli et al. 2010, Richard et al. 2005, De Roos et al. 2005, Seralini et al. 2012, Dallegrave et al., 2003).However, the claims of those groups were almost entirely ignored by Argentina's regulatory, health and science and technology systems. In fact, all of these systems have played a key role in facilitating agricultural intensification, and further agro-biotechnological development. By the time that GM soy was approved (1996), glyphosate was already used for other purposes. Approved by the National Service of Sanitation and Food Quality (SENASA) in 1977, it was revalidated in 1992 as a product of low toxicity, implying no risk adopting a special classification of the World Health Organization which only considers lethal damage at acute levels of exposure (defined by the methodology DL 50)1. Based on this classification, no restrictions to the commercialization or use of glyphosate were determined in Argentina. The toxicological classification by SENASA never changed and no epidemiological or toxicological studies were conducted by the Ministry of Health in order to assess the non-lethal effects of glyphosate at chronical exposure reported by rural populations and social movements.Even if protests were dissipated without impacting national regulations, some promoted new protective measures that restricted the use of glyphosate-based pesticides at the local level. Even if at the national level there was no change, some progress has been made at the local level2. A set of regulations to fill the gaps in the national regulatory framework have been enacted by municipal and provincial legislators (Vara, Piaz, and Arancibia 2012). These new laws and ordinances have established pesticide-free zones around populated areas and restricted ground and aerial spraying of pesticides including glyphosate based herbicides. However, the enforcement of the new laws and ordinances has proved very difficult, as the surveillance capacity of the police is almost nonexistent and penalties for infractions are hard to implement. …

Intoxicados e silenciados: contra o que se luta?

Este trabalho trata da pulverização de agrotóxico, por meio de avião agrícola, sobre a Escola Municipal Rural São José do Pontal, localizada no Assentamento Pontal do Buriti, município de Rio Verde-GO, ocorrido na manhã de uma sexta-feira, no início do mês de maio de 2013. A grave situação analisada reflete a estrutura de um modelo de produção agrícola hegemônico e suicida, que predomina na região e é imposto à zona rural. Além disso, há morte real das vozes que ousam lutar na busca de tratamento de saúde adequado para as pessoas atingidas, pois são vozes de membros da comunidade do próprio assentamento, que não têm vez na mídia e são intermediados por parlamentares ou pelo Ministério Público. A mídia silencia sobre a responsabilização de quem deu causa à pulverização aérea de agrotóxico, que intoxicou pessoas e contaminou o ambiente escolar e da comunidade do assentamento. Limitou-se a noticiar que houve prisões e solturas, mediante pagamento de fiança. Porém, o debate tímido e insuficiente sobre os problemas trazidos pelo agronegócio foi iniciado com alguns representantes do povo. Nesse sentido, esse trabalho tem por objetivo identificar o que foi relatado na mídia sobre o caso, estabelecer um registro mnemônico sobre as tentativas de ações para providenciar o tratamento de saúde das vítimas, no período entre 3 de maio de 2013 e 29 de outubro do mesmo ano, e iniciar a reflexão sobre o fato a partir de estudo bibliográfico.

Alternative approaches to Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea management: mass-capture for food

Organophosphate pesticide spraying or the deployment of explosives as standard practices for controlling quelea breeding colonies or roosts that threaten small-grain crops in Africa have negative side-effects on non-target birds and on the environment. Mass-capture techniques were tested as an environmentally more friendly alternative. The birds caught could be used as food for local people. Traditional capture methods were also evaluated with a view to improving them. Large funnel traps, with and without bright lights, gave poor results because the behaviour of quelea and the thorny habitat made it difficult to drive the birds into the trap after dark. Locally made mist-nets functioned well. They allowed thousands of quelea to be caught. After a few days, parts of colonies where trapping had taken place were abandoned, and farmers reported a considerable reduction in the numbers of quelea raiding their fields. The proportion of non-target birds caught in the nets was very low and many were released unharmed. Catches were monitored by officials to ensure that only quelea were taken. With further refinement and the establishment of proper regulation, the use of mist-nets to control quelea colonies or roosts seems likely to be a viable alternative to aerial spraying of pesticides.

Stability Analysis and Optimal Control Strategy for Prevention of Pine Wilt Disease

We propose a mathematical model of pine wilt disease (PWD) which is caused by pine sawyer beetles carrying the pinewood nematode (PWN). We calculate the basic reproduction numberR0and investigate the stability of a disease-free and endemic equilibrium in a given mathematical model. We show that the stability of the equilibrium in the proposed model can be controlled through the basic reproduction numberR0. We then discuss effective optimal control strategies for the proposed PWD mathematical model. We demonstrate the existence of a control problem, and then we apply both analytical and numerical techniques to demonstrate effective control methods to prevent the transmission of the PWD. In order to do this, we apply two control strategies: tree-injection of nematicide and the eradication of adult beetles through aerial pesticide spraying. Optimal prevention strategies can be determined by solving the corresponding optimality system. Numerical simulations of the optimal control problem using a set of reasonable parameter values suggest that reducing the number of pine sawyer beetles is more effective than the tree-injection strategy for controlling the spread of PWD.

West Nile virus from an avian conservation perspective

West Nile virus (WNV) is a widespread and ecologically adaptable virus for which birds are major amplifying hosts. Its unexpected arrival to North America in 1999 gained worldwide attention, in part because of the resulting mortality in birds. The virus is now endemic in North America, and sporadic outbreaks continue in Africa, the Middle East, as well as Europe and Russia. Avian taxa vary in their susceptibility to WNV-associated disease, with North American corvids being the most severely affected. Recent North American and European WNV strains have experimentally induced morbidity and mortality in birds; however, avian deaths have not been a prominent feature of WNV epidemiology outside of the United States and Canada. Bird species experiencing population declines include the Yellow-billed magpie Pica nuttalli, American crow Corvus brachyrhynchos and Blue jay Cyanocitta cristata. The American robin Turdus migratorius is noteworthy for its important role in transmission. Methods to reduce WNV transmission range from screened enclosures to aerial pesticide spraying. In addition, numerous vaccines have been administered to birds with unreliable but occasionally encouraging results. Avian conservation efforts will continue to be challenged with controlling WNV spread and transmission owing to the wide geographic range of the virus, diversity and abundance of mosquito vectors and global climatic trends.

Safety of Aerial Pesticide Spraying for Mosquitoes

Safety of Aerial Pesticide Spraying for Mosquitoes

Women’s Health in Selected Banana Plantations in Davao City: A Comparative Analysis

In 2007, during the conception of this study, there were intense debates in Davao City on whether or not to ban aerial spraying of pesticides in banana plantations. The city councilors were pressuring the advocates for banning aerial spraying to present studies that would prove its adverse effects to human and environment. This study attempted to look into the health conditions of women of reproductive age who live in proximity to banana plantations. The investigation utilized a descriptive-comparative research design involving a combination of data collection methods. Three hundred purposively chosen women were interviewed and asked to go through physical examination and laboratory tests. One hundred participants came from each of the selected sites—Baganihan, Tawan-tawan and Mandug. It was found that a significant association between the type of barangay and the incidence of allergies, tuberculosis, and autoimmune disease among the respondents did exist. Higher number of these cases was evident in Mandug where aerial spraying is practiced. There is a significant association between the type of barangay and the reported cases of kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, and thyroid disease. Diabetes mellitus was reported at a higher rate in Mandug. Kidney diseases, however, were higher in Tawan-tawan. Keywords: aerial spraying, banana plantations, pesticide drift, women’s health

Women’s Health in Selected Banana Plantations in Davao City: A Comparative Analysis

&lt;p&gt;In 2007 during the conception of this project, there were intense debates in Davao City on whether or not to ban aerial spraying of pesticides in banana plantations. The city councilors were pressuring the advocates for banning aerial spraying to present studies that would prove its adverse effects to human and environment. Thus, this study attempted to look into the health conditions of women of reproductive age who live in proximity to banana plantations. Furthermore, it intended to establish the significant difference of the general conditions of women who live in an aerially-sprayed community and those who do not. The investigation utilized a descriptive- comparative research design involving a combination of data collection methods. Three hundred purposively chosen women were interviewed and asked to go through physical examination and laboratory tests. One hundred participants came from each of the selected sites—Baganihan, Tawan-tawan and Mandug. It was found that a significant association between the type of barangay and the incidence of allergies, tuberculosis, and autoimmune disease among the respondents did exist. Higher number of these cases was evident in Mandug where aerial spraying is practiced. There is a significant association between the type of barangay and the reported cases of kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, and thyroid disease. Diabetes mellitus was reported at a higher rate in Mandug. Kidney diseases, however, were higher in Tawan-&lt;/p&gt;

Acidente rural ampliado: o caso das "chuvas" de agrotóxicos sobre a cidade de Lucas do Rio Verde - MT

The article reports the environmental accident caused by aerial pesticide spraying that reached the urban space of Lucas do Rio Verde-MT, in March 2006. It was characterized as a "major rural accident" of environmental and occupational aspects whose seriousness and extension crossed the agriculturally productive unit boundaries causing sanitary, social and environmental impact. This case study had as its objective the understanding of the social-technical scene of the accident and the monitoring process in health-environment in a research-action dynamic. The information was collected through interviews, documents and daily observation reports. It also referred to accidents, multidisciplinary and participatory analyses with the participation of local institutions of health, agriculture and environment, political and union leaderships, ranchers and farmers, the public prosecutor's office, journalists and the University. The study shows that the pesticide "use and abuse" monitoring actions have been extended to [a] "movement for the sustainable development of the region" supported by the participative monitoring and the fight for democracy and social justice in the search of a sustainable agriculture and/or environment.