and Integrated Pest Management - part - usaid

A STUDY OF OCCUPATIONAL PESTICIDE
EXPOSURE AMONG FILIPINO FARMERS IN SAN
LEONARDO, NUEVA ECIJA
C. P. Castaileda
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine
University of the Philippines
547 Pedro Gil St.Manila, Philippines 2801
The Philippines is a developing country with a population of about 52
million and an economy which is agriculture-based. Pesticides have become
important agricultural inputs in this economy. Pesticide consumption based on
sales statistics from the Agricultural Institute of the Philippines showed a steady
growth of 15% from 1979 to 1981 (Gaston 1982). Organophosphorus and
carbamate pesticides are the most widely available and frequently used pesticides
in the market.
The transfer of agro-technology has not paralleled the transfer of knowledge
on pesticide safety. There have been reports of occupational pesticide poisoning,
both in the farm and in the formulating plants. In a study of pesticide problems
in Bulacan and Metro Manil, Casanova et al. (1984) reported that on farms,
farmers and spray applic,tors were not given proper education on the hazards of
the chemicals and the manner of spraying. In the same study, it was found that
no protective devices were usually worn; neither (lid farmers or applicators bathe
and change their clothes after work. It was also noted that farmers were often
exposed to more than one type of insecticid imultaneottsly or sequentially.
The study reported here was carried out among Filipino farmers to a)
estimate the extent of the pesticide problem on farais, b) identify the risk factors
for occupational pesticide exposure and c) determine the relationship of certain
risk factors with the pulse rate, grip strength, and symptoms of pesticide
absorption, and the relationship of certain risk factors with cholinesterase levels
in the blocd. Furthermore, a method of surveillance using grip strength was
explored.
A cross-sectional survey of rice farmers occupationally exposed to pesticides
was carried out by conducting two visits (before and after pesticide application)
in selected villages (or "barangays") in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija, which is
located in the rice granary of thu Central Plain of Luzon. 84% of the total land
area in this study site is devoted to rice. Five barangays were chosen for the
study, namely, San Anion, Poblacion, Adorable, Magpapalayok, and Tabuating.
The barangays were chosen based on the farmers not having ben exposed to
pesticides for five months before the start of the study.
80% of the farmers completed the study. The reasons for dropouts were: (1)
5 did not farm due to health reasons, (2) 4 were not present at the time of follow­