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Table 1. Value of imported pesticides (USD thousands).
Substance 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Insecticides 16 196 14077 12 151 16 379 23 270
Herbicides 3 637 4562 4016 6 042 7 139
Fungicides 9 058 11 528 7953 9 691 10 589
Others 7 391 5 230 6733 8331 11 466
Total 36 282 35397 30 853 40 443 52 464
Soune: Fertili2er and Pesticide Authority, Department of Agriculture, Philippines.
Note: 23 Philippine pesos (PHP) = I US dollar (USD).
Fig. 1. Pesticide use by crop, based on 1984 spending levels (Rola n.d.).
Typically, a farmer sprays early in the morning, for 4-5 h, using a stainless
steel, hand-pumped knapsack sprayer with a pressure of 15-20 pounds per
square inch (1 psi = 6.89 kPa). It is common practice to use the lid of the sprayer
to measure the concentrate, transfer it to a 16-L knapsack, and make up the
volume with water. An average of I ha is sprayed per day. After application,
the farmer cleans the equipment with water and stores it, together with the
chemicals, in his home.
Occasionally, however, spraying is carried out by contract sprayers. They may
apply a variety of insecticides over a maximum area of I ha/day for up to
3 consecutive days/week (van Sitter et al. 1989). They usually wear ordinary
work clothes, consisting of long pants and long-sleeved cotton shirts. Gloves,
masks, or boots are not normally worn during the application of insecticides
(Castaneda et al. 1989).
The objective of this paper is to present the findings of three field studies on
pesticide exposure undertaken in the Philippines between 1987 and 1989. In
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