Pesticide Storage Research Articles

Pesticide Utilization in Myanmar and effects on Human Health and Environment

Human health and environmental hazards associated with pesticide handling are common in developing countries, as farmers and agricultural workers frequently lack proper personal protective equipment and may be unable to understand labels with safety instructions. Importation, distribution, use, storage, and disposal of pesticides. Pesticide utilization globally is increasing every year and Myanmar pesticide utilization is also increasing year by year. Its global rank of utilization is 86 and the quantity of pesticide application dosage is 1.4 kg per hectare. Although Myanmar's pesticide application rate per hectare is not as high as in other countries, ignorance of the pre-harvest interval after pesticide application, failure to follow labeling guidelines, calibration, misuse, and improper disposal pose a serious threat to human health and the environment. The goal of this review paper is to examine the uses and application of pesticides in Myanmar to raise awareness about pesticide misuse and to understand the negative effects of pesticides on human health and the environment. Pesticide misuse is a severe problem in agricultural productivity, putting farmers' health and environment at hazard. Pesticide impacts on the environment have a long-term effect on human life, according to numerous studies, it persists in the environment with long-term negative effects. As a result, pesticide management should be strictly regulated for the whole supply chain process of pesticides.

Pesticide use behavior, cognitive impairment and the model of safety standard of pesticide use among farmworkers in Indonesia

Background: The objective of this study was to identify pesticide residue, and to analyze associations between characteristics and pesticide use behavior with cognitive impairment among farmworkers. Additionally, a model of safety standard of pesticide use was constructed. Methods: This observational study was conducted in Jember Regency, Indonesia using a cross-sectional design. Cluster random sampling was performed, whereby 500 farmworkers were selected as participants. Characteristics, pesticide use behavior and cognitive impairment data were collected using questionnaires. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using chi-squared and logistic regression tests, respectively. The model was created by comparative analysis between theoretical concepts and empirical findings. Results: This study found 10/15 agricultural products contain Chlorpyrifos class of Organochlorin. Based on Montreal Cognitive Assessment, 70% of participants were in the category indicating cognitive impairment. Pesticide use behavior among farmworkers showed that 92.4% of participants were in the favorable category. The chi-squared test presented the significance of the type of commodity and pesticide storage associated with cognitive impairment among farmworkers (p<0.05). According to logistic regression analysis, other commodities (tobacco) (AOR: 0.21 (CI: 0.09–0.46)), pesticide exposure duration (AOR: 0.52 (CI:0.27–0.99)), pesticide dissemination at night (AOR:5.77 (CI:1.12-29.85)) and pesticide storage outdoors (AOR: 1.81 (CI:1.13–2.90)) were associated with cognitive impairment (p<0.05). The model of safety standard of pesticide use is constructed by four variables: farmworker behavior, personal protection equipment (PPE) utilization, implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principal, and waste control. Conclusions: High numbers of agricultural products still contain pesticide residue. Although, pesticide use behavior was mainly within the favorable category, there were issues with excessive dose use, pesticide storage and disseminating time. The combination of favorable farmworker behavior, PPE utilization, implementing IPM principal, and waste control may protect farmworkers during pesticide use. The Agriculture District Office should conduct training workshops to farmworkers and provide waste management systems.

Knowledge, perception, and pesticide application practices among smallholder cocoa farmers in four Ghanaian cocoa-growing regions.

Pesticides are widely used in Ghana, especially in cocoa farming. However, the practice is suboptimal and unsupervised. Incorrect use of these chemicals can seriously harm human health, the environment, and economies that rely on these farmers' output. The study assessed cocoa farmers' pesticide knowledge, practices, and risk perception. Four hundred and four cocoa farmers were chosen randomly from 26 communities in four cocoa-growing regions of Ghana to answer questions about their risk knowledge, awareness, and practices, including personal protective equipment, storage and disposal of leftover pesticides, and used containers. The study revealed that 87% of the respondents belonged to cooperatives and certification groups. There was a significant positive relationship between group membership and benefits derived from inputs and training in pesticide use. About 70% of insecticides used were approved by the Ghana Cocoa Board, with neonicotinoids and pyrethroids being the most highly used insecticide classes in cocoa farms. Although farmers claimed adequate pesticide knowledge, this did not translate into practice, with the majority exhibiting improper pesticide storage, application, and disposal practices. Farmers appeared to know a lot but lacked the skills and attitude to put their knowledge to use. The improper practices appear to manifest in a variety of health symptoms experienced by farmers as a result of chemical exposure. The findings from this study suggest that cocoa farmers in Ghana require adequate practical training and support on pesticide use to reduce their associated health risks, protect the environment and ensure sustainable cocoa production in the world's second-largest cocoa bean exporter.

Investigating the level of knowledge, attitude, and performance of Kerman women regarding health risks, the correct method of storage and use of pesticides at home

Investigating the level of knowledge, attitude, and performance of Kerman women regarding health risks, the correct method of storage and use of pesticides at home

Prevalence of pesticide related occupational diseases among Indonesian vegetable farmers - A collaborative work.

This study was done to understand the prevalence of various occupational diseases including dry eyes, nail dystrophy, and neuropathy related to pesticide exposure in Indonesian local vegetable farmers. The data were collected through questionnaires and physical examination involving dermatology, neurology, and ophthalmology domains at Ngablak District, Magelang, Central Java directed to local vegetable farmers. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire and the Schirmer test were used. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 21.0) and presented in tables. Inadequate spraying equipment and improper storage of pesticides were found. Out of 105 farmers, 41.9% experienced occupational skin diseases (OSD). Definite cognitive impairments were found in 3.4% of subjects but probable in 28.3% of subjects. Neuropathies were found in 61.7% of subjects, and dry-eyes syndrome were found in 28.78% of subjects. There was a high prevalence of peripheral neuropathy and tremor, dry eyes syndrome in one-third of the population, and the most common skin problem was nail discoloration, with a low incidence of contact dermatitis.

Integrating Aerial Electric Vehicles for Sustainable Agriculture and to Optimize the Overhead Cost of Farming

India is a country whose roots are buried deep in agriculture. The livelihood of about 58% of the population depends on farming. Yet technological progress in the country’s agricultural practices is lacking. The growing technology and increased demand for agriculture calls for the incorporation of technology into sustainable agriculture. The proposed work, therefore aimed at building a drone to serve this purpose. The rapid growth of the Electric Vehicle (EV) market and India’s aim to shift to the complete use of EVs by the year 2023 demand a paradigm shift in the agriculture sector. The use of aerial electric vehicles would be an impeccable execution of EVs in agriculture, serving a vast set of functions. The proposed work focuses on one specific application: remote spraying of pesticides in an efficient way so that the overhead costs of farming are reduced. The harmful effects of exposure to pesticides are eminent. Farmers who take it upon themselves to spray these pesticides are at risk of contracting a wide range of health adversities and deadly chronic diseases. As a solution to this imminent need, it is proposed to design a drone to spray pesticides according to the requirement, as directed by the farmer. The Agriculture Drone has a hexagonal structure controlled using BLDC motors and Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs). For flight control, Pixhawk 2.4.6 is used. It is equipped with a GPS module that can track the location of the drone and plan its mission. The drone operates on autopilot and requires no manual control for flight. Specific coordinates are given to the Drone so that it moves along the given coordinates for its flight using the software ‘Mission Planner.’ The designed drone has a removable tank for the storage of pesticides, which is placed under the landing gear. The tank has a spraying system that operates on the instructions of the farmer, which are given to the drone using a Radio transmitter.

IPM: Optimal environmental conditions for pesticide storage.

IPM: Optimal environmental conditions for pesticide storage.

IPM: Organisation of pesticide storage areas.

IPM: Organisation of pesticide storage areas.

IPM: Dealing with spills in the pesticide storage area.

IPM: Dealing with spills in the pesticide storage area.

A Medico-legal Analysis of Autopsy Cases Due to Poisoning

Background: The prevalence of poisoning has increased, costing many valuable lives, as has the progress in research and technology, agriculture, and the industrial sector. Chemicals created to safeguard agricultural products from pests and rodents helped preserve the environment. People who are starving are becoming a threat to other people's lives. Objective: This research aims to assess the frequency and pattern of poisoning. Design: Retrospective Study. Setting: Peoples Medical College Hospital in Nawabshah, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh. Duration: From May 1, 2021, to May 30, 2022. Methodology: The current study was conducted in the past. All suspected poisoning deaths that were presented to Peoples Medical College Hospital in Nawabshah, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh for a medical-legal autopsy within the course of a year, from May 1, 2021, to May 30, 2022, would be investigated. Inquest reports, hospital records, autopsy reports, and chemical examiner's analysis reports of viscera and bodily fluids were used to compile information on suspected poisoning instances. Age, sex, religion, place of residence, marital status, education, occupation, financial situation, mental state, date and conditions of poisoning, location of treatment, and the most prevalent agent responsible for deadly poisoning are among the different epidemiological data that are examined. Conclusion: Poisoning is predicted to decline as a result of measures to enhance socioeconomic conditions through changes in employment, health care, education, and economic as well as scientific assistance for farmers. It is anticipated that proper education of the general public and farmers regarding the storage, handling, and usage of pesticides and insects will lower the frequency of poisoning. Keywords: Poisoning, Suicide, Medico-legal

Pesticide Safety Awareness among Rural Farmers in Dadinkowa, Gombe State, Nigeria.

Because of the longer growing season and warmer climate, weeds and insect pests spread are on the rise, thereby increasing the demand for pesticide use and consequently harmful emissions that further exacerbate climate change. Unsafe occupational exposure to pesticide residue is associated with a lack of product knowledge and safety awareness among farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A cross-sectional descriptive study design was adopted for this study in which a face-to-face administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 285 respondents who were selected using convenient snowball sampling technique. Knowledge, awareness, and practices related to pesticide storage, handling, application, and containers disposal among the farmers were measured. Categorical variables were analysed and presented using descriptive statistics in the form of frequency count and percentage, while numeric items were summarized using mean and standard deviation. Dichlorvos and Perfekthion 2.5 EC listed in the WHO Group I pesticide classification were among the most frequently used pesticides. Symptoms of pesticide intoxication reported include headaches (56.1%), dizziness (56.5%), skin irritation (53.3%), and fatigue (45.6%), respectively. Farmers' behaviour during pesticide application include blowing clogged nozzle with mouth (42.7%), talking while spraying (59.8%), and mixing pesticide with bare hands (31.1%). Furthermore, 38.5% of them use pesticide containers for other domestic purposes. Socioeconomic factors, i.e., educational level, age, and years of farm practice, influenced farmers safety behaviour. Based on these findings, an approach that will help strengthen capacity building programmes and the enhancement of knowledge-based initiatives around the adoption of non-synthetic pest-control methods should be encouraged.

Use and storage of pesticides at home in France (the Pesti'home survey 2014)

Some epidemiological studies have raised health concerns following the chronic exposure of pregnant women and children to pesticides in the domestic environment. In France very little is known about potential exposure to pesticides at home. An observational study called Pesti'home was carried out in continental France between July and November 2014. The residential use of pesticides was investigated and an inventory of pesticides and active ingredients used and stored at home was drawn up. Plant protection products, biocides, and human and animal external pest control products were listed during face-to-face interviews.A random sample of households including at least one adult (18–79 years old) was selected following a two-stage stratified random sampling method using the national census database. Within each household, an adult was appointed to answer survey questions. Data related to the interviewee's sociodemographic and housing characteristics, the reported use of pesticides at home, and a visual inventory of all stored pesticides were collected. Overall, 1507 households participated. The participation rate was between 36% and 57% according to the definition chosen.Over the previous 12 months, 75% of households declared that they had used at least one pesticide. Households who used and stored at least one product most frequently used an insecticide (84%). The active ingredients most frequently used by these households as insecticides were pyrethroids, namely tetramethrin and permethrin.The Pesti'home survey collected detailed data on the residential use of pesticides for risk assessment at national and European levels.

