Preventive measures used by farmers during agricultural pesticide application

• Published in: Turkish journal of public health Vol. 13; no. 2
• Main Authors: Önen, Cihan, Avci, Seyfullah, Günes, Gülsen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Turkish
• Published: Ankara Turkish Journal of Public Health 01.05.2015
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Farmers; Human exposure; Occupational safety; Pesticides
• ISSN: 1304-1096; 1304-1088

Objective: This study describes protective measures used by farmers during agricultural pesticide application in Çelikhan, Adiyaman. Methods: The target population of this descriptive study consists of 900 active farmers registered at Chamber of Agriculture in Çelikhan. The Sample included 381 farmers, who were interviewed, face to face, during January and February 2014. The Chi-square (Fisher's exact) test was used for the statistical evaluation. Results: Of the 363 farmers, who were growing tobacco, 358 used pesticides. The percentage of the farmers who use protective equipment during the application of pesticides was as follows: 78.8% used a face-mask, 73.2% used protective gloves, 29.6% used protective clothing, 16.8% used protective goggles and 15.6% used boots, while 4.7% never used any protective equipment. The following related to environmental factors: 72.3%, used appropriate doses and qualifications, 70.7% did not use pesticides during windy weather, 66.2% removed people from the field (55.6% kept it the pesticide in an appropriate warehouse) and 17.6% used warning signs. A significant statistical relationship was found between the educational status and safe disposal of pesticide waste, not releasing pesticide boxes into the environment and knowing the harm of pesticide to human body (p<0.05). Conclusion: Farmers in this study are using masks and gloves for personal protection, a majority of them are not eating and drinking during spraying and nearly half of them are removing drug equipment safely. The need for protective equipment and for health education of the farmers is important as is the need for the safe disposal of waste materials. In order to awaken the interest of farmers, environmental and individual consciousness must be created.