Occupational hazards and health cost of women cotton pickers in Pakistani Punjab

Bakhsh, Khuda; Ahmad, Naeem; Kamran, Muhammad; Hassan, Sarfraz; Abbas, Qasir; Saeed, Rashed; Hashmi, Muhammad Sadiq

doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3635-3

Cited by 35 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…For example, for Pakistan we derived 81,750 non-fatal UAPP in 2010. However, this was based on studies of female cotton pickers only [39,162] and we refrained from extrapolating this figure, which was based on a subpopulation of agricultural workers, to the total population. For Zambia, no national estimate was derived although one paper was extracted [179], as this study reported data from two hospitals with no clear catchment area stated Table 3 Examples for sampling strategies used in studies Without random sampling: "Present study was conducted in the southern Punjab i.e.…”

Section: National Estimates Of Uappmentioning

confidence: 99%

The global distribution of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning: estimations based on a systematic review

Boedeker¹,

Watts²,

Clausing³

et al. 2020

BMC Public Health

360

145

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Background Human poisoning by pesticides has long been seen as a severe public health problem. As early as 1990, a task force of the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that about one million unintentional pesticide poisonings occur annually, leading to approximately 20,000 deaths. Thirty years on there is no up-to-date picture of global pesticide poisoning despite an increase in global pesticide use. Our aim was to systematically review the prevalence of unintentional, acute pesticide poisoning (UAPP), and to estimate the annual global number of UAPP. Methods We carried out a systematic review of the scientific literature published between 2006 and 2018, supplemented by mortality data from WHO. We extracted data from 157 publications and the WHO cause-of-death database, then performed country-wise synopses, and arrived at annual numbers of national UAPP. World-wide UAPP was estimated based on national figures and population data for regions defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Results In total 141 countries were covered, including 58 by the 157 articles and an additional 83 by data from the WHO Mortality Database. Approximately 740,000 annual cases of UAPP were reported by the extracted publications resulting from 7446 fatalities and 733,921 non-fatal cases. On this basis, we estimate that about 385 million cases of UAPP occur annually world-wide including around 11,000 fatalities. Based on a worldwide farming population of approximately 860 million this means that about 44% of farmers are poisoned by pesticides every year. The greatest estimated number of UAPP cases is in southern Asia, followed by south-eastern Asia and east Africa with regards to non-fatal UAPP. Conclusions Our study updates outdated figures on world-wide UAPP. Along with other estimates, robust evidence is presented that acute pesticide poisoning is an ongoing major global public health challenge. There is a need to recognize the high burden of non-fatal UAPP, particularly on farmers and farmworkers, and that the current focus solely on fatalities hampers international efforts in risk assessment and prevention of poisoning. Implementation of the international recommendations to phase out highly hazardous pesticides by the FAO Council could significantly reduce the burden of UAPP.

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Section: National Estimates Of Uappmentioning

confidence: 99%

The global distribution of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning: estimations based on a systematic review

Boedeker¹,

Watts²,

Clausing³

et al. 2020

BMC Public Health

360

145

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Third, the study has focused on the role of Bt technology and has not analyzed the potential of other possible interventions–such as strengthening extension services and supporting the spread of knowledge about pesticide safety–that could also help to reduce pesticide-related health cost [43]. Fourth, this study ignores the health impacts of pesticide reduction on casual workers, especially female workers who are often involved in the cotton harvest [47–48]. Future studies could explore the health effects for the different population groups involved in the cotton sector.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies have observed significantly increased concentrations of pesticide residues in blood samples of pesticide operators [45–46]. Cotton pickers, often poor female laborers, were also found to suffer from pesticide-related illnesses [47–48]. To reduce health and environmental problems of pesticide use, in the mid-1990s farmer field schools were established in Pakistan’s major cotton-producing districts to promote low-pesticide use and integrated pest management (IPM) techniques [49].…”

Section: Cotton Production and Pesticide Use In Pakistanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transgenic cotton and farmers’ health in Pakistan

