• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.203-211
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• 2007

This study was conducted in cut rose cultivation field in Goyang to evaluate pesticide exposure of farmers and the relationship between the exposure and work environment/method for cut rose farmers. Dermal exposure was assessed with patch (thin chromatography layer paper), cotton glove by body parts during mixing and spraying works in which pyrethroid, organophosphate, carbamate pesticide were used in 4 cut rose greenhouses located in Goyang province, checking characteristics of environment/working method at the same time. Body parts assessed were as follows ; glove : hand, patch : head, neck(front/back), chest, back, shoulder(right/left), upperarm(right/left), forearm(right/left), thigh(right/left), shin(right/left). Pesticides were analyzed using gas chromatography(NPD/FID) after extracting with ethyl acetate. Exposure amount differed according to pesticide type. But after standardizing with total net weight of pesticide sprayed, there were no significant difference among pesticides. There were significant difference in exposure amount among body parts(especially exposure amount of thigh, shin were more than the others), which means exposure happen not by pesticide dispersion in air but by contact with cut rose(leaf, branch) indirectly. Walking forward during spraying made farmers more exposed than waling backward, these results means contacts with leaves/branches made exposure happen in cut rose greenhouse also. As a result, pesticide exposure in cut rose greenhouse was related with contact of leaf/branch which pesticide remained in, which made exposure pattern (especially exposure amount) differ by body parts

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2011

Although pesticides have increased crop production and controlled disease, they have produced a number of adverse health effects. Pesticides have potential human toxicity and a variety of groups, such as farmers or industrial workers, as well as the general population, are exposed to pesticides. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to provide an overview of pesticide exposure and health through a literature review, focusing on exposure assessment, acute poisoning, chronic health effects, and future research needs. The exposure types and levels of pesticides vary by study subjects and need to be assessed by integrating several methods focused on the epidemiological purpose. Acute pesticide poisoning is a major public health problem in the world. Paraquat is the main causative pesticide for acute poisoning in Korea and should be banned in order to save several thousands of lives every year. Occupational pesticide exposure also causes numerous chronic diseases among farmers and industrial workers, including cancers, respiratory diseases, depression, retinal degeneration, diabetes, and abnormal menstrual cycle. However, controversy exists regarding the long-term effects of low-dose environmental pesticide exposure. The area of pesticide study is relatively new with broad study populations and it has received little academic and policy attention, particularly in Korea. More detailed studies investigating the risk of pesticide-related health effects and intervention efforts to reduce the problems are needed in Korea.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.136-141
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• 2013

Background: Occupational end users of pesticides may experience bodily absorption of the pesticide products they use, risking possible health effects. The purpose of this paper is to provide a guide for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working in the field of agricultural health or other areas where occupational end use of pesticides and exposure issues are of interest. Methods: This paper characterizes the health effects of pesticide exposure, jobs associated with pesticide use, pesticide-related tasks, absorption of pesticides through the skin, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for reducing exposure. Conclusions: Although international and national efforts to reduce pesticide exposure through regulatory means should continue, it is difficult in the agricultural sector to implement engineering or system controls. It is clear that use of PPE does reduce dermal pesticide exposure but compliance among the majority of occupationally exposed pesticide end users appears to be poor. More research is needed on higher-order controls to reduce pesticide exposure and to understand the reasons for poor compliance with PPE and identify effective training methods.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 2024

Objectives: The unsafe use of pesticides in agriculture represents a major hazard to human health. This study was conducted to investigate the association between pesticide exposure and health symptoms among chili farmers in northeast Thailand. Methods: This cross-sectional analytic study included 141 chili farmers in Sakon Nakhon Province, in northeast Thailand. Data regarding health symptoms were gathered using a self-report questionnaire. A medical technician tested blood cholinesterase activity using an erythrocyte method, and an occupational medicine specialist at Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand reviewed the results. Associations between personal characteristics, pesticide exposure factors, and health symptoms were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Results: Of the 141 chili farmers studied, 66.7% experienced pesticide poisoning, as indicated by below-normal cholinesterase levels. Fatigue was the most frequently reported symptom associated with pesticide exposure, affecting 37.6% of participants. This was followed by nausea and vomiting (31.9%), dizziness (14.9%), and dry throat (14.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that several factors were significantly associated with adverse symptoms: amount of work experience, volume of pesticides used, use of chemical pesticides, use of leaking containers during spraying, direct pesticide exposure while working, contact with pesticide-soaked clothing, consumption of food and drinks in the fields, and blood cholinesterase level indicating risk. Conclusions: This study suggests potential health risks for chili farmers stemming from exposure to and contamination by pesticides used in agricultural practices. To mitigate these risks, it is essential to supply personal protective equipment and to implement educational programs aimed at improving protective behaviors among farmers.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.42.1-42.11
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• 2022

Background: Occupational pesticide exposure is a potential risk for respiratory health effects. Most clinical studies on pesticide exposure were related to acute exposure, and only a few studies on chronic exposure have been conducted. This study investigated the chronic respiratory health status and the chronic effects of occupational pesticide exposures of farmers in Gyeonggi-do. Methods: Surveys and pulmonary function tests were conducted on 1,697 farmers in 16 regions of Gyeonggi-do. The structured questionnaire included demographic characteristics, medical history, recent respiratory symptoms and diseases, and work-related conditions, and was conducted through one-on-one interviews. The prevalence of respiratory diseases was compared by the odds ratios (ORs) at 95% confidence intervals (CIs) estimated by logistic regression analysis. Additional multivariate logistic regression analysis was also conducted. Results: Pesticide work groups showed significant association with an obstructive pattern in the lung function test (unadjusted OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.17-5.52). Selected work-related variables of pesticide exposure were 'start age,' 'cumulative duration,' 'mixing pesticides,' and 'protection(goggle).' The obstructive pattern of lung function test showed significant associations with mixing pesticides (OR, 2.30; 95% CI,1.07-5.46), and protection (goggle) use (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.12-0.79). Conclusions: Mixing two or more pesticides showed a significant association. Wearing goggles can be seen as an indicator of awareness of the protective equipment and proper wearing of protective equipment, and loss of pulmonary function can be prevented when appropriate protection is worn.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9725-9730
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• 2014

Background: Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes is one of the most extensively studied biomarkers employed to evaluate genetic damage subsequent to pesticide exposure. Objective: To estimate the pooled levels of SCE in human peripheral blood lymphocytes among population exposed to pesticide. Materials and Methods: Meta-analysis on the association between SCE frequency and pesticide exposure was performed with STATA 10.0 software package and Review Manager 5.0.24 in this study. Results: The overall means of SCE were 7.88 [95% confidence intervals (95%CI): 6.71-9.04] for exposure group and 6.05 (95%CI: 5.13-6.95) for controls, respectively. There was statistically significant difference in the SCE frequency in human peripheral blood lymphocytes between pesticide-exposed groups and control groups, and the summary estimate of weighted mean difference was 1.69 (95%CI: 1.01-2.38). We also observed that pesticide-exposed population had significantly higher SCE frequency than control groups among smokers, nonsmokers, pesticide applicator, pesticide producer, other exposure population and Asian population in stratified analyses. Conclusions: Data indicate that the SCE frequency in human peripheral blood lymphocytes might be an indicator of early genetic esffects for pesticide-exposed populations.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.267-272
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• 2018

Objective: This study aimed to test the accuracy of self-reported information used in indirect estimation of pesticide exposure. Methods: To do so, self-reported values on the duration of pesticide application per day were compared with observed values. The number of days of pesticide application per year as recorded in self-administered logs was compared with recalled values. Results: It was found that participants underestimated the duration and frequency of actual pesticide use. High correlations were found between self-reported values and observed values, as well as between recalled values and recorded values. Conclusions: The reason might be that farmers unconsciously under-recall the application of pesticide since many customers prefer eco-friendly agricultural products. Farmers thought the task of applying pesticides to be essential, and this may explain why the participants in this study tended to accurately recall their pesticide-related work.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.199-206
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• 2016

Pesticides are widely used to prevent loss of agricultural production but extensive exposure can induce health problems to pesticide operators. This study was performed to evaluate the health risk of highly produced pesticides used in fruit growing farm land by comparison of estimated exposure level with AOEL using KO-POEM program. AOEL was driven based on NOAEL of each pesticide evaluated by JMPR, EFSA or KRDA. In calculation of exposure level, types of formulation, dilution factors, spraying duration and motor type and exposure protection device were allocated according to actual condition of use. Dermal absorption rate was differently applied among EFSA default values (25% or 75%), general default value (10%) or real test result values to know the plausibility of default values and safety of pesticide to operators in outline. Twenty pesticide ingredients (fungicides and insecticides) were produced more than 30 tons per year, which were mancozeb, chlorothalonil, imidaclopirid and etc in order. Dermal absorption rates obtained from studies were various from 0.07 to 81% but mostly under 10%. The estimated exposure levels showed big differences more than 10 times higher when using EFSA default rate and up to 5 times higher when using general rate of 10% comparing using rates of test results. Mancozeb, chlorthalonil, diazinon and chlorpyrifos presented still higher exposure level than AOEL even when using test absorption rate from study, which suggests that re-evaluation of AOEL or dermal exposure absorption rate or strict management are required for health protection of operators who use those four pesticides in farm land.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.50-59
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• 2013

This study was performed in order to assess the risk of korean orchard worker due to pesticide exposure. The amount of pesticide exposure was calculated based on the informations of 97 kind of items that are used the form of a spraying in Korean orchard. The risks of these pesticides were assessed to compare the exposure amount with AOEL (acceptable operator exposure level) which was released form developed countries. When the operator sprayed pesticides using speed sprayer, 74.2% of pesticide items showed the risk for operator if the operator have not worn the personal protective equipment (PPE), and 42.3% of pesticide items showed the risk for operator if the operator have worn the PPE. In case of using motor sprayer, 64.1% of pesticide items showed the risk for operator if the operator have not worn the PPE, and 19.4% of pesticide items showed the risk for operator if the operator have worn the PPE. This result was indicated that the risk of pesticide against the operator was very high in korean orchard operator.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.300-304
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• 2016

The aim of this study were to evaluate the exposure level of pyrethroid pesticide according to spraying machine type. The urinary metabolites of pyrethroid pesticide in apple farmers were analyzed to determine the exposure level of pyrethroid pesticide. The result shows that, the spraying volume was greater in SS sprayer group than in power sprayer group. But multi variate analysis which adjust spraying volume and field area, there were no difference of urinary metabolites between two sprayer machine. To make more accurate model of pesticide exposure, the factors influencing pesticide exposure should be determined and further study should be done.