The Effect of Pesticides on Soil Biogenicity

This article presents the results of a study of the effect of pesticides on the biogenicity of gray-earth soils of the dry subtropics of Azerbaijan. The soils were examined from the location of the pesticide storage base in the Zardob area. It was revealed that in this territory about 12 thousand cubic meters of soil are polluted to a very strong degree and the content of pesticides (including DDT) exceeded the MPC by tens to hundreds of times. Microbiological studies of soil samples showed that, unlike the background clean soil, soil biogenicity was suppressed in all soil samples contaminated with pesticides, and this indicates a negative impact of soil contamination with pesticides on the structure and activity of microbiocenosis, which was confirmed by a high degree of phytotoxicity of these samples. All this indicates a very limited assimilation potential and a low ability of these soils to self-purify from organic pollutants. The results obtained can be used in the zoning of the soil cover of the country according to the rate of self-purification from pesticides, their assimilation capacity.Ключевые слова: почва, пестициды, ассимиляция, фитотоксичность.Keywords: soil, pesticides, assimilation, phytotoxicity.

Assessment of farmers′ utilization of approved pesticides in cocoa farms in Ondo state, Nigeria

The study assessed farmers' utilization of approved pesticides in cocoa farms in Ondo State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 240 respondents for the study. Data were collected using an interview schedule and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that most (91.2%) of the respondents were male, married (90.0%) with a mean age of 51.1 years. The major insecticide approved by the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) and utilized by the majority of the cocoa farmers was Actara 25 WG. The major approved fungicide by CRIN and utilized by cocoa farmers were Ridomil Gold, Ultimax Plus, and Red Force. The results further showed that Clear Weed was the most used herbicide among the approved herbicides recommended to the cocoa farmers in the study area. Results further revealed that all (100.0%) cocoa farmers complied with the safety precautions of using pesticides. These precautions include: avoid mixing herbicides with fungicides, avoid spraying against wind direction, and proper handling and storage of pesticides. The major constraints faced by cocoa farmers in using the approved pesticides were lack of government support in terms of grants and inputs (X¯ = 2.97), lack of access to credit facilities (X¯ = 2.95), and high cost of approved pesticides (X¯ = 2.90). The education status of cocoa farmers had a significant association with compliance with safety precautions while using pesticides (χ2 = 6.087, p ≤ 0.05). The study recommends that cocoa farmers should be assisted with timely provision of approved cocoa pesticides by government, non-governmental agencies and private organizations.

Human health risk assessment of pesticides used for rice cultivation in an agricultural pockets of Eastern India

AbstractFood consumption is one of the principal reasons of human exposures to pesticides. The research analyses the relation between pesticide contaminations and their possible adverse health impacts. Rice grain and soil samples were collected from seven blocks of Bargarh district, Odisha. Gas Chromatography‐Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) was used for the analysis and characterization of various pesticides present in rice grain as well as in soil samples. The identified pesticide residues in rice grain samples were found to be in the sequence of ∑DDT > chlorpyrifos > chlorothalonil > vinclozolin > chlorthal‐dimethyl > endosulfan‐1 > lindane. Detected pesticide concentrations were found to exceed the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) set by the Codex Alimentarius International Food Standards with DDT having the highest concentration of 29.27 mg/kg (which is 292 times the MRLs) and lindane with the least concentration of 4.35 mg/kg (which is 435 times the MRLs). Estimated average daily intake (EADI) was found to be higher for DDT and lower for lindane. The Health Risk Index (HRI) for DDT was higher and lower for chlorothalonil in all the samples. Results of one‐way ANOVA reflected no significant differences in variance between the concentrations of pesticides in rice grain samples. Result showed that the residual levels of ∑DDT in soil ranged between 7.8 and 29.3 mg/kg which was the maximum concentration among all the pesticides. Lindane and chlorthal‐dimethyl showed the least concentration ranging between 1.2–4.2 and 1.6–4.1 mg/kg, respectively. DDT had the highest bioconcentration factor (BCF) ranging between 1 and 4. Lindane and endosulfan‐1 had the lowest BCF ranging between 1 and 2. BCF value of other pesticides were found between the range of 1 and 4. Bioconcentration factors of pesticides in rice and soil samples indicated that pesticides in soil could get accumulated in rice. It was observed that the health risk associated with the consumption of rice could be because of its contamination by the pesticides in the study area or of the biomagnification of pesticides from the soil. It is necessary to spreading the awareness regarding safer use, storage and disposal of pesticides should be given utmost importance at the moment as an attempt to reduce or eliminate the environmental contaminations caused by them. National authorities should enforce proper rules and regulations in order to monitor and control the vigorous use of chemical loaded pesticides in agriculture and various other fields. It would be even better to substitute the chemical pesticides with the organic component‐based Bio‐pesticides as a safer option for the mankind and its environment.

