A Pilot Study for Pesticide Poisoning Symptoms and Information on Pesticide Use among Farmers

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the feasibility of survey questionnaires for pesticide poisoning. We conducted a pilot study to develop a questionnaire for evaluating pesticide poisoning symptoms and to examine the validity of selfreported information for individual pesticides used. In December 2010 we interviewed 20 farmers with self-reported pesticide poisoning histories residing in Gyeonggi Province. For validity of pesticide information, the purchased pesticide lists from the agricultural cooperative federation were compared with individual self-reported pesticides used. Neurological symptoms were the most common among clinical symptoms related to pesticide poisoning, followed by gastrointestinal, dermal and eye symptoms. Insecticides were the main causative pesticide class for poisoning. Twenty one major symptoms were selected for screening for acute pesticide poisoning in a field study based on the pilot results and literature reviews. Substantial under-reporting was found in data on self-reported individual pesticides used (9.2%), as well as low accuracy (36%) compared with their actual purchase lists. In this pilot study, we suggest the selected symptom lists may apply to a field survey of pesticide poisoning. However, the self-reported information on individual pesticides may not be valid and alternative methods need to be developed.

Work-Related Risk Factors by Severity for Acute Pesticide Poisoning Among Male Farmers in South Korea

“…Through a pilot study [10] and reference reviews, we selected 21 symptoms and signs for screening of acute pesticide poisoning in a field survey. These included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, runny nose, dyspnea, headache, dizziness, hyperactivity, profuse sweating, blurred vision, paresthesia, slurred speech, paralysis, chest pain, syncope, muscle weakness, skin irritation, eye irritation, lacrimation, and fatigue.…”

“…The questionnaire also included demographics and work-related factors such as age, level of education, marital status, annual income, smoking, alcohol drinking in past year, years applying pesticide, days applying pesticide, hours pesticide was applied, size of farm, type of farming, application method, use of personal protective equipment, and conformity to safety behaviors. Based on a pilot study [10], we selected six safety behaviors which were significantly related with acute pesticide poisoning. They include “did not follow label instructions”, “did not wear mask and gloves when mixing pesticides”, “applied pesticide in full sun which cause hot and humid temperatures to farmers”, “did not change clothes immediately after pesticide application”, “did not bathe with soap after pesticide application”, “applied pesticide upwind”.…”

Depressive symptoms and severity of acute occupational pesticide poisoning among male farmers

“…For screening pesticide poisoning, 21 symptoms and signs were selected based on a pilot study13 and reference reviews. These symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, sore throat, runny nose, dyspnoea, headache, dizziness, hyperactivity, profuse sweating, blurred vision, paraesthesia, slurred speech, paralysis, chest pain, syncope, muscle weakness, skin irritation, eye irritation, lacrimation and fatigue.…”

A study of risk factors for the possible cases of acute occupational pesticide poisoning of orchard farmers in some parts of south Chungcheong province

“…The questionnaire excluded cotton gloves, cotton shirt, and cotton mask from PPE. It was developed based on previous studies [323334].…”