2019

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Despite substantial research on the economic effects of transgenic insect-resistant Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton, there is still limited work on this technology’s impacts on human health. Due to the inbuilt insect resistance, Bt cotton requires fewer pesticide sprays than conventional cotton, which is not only advantageous from economic and environmental perspectives, but may also result in health benefits for farmers. Using socioeconomic and biophysical data from Pakistan, we provide the first evidence of a direct association between Bt gene expression in the plant and health benefits. A key feature of this study is that Bt cotton cultivation in Pakistan occurs in a poorly regulated market: farmers are often mistaken in their beliefs about whether they have planted Bt cotton or conventional cotton, which may affect their pesticide-use strategies and thus their pesticide exposure. We employ a cost-of-illness approach and variations in the measurement of Bt adoption to estimate the relationship between Bt cotton and farmers’ health. Bt adoption based on farmers’ beliefs does not reduce the pesticide-induced cost of illness. However, adoption based on measuring Bt gene expression is associated with significant health cost savings. Extrapolating the estimates for true Bt seeds to Pakistan’s entire Bt cotton area results in annual health cost savings of around US$ 7 million. These findings have important implications for the regulation of seed markets in Pakistan and beyond: improved regulations that ensure claimed crop traits are really expressed can increase the benefits for farmers and society at large.

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“…Peak foetal length velocity occurs during the second trimester and organ maturation and weight gain occur during the third trimester. Environmental exposure to pesticides during cotton harvesting is also known to compromise the health of women in Pakistan [6], which in turn might compromise foetal development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While paid agricultural employment can benefit rural women by increasing their social status, decision-making ability and purchasing power, excessive energy expenditure during periods of intensive agriculture work and exposure to toxic chemicals, such as pesticides, can compromise maternal nutrition and health [3, 6]. Pregnant women involved in labour-intensive work such as cotton harvesting are at particularly high risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal BMI mediates the impact of crop-related agricultural work during pregnancy on infant length in rural Pakistan: a mediation analysis of cross-sectional data

Pradeilles

Allen

Gazdar³

et al. 2019

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

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BackgroundStunted growth in early infancy is a public health problem in low-and-middle income countries. Evidence suggests heavy agricultural work during pregnancy is inversely associated with maternal body mass index (BMI) and infant birth weight in low- and middle-income countries; but pathways linking agricultural work to length-for-age Z-scores (LAZ) in early infancy have not been examined. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between agricultural work during pregnancy, post-natal maternal BMI and LAZ among young infants in rural Pakistan; and explored whether maternal BMI mediated the relationship between agricultural work and infant LAZ.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted from December 2015 to January 2016 in rural Sindh, Pakistan. Mother-infant dyads were recruited via systematic random cluster sampling at 2–12 weeks’ post-partum (n = 1161). Anthropometric measurements (maternal and infant height/length and weight) and questionnaire data were collected. Multivariable linear regression and structural-equation based mediation analyses were used to examine associations of agricultural work during pregnancy with maternal BMI and infant LAZ.ResultsDuring pregnancy, women reported engaging in livestock-related work (57.0%), crop-related work (42.7%), and cotton harvesting (28.4%). All three forms of agricultural work were negatively associated with maternal BMI (β = − 0.67 [− 1.06; − 0.28], β = − 0.97 [− 1.51; − 0.48]; and β = − 0.87 [− 1.33; − 0.45], respectively). Maternal engagement in cotton harvesting alone was negatively associated with infant LAZ after controlling for confounding factors. The total negative effect of cotton harvesting on infant LAZ was − 0.35 [− 0.53; − 0.16]. The indirect effect of maternal BMI on infant LAZ was − 0.06 [− 0.08; − 0.03], revealing that 16% (− 0.06/− 0.35) of the relationship between cotton harvesting and infant LAZ, after adjustment, was mediated via maternal BMI.ConclusionThese results underscore a need to reduce labour-intensive agricultural workload demands during pregnancy, especially in cotton harvesting, to reduce risks of negative maternal energy balance and poor growth outcomes in early infancy.

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Occupational hazards and health cost of women cotton pickers in Pakistani Punjab

Cited by 35 publications

References 21 publications

The global distribution of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning: estimations based on a systematic review

The global distribution of acute unintentional pesticide poisoning: estimations based on a systematic review

Transgenic cotton and farmers’ health in Pakistan

Maternal BMI mediates the impact of crop-related agricultural work during pregnancy on infant length in rural Pakistan: a mediation analysis of cross-sectional data

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