and Integrated Pest Management - part - usaid

A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON EXPOSURE OF RICE
FARMERS TO PESTICIDES
0. M. Alba
Senior Research Chemist, Bureau of Food and Drugs
Ministry of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz
Manila, Philippines
The Philippines is a developing country with a population of about 52
million. Agricultural production in the country has increased considerably in the
past few years and pesticides have played an important role in boosting
agricultural yields. With increased use of pesticides, there has been a growing
concern and awareness of its adverse effects both on man and the environment.
A study on occupational pesticide exposure among Filipino fairmers in San
Leonardo, Nueva Ecija (located in the northern part of the country) was conducted
by Dr. Maramba and Dr. Castaneda in 1985. This study revealed that farmers
were inadequately protected. All of the farmers did not wear boots and glcves,
74% did not wear any mask when spraying, and 71% wore long sleeves and long
pants while applying pesticides (Figure 1)
Several studies have been undertaken to assess the exposure of workers to
pesticides, such as the study of occupational pesticide exposure among certified
pest applicators in Metro Manila (Maramba 1986); the study of occupational
pesticides poisoning conducted by the Institute of Labor and Management
Studies (1979-1981); and the study of pesticide problems in Bulacan and Metro
Manila (Casanova et al. 1984). However, dermal exposures of Filipino farmers
under local conditions have not been investigated.
The immediate objectives of this preliminary exposure study are as follows:
1. To study the WHO protocol for field exposure studies and adapt them to
local conditions.
2. To develop a method to dctennine the degree of exposure associated with the
use of liquid insecticides using hand-punped knapsack sprayers.
3. To determine the exposure limits of this type of application and to design
further studies to cover establishment of safe re-entry periods, appropriate
protective clothing, and proper training at farm levels on safe handling of
pesticides.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The method used in this study was based on the WHO standard protocol on
field survey of exposure to pesticides (WHO 1982).
Two laboratories, the Bureau of Plant Ipdustry (BPI) and the Philippines
Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PIPAC), a private institution, carried
out parallel trials to validate the sampling, extraction, and analytical procedures
to be used. The following were investigated: