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Control of pesticide intoxication
through research and rural education
in a Peruvian valley
E.L. Rubin de Celis, J.L.B. Robles, J.Q. Paredes,
J.B. Garcia, and C.D. Chavez
Huayuna Institute for Development, Lima, Peru
The unique climatic conditions of the coastal valley of Mala, Peru,
combined with the use of agricultural chemicals such as dinitro-o-cresol
(DNOC), which stimulates blossoming and promotes uniform flowering,
allow farmers to produce several apple crops per year. However, the
increased use of pesticides results in insect resistance and adverse impact
on health and the environment. A research project is under way to
determine the prevalence of pesticide effects on health and to assess the
knowledge and practices of fruit growers with regard to intoxication and
the use of pesticides. An educational program will be designed and an
epidemiologic monitoring system, to be operated by peripheral health-care
workers, will be developed. In this paper, we discuss the basic elements of
the project and report progress and difficulties to date.
This paper outlines the preliminary results of the occupational health and
rural-community education project conducted by the Huayuna Institute of
Peru. After 15 months of research, the project team is in the second phase of
the 30-month project. Although it is impossible to talk of definite successes at
this early stage, a discussion of the difficulties that have been encountered is
appropriate and of value. These difficulties are common to most research and
health-education projects and, for this reason, it is important to foster the
interchange of experiences and ideas.
Study area and main problems
The project site is in the coastal valley of Mala, 87 km south of Lima, Peru. The
study area includes the middle and part of the lower sections of the valley and
extends from the village of Viscas at the head of the river to the city of Mala at
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