A Survey on the application and storage conditions of pesticides in Kashan, Iran, 2012

Dehghani R, PhD¹ , Sabahi Bidgoli M, MSc², Asgari Arani J, MSc³, Rashedi Vahed Gh, MSc⁴, Heydari F, BSc⁵, Soheili Z, BSc⁵, Kazemi Moghaddam V, MSc^6*, Afshari N, MSc⁷

[1]. Professor, Social Dept. of Health (SDH) Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran. 2. Faculty member, Dept. of Public Health, School of Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran. 3. Faculty member, Dept. of English, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran. 4. MSc Student, Social Dept. of Health (SDH) Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran. 5. Expert, Social Dept. of Health (SDH) Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran. 6. MSc Student, Research Committee, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran. 7. Faculty member, Dept. of Environmental Health, School of Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract Received: February 2014, Accepted: October 2014

Background: Noticeable amounts of pesticides are used in developing countries each year. However excessive application of these chemicals in the past few decades has breaded serious problems to both animals and humans. Although most studies have targeted acute poisoning, in the present study chronic poisoning as a new and important health problem has been studied due to application and storage of pesticides at homes.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was designed in Kashan, located in the dry central region of Iran in 2012. The data were collected by interviewing 500 home owners and filling questionnaires. The data were analyzed using abundance tables and SPSS software and statistic tests χ2 and fisher exact.

Results: The results showed high availability and application of pesticides (97.2%). Citizens reported using pesticides once every six months. There was a positive relationship between the application of pesticides and the observed disorders (p<0.0001).

Conclusion: Pesticides are available for most people in an uncontrolled way, which may be the cause of many health problems.

Keywords: Application, Developing Countries, Pesticides, Storage

Introduction

Today, pesticides have a widespread range of application in the world, particularly in developing countries. They are used in agriculture to control pests and weeds and over time, this application has been growing. The application of pesticides in developing countries has become a way to increase productivity especially in tropical rain areas (1, 2). According to reports by international organizations (e.g. FAO), 2.5 million tons of pesticides are used annually in the world ; the trend is growing continuously(3).

Pesticides can be useful although they can also remain in environment and animal tissues and cause different effects on humans and other organisms (4, 5). Pesticide poisoning may lead to brain tumors, leukemia, and cancers* (6-8). Most of these poisonings occur in children especially those whose parents are farmers (9-11). Studies have shown that 3000000 people are poisoned by these materials each year, of whom 200000 die worldwide. 37000 cancers are associated with the pesticides particularly in developing countries (3). Acute poisoning is another important type of pesticides outcomes which may result in suicide (12); this problem is closely associated with the availability and sale regulations of pesticides mostly occurring in Asian and Latin America countries (13-16).

Although acute poisoning is important, chronic poisoning has been in the center of attention recently. Chronic poisoning may lead to different effects including neurological dysfunction, endocrine disorders, disorders of the immune system, and allergic reactions on the skin (17-19). This poisoning is often due to the proximity of homes to farms, keeping and using pesticides in home, and deposited pesticides on surfaces of the homes (9-11, 20). Pesticides used indoor are more persistent than those used outdoor because more physicochemical reactions occur to break down pesticides outdoor(21, 22). As a result, buying and storing pesticides at home should be according to strict and specific guidelines and protocols. For example, in a study done by Tariq et al(2007) in Pakistan, a high percentage of residents in rural areas were exposed to pesticides, many of poisonings due to this contact, and there was no proper and strict law about application of pesticides in that country (3). Also in a survey conducted in the United States by Bass et al(2001), it was found that there was more than one type of pesticide in every house, and pesticides in most homes were reachable by children (23). In Iran, as in many other developing countries, many types of pesticides are used frequently and this indiscriminate use has lead to increase numbers of different species of resistant insects as in Tehran due to the excessive use of pesticides (24, 25).

Considering problems associated with chronic exposure to pesticides and lack of appropriate legislation for the sale and storage of these products in Iran, the present study evaluates the storage and application of pesticides in houses. Kashan was selected as study area because this city has warm and dry weather and different species of insects such as scorpions are present throughout the entire year.

Materials and Methods

This descriptive study was conducted in Kashan, a city located in the central desert of Iran with a warm and dry climate in 2011 to 2012. Data were collected using questionnaires filled in by the participated residents. Participants consents were obtained and the aim of the study was explained to them. Main data gathered from homes included formulation and usage frequency of pesticides, duration of the insect return, and symptoms observed after the use of pesticides. Symptoms that were considered included any coughing, sneezing, dyspnea, itching on hands and body and/or any complications that could be related to the contact with pesticides.

The houses in this study were selected by cluster sampling. The whole city was divided into four regions, each region into five streets, and each street into five alleys; finally, 500 houses were randomly selected from alleys. The criterion for number of the houses selected was based on similar studies. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and statistic test chi-squared and fisher exact.

Results

The data gathered through questionnaires (n=496) showed that 97.2 % (482) of participants used pesticides.

The pesticide formulations used by the houses are depicted in Fig 1. According to reports of home owners, powder and pellet had the highest and lowest applications, 42.8% and 8.12%, respectively (Figure1).

Checking the data obtained from the questionnaire, the researchers found that there is a strong positive association (p<0.0001) between pesticides use and symptoms observed after spraying (table 2).

Table2: Symptom observation based on pesticides application

symptoms

application

total

412

482

Discussion

This study investigated the storage condition and application of pesticides. In Kashan, it seems that most people tend to use pesticides to ward off insects regardless of the risks associated with it. It also became clear that people do not face any legal barriers for buying and selling the pesticides.

The overuse of pesticides at home by residents and easy access to these chemicals by non-professionals in this research were similar to the results obtained from two studies in USA and UK (9, 26). In another study, Tariq et al (2007) reviewed the conditions of pesticides exposure in Pakistan and concluded that working with pesticides and keeping them at home do not observe any regulations there, which is similar to the results of our study (3). The easy access to pesticides may be a factor for suicide and intentional injuries as it was shown in a study by Van Der Hoeket al (1998) (27). It seems that governments play an important role in pesticide access and application. On the other hand, surveys have determined that people have little information about the use of pesticides(28, 29). Therefore, training and awareness of people, can help decrease the risks related to pesticides.

Application method and the type of pesticides that participants had used in their homes was very different in Kashan. It is probably due to reliance on vendors’ recommendations and lack of public awareness about methods of insect control. Similar results about using various methods for repelling insects from homes were observed in the study of Ssempebwa (2011) (30).

According to the reports of Kashan residents, most homeowners applied pesticