Pesticide Use and Health Outcomes: Evidence from Agricultural Water Pollution in China

Lai, Wangyang

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2751458

Cited by 23 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Pesticides are an important input for agricultural production, however, their application can have adverse effects on human health and the environment (Lai, 2017; Larsen, Gaines, & Deschênes, 2017; Pimentel & Burgess, 2014). The reduction of adverse effects from pesticide use is on the agricultural policy agenda in the European Union (EU), the United States, China, and several other countries (Lai, 2017; Lefebvre, Langrell, & Gomez‐y‐Paloma, 2015; Osteen & Fernandez‐Cornejo, 2013). In the EU, for instance, the introduction of national action plans (NAPs) is mandatory for all EU member states since 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are pesticides risk decreasing? The relevance of pesticide indicator choice in empirical analysis

Möhring

Bozzola

Hirsch

et al. 2020

Agricultural Economics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The reduction of adverse health and environmental effects from pesticide use is currently a top priority on the agricultural policy agenda. Efficient pesticide policies must take into account farmers' application behavior, especially effects of pesticide use on economic risk. However, previous results regarding the direction of risk effects of pesticides are ambiguous. We show that the ambiguity in earlier studies could be due to the pesticide indicator selected. Indicators which fail to account for the heterogeneous properties of pesticides may be inapt for interpreting farmers' pesticide use decisions. Our analysis, based on a rich panel dataset of Swiss wheat producers with highly detailed information on pesticide use, considers different pesticide indicators and multiple sources of uncertainty. Our key finding is that indicator choice affects the magnitude and sign of estimated risk effects. Estimates of pesticide productivity and risk effects are significantly higher for fungicides, and even reversed for herbicides when we measure pesticide use in simple quantity units (kilogram per hectare)compared to the quality and intensity corrected Load Index. This means for example, that farmers will ceteris paribus use lower quantities of herbicides, but will increase the overall toxicity of the products applied with increasing risk aversion. We discuss implications of our findings for the design of pesticide policies and agricultural risk management instruments.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are pesticides risk decreasing? The relevance of pesticide indicator choice in empirical analysis

Möhring

Bozzola

Hirsch

et al. 2020

Agricultural Economics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Chemical inputs such as insecticides and herbicides are essential to modern commercial agriculture, and have been credited with contributing substantially to agricultural productivity increases in both developed and developing countries. But pesticides are controversial because of potentially adverse health and environmental effects (Wilson and Tisdell 2001;Lai 2017). Most countries have developed elaborate regulations to address these external effects, which include risk assessments prior to approval (registration), and monitoring with ex post command and control mechanisms such as use restrictions and bans (deregistration) (Zilberman and Millock 1997;Sexton, Lei, and Zilberman 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neonicotinoids in U.S. Maize: Insecticide Substitution Effects and Environmental Risk

Perry

Moschini

2019

SSRN Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study exploits a novel dataset containing more than 89,000 farm-level surveys over a 17-year period to investigate how neonicotinoid seed treatments in maize, now ubiquitous, have affected the use of other insecticides. Neonicotinoid insecticides are the most used class of insecticides in the world, but they are controversial because of their high toxicity to honeybees. In the United States, maize production accounts for the majority of neonicotinoid use, mostly as seed treatments. We find that neonicotinoids substituted for other major insecticides: plots planted with neonicotinoidtreated seeds were 52% and 47% less likely to be treated with a pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticide, respectively. Although honeybees have been put at greater risk by neonicotinoids, the changed pattern of pest control instruments has reduced toxicity risk for mammals, birds, and fish. We also find that adoption of genetically engineered insect-resistant maize varieties significantly reduced the use of organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides, thereby reducing toxicity exposure to all examined taxa. Policies aimed at restricting neonicotinoid use may need to account for undesirable unintended consequences.

show abstract

“… 20 A study in China found that a 10% increase in pesticide use in rice increased a key medical disability index by 1% among rural residents 65 and older, resulting in $2.13 and $0.64 million dollars in medical and family care costs, respectively. 21 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Pesticide-Related Pollution and Occupational Health of Vegetable Farmers in Benguet Province, Philippines

2017

Journal of Health and Pollution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background.Agriculture accounts for 20% of the national income in the Philippines. In order to boost agricultural activity and prevent crop damage, farmers rely on pesticides for vector control and management.Objectives.The present study assessed the pesticide exposure and occupational health of agricultural farmers in the Philippines. The study site is one of the largest vegetable-producing provinces in the Philippines.Methods.This study employed both a survey questionnaire and physical health assessment, including a mental state examination. Pesticide exposure was estimated based on the duration of pesticide use, as well as the amount per spray application. The data results were segregated by gender, as women are also heavily engaged in agriculture in this part of the Philippines.Results.The results showed that pesticide exposure usually occurred during agricultural activities such as spray applications in the field (63.7%), mixing (38.4%), loading (34.1%) and field re-entry (9.7%). The most frequently used pesticides were Tamaron, Selecron, and Dithane. The mean duration of pesticide exposure was 14.23 years for males and 15.4 years for females. The longest used pesticide among males was Sumicidine (16.2 years), and Tamaron for females (18 years). In terms of amount used, the average was 147 ml per spray application for males and 65.5 ml for females. Exposure to pesticides was expressed in number of years and amount used per spray application, and the average exposure of males was 2,024.43 ml/years and 993.55 ml/years for females. Among farmers, 49% complained of being sick due to their work. Of those who became ill, a large percentage (69.8%) did not receive any medical attention. The most prevalent health symptoms were muscle pains (63.3%), muscle weakness (55%), and easy fatigability (52.4%). For the mini-mental state examination, abnormalities were found in 5.4% of males and 13.3% of females. The use of insecticides was associated with weakness, easy fatigability and weight loss.Discussion.The present study demonstrated frequent and significant duration of pesticide use among farmers in Benguet province, Philippines.Conclusions.Pesticide exposure was considerable among the farmers in the present study. The occupational health conditions reported by the study subjects can be linked to their pesticide use. Although this study assessed risk factors associated with general health symptoms, further investigation is needed to determine specific pesticide exposure-health correlations.Participant Consent.ObtainedEthics Approval.The study was approved by the Research Ethics Board of the University of the Philippines, Manila, which is recognized and accredited by the Forum for Ethical Review Committees in Asia and the Western Pacific (FERCAP).

show abstract

Pesticide Use and Health Outcomes: Evidence from Agricultural Water Pollution in China

Cited by 23 publications

References 45 publications

Are pesticides risk decreasing? The relevance of pesticide indicator choice in empirical analysis

Are pesticides risk decreasing? The relevance of pesticide indicator choice in empirical analysis

Neonicotinoids in U.S. Maize: Insecticide Substitution Effects and Environmental Risk

Assessment of Pesticide-Related Pollution and Occupational Health of Vegetable Farmers in Benguet Province, Philippines

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About