TY - JOUR
T1 - Pesticide Use Practices in Rural Armenia
AU - Tadevosyan, Artashes
AU - Tadevosyan, Natalya
AU - Kelly, Kevin
AU - Gibbs, Shawn G.
AU - Rautiainen, Risto H.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by grants from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State, NIOSH grant to The University of Iowa, Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health (U50 OH07548), and NIOSH grant to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (U54 OH010162). The funding organizations are not responsible for the views expressed in this article.
PY - 2013/10
Y1 - 2013/10
N2 - Pesticide use can have adverse effects on both human health and the environment. Inappropriate use of pesticides increases the health risk to those who work with or live around pesticides. Educational programs for agricultural workers on the proper use of pesticides and personal protective equipment coupled with pesticide regulations are important tools to reduce the associated health risks. The authors conducted a survey (N = 2336) on pesticide use practices in the Ararat Valley of Armenia in 2000-2006. This study was a cross-sectional design. A multistage sampling method was implemented in the selection of the study population. The authors developed a questionnaire containing 173 questions to evaluate demographic characteristics, health conditions, and details of pesticides use practices. The intensity of pesticide use was high; 82.8% of respondents used them. More than 150 brand names of pesticides were in use. Unregistered, obsolete, expired, and banned compounds were found in active use. Poor compliance with the basic rules of pesticide safety was found throughout the study population, with 21.3% using gloves and only 11% using respirators. The agricultural workers' knowledge of the toxic properties of these pesticides as well as basic hygienic norms was very low. In some instances, the number of agrichemical applications to crops, particularly cucumbers and melons, reached 40 applications during the growing season. Better protection and training of pesticide users in Armenia is needed.
AB - Pesticide use can have adverse effects on both human health and the environment. Inappropriate use of pesticides increases the health risk to those who work with or live around pesticides. Educational programs for agricultural workers on the proper use of pesticides and personal protective equipment coupled with pesticide regulations are important tools to reduce the associated health risks. The authors conducted a survey (N = 2336) on pesticide use practices in the Ararat Valley of Armenia in 2000-2006. This study was a cross-sectional design. A multistage sampling method was implemented in the selection of the study population. The authors developed a questionnaire containing 173 questions to evaluate demographic characteristics, health conditions, and details of pesticides use practices. The intensity of pesticide use was high; 82.8% of respondents used them. More than 150 brand names of pesticides were in use. Unregistered, obsolete, expired, and banned compounds were found in active use. Poor compliance with the basic rules of pesticide safety was found throughout the study population, with 21.3% using gloves and only 11% using respirators. The agricultural workers' knowledge of the toxic properties of these pesticides as well as basic hygienic norms was very low. In some instances, the number of agrichemical applications to crops, particularly cucumbers and melons, reached 40 applications during the growing season. Better protection and training of pesticide users in Armenia is needed.
KW - Education
KW - health
KW - personal protective equipment
KW - pesticide
KW - safety
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U2 - 10.1080/1059924X.2013.826118
DO - 10.1080/1059924X.2013.826118
M3 - Article
C2 - 24125047
AN - SCOPUS:84886900790
SN - 1059-924X
VL - 18
SP - 326
EP - 333
JO - Journal of Agromedicine
JF - Journal of Agromedicine
IS - 4
ER -