Application and Research of Computer Intelligent Technology in Modern Agricultural Machinery Equipment.

Every country, including China, is deeply concerned and interested in the topic of agricultural machinery automation. The world's population is growing at an astronomical rate, and as a result, the need of food is also growing at an astronomical rate. Farmers are forced to apply more toxic pesticides since traditional methods are not up to the task of meeting the rising demand. This has a major impact on agricultural practices, and in the long run, the land becomes barren and unproductive. Intelligent technologies such as Internet of Things, wireless communication, and machine learning can help with crop disease and pesticide storage management, as well as water management and irrigation. In this paper, we design and analyze an intelligent system that automatically predicts the agricultural land features for irrigation purpose. Initially, the dataset is collected and preprocessed using normalization. The features are extracted using principal component analysis (PCA). For automatic prediction by the equipment, we propose heterogeneous fuzzy-based artificial neural network (HF-ANN) with genetic quantum spider monkey optimization (GQ-SMO) algorithm. Analyses and comparisons are made between the proposed approach and current methodologies. The findings indicate the effectiveness of the proposed system.

INTERACTION AMONGST THE CHEMICAL PESTICIDES, AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN HEALTH: AN ENVIRONMENTAL CASE STUDY IN NADIA DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

Chemical pesticides and fertilizers are well known in today’s farming system and played asignificant role in boosting the crop yield during the last four to five decades worldwide. But on the otherhand, excessive use of these chemicals has been degrading natural resources (soil, water, air) globally andleads to increase environmental pollution. With this background, the broader objective has been set as‘assessing the impact of chemical pesticides and fertilizers on the soil, water, air vis-à -vis human beings andlocal biodiversity, a study was carried out in two different villages (Ghoragachha and Bhabanipur) of Nadiadistrict, West Bengal, India with 200 number of respondents. The majority of the farmers belongs tomarginal and small classes and is mainly vegetable growers. They also cultivate fruits and a few cultivateagronomic crops with a cropping intensity of greater than 200 percent. Most of the respondents don’t takeprecautionary measures during pesticide storage, handling, and storing due to illiteracy among therespondents. Excess use of pesticides just increases the face value of the produce. They have no suchawareness about crop-pest resistance and soil contamination. Indiscriminate use and application ofimproper doses of pesticides may cause their symptoms as well as the environment.

Assessment of pesticide exposure risks among cocoa farmers in Western region of Ghana

A survey was conducted to investigate farmers’ knowledge, attitudes towards pesticide use, storage/disposal, exposure risks and health symptoms in one of the eight cocoa growing regions in Ghana. A considerable proportion of the farmers (32%) used the bush as a storage facility for pesticides, 17% of the farmers stored chemicals in their living rooms, 3% of the farmers stored chemicals in their kitchen, 15% in their food storeroom, and 4% in the animal house. Personal protective equipment (PPE) use was positively associated with advice obtained from agrochemical shops (OR = 1.735, p < 0.01) and extension services (OR = 1.643, p < 0.01) as sources of information for PPE use. Female farmers (OR = 0.481, p < 0.01) were less likely to use PPE. With respect to location, farmers in Suaman district were less likely to use PPE (OR = 0.56, p < 0.010) compared with farmers in Wassa Amenfi. It is recommended that these factors should be considered for policy intervention. Reinforcement of appropriate pesticide storage and PPE education are necessary for securing safety in pesticide use.

Pesticide handling and waste management: a case study on DDT and HCHs from the Southern Caucasus

This study presents a survey on pesticide use, pesticide storage and pesticide disposal among 100 residents near a former pesticide store in rural Georgia using a standardized paper questionnaire. More than one quarter of the participants responded that the age of the pesticides they use is higher than 20 years. Based on this finding, it cannot be excluded that persistent organic pollutants like Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane and hexachlorocyclohexanes still are released to the environment. Knowledge about active ingredients of pesticides is lacking among farmers: More than two thirds state that they know the active ingredients, while less than 10% mention an active ingredient matching the brand name they report. Purchasing pesticides in containers without labels appears to be common practice. Information about the pesticides is mainly obtained from the pesticide retailer, while the label is less important as a source of information. More than 95% of the participants store the pesticides in a separate store, but appropriate possibilities of hazardous waste disposal seem to be insufficient in rural areas in the region. The finding that pesticides are purchased and stored in repacked secondary containers, poses direct risks and hampers communication of risks to users. Improving (implementation of) regulations for pesticide handling and strengthening local knowledge through better vocational training can improve soil and groundwater protection and sustainable use of resources.Article highlightsOne of the main findings is that residents report using the pesticides for a long time. Not only are the pesticides used way longer than they may remain suitable for use, but also the pesticides could be dating from before international legislation entered into force which was set up to protect from long-lived organic pollutants (the Stockholm Convention). Our results show that often pesticides are repacked and stored in alternative containers such as plastic containers for detergents. This means users cannot find important information on how to use pesticides safely on these alternative containers. The label cannot be used as a source of information for example regarding health risks. This may lead to poisoning of users.In Georgia, the transition process results in poor implementation of environmental regulations such as laws about waste management. The results show that educational level has a positive influence on choosing safe storage options such as a separate store. The results indicate that especially in rural areas possibilities of proper disposal of old pesticides or other dangerous chemicals are poor. This has implications for the health of residents.Efforts to better implement environmental regulations should be strengthened especially in rural areas to overcome the legacy of long-lived pesticides which are now banned. Old pesticides might still be in use because they are difficult to dispose of safely.

Hermetic Bags for the Storage of Maize: Perspectives on Economics, Food Security and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Different Sub-Saharan African Countries

During storage, cereals and legumes are vulnerable to insects, rodents, and fungi, which can cause loss of weight, damage or discoloration of products, and/or toxin formation. Hermetic bags can prevent excessive insect infestation, and toxin formation. This paper presents an analysis of the effects of hermetic bags for the storage of maize on food loss reduction by insects and on net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, based on practical data from field trials. Their economic feasibility, by optimizing the total income in markets with different price seasonalities in different Sub-Saharan African countries, is analyzed. The data of five field trials were combined and put in classes of 50 days of increasing storage time to get a realistic loss of produce during storage using regular bags (with or without the use of pesticides) and hermetic bags. The maize for storage trials were used as is, bought locally or used direct from the field. Scenario studies with standard storage, standard storage combined with pesticides and hermetic bag storage show significant losses by insects after 100 storage days for standard and standard with pesticides storage, whereas with hermetic bags, product losses are kept to a minimum of 2%. The economic analysis shows less clear-cut outcomes: the interventions' effectiveness depends largely on the rate of seasonal price fluctuation of the commodity. For farmers' personal consumption, when the quality is less critical, the use of hermetic bags is only more economical compared with other methods of storage for produce kept over 100 days. Since the quality of maize is well-preserved by the hermetic bag, the return on the investment is shorter when the maize is sold at the market. However, for countries with a low seasonal price gap, the investment cannot be recouped. As the use of hermetic bags is a good intervention for preventing food loss, it is best promoted not only for providing direct profits to farmers but also for health benefits, as bag use implies a lower need for pesticides and a possible reduction in aflatoxin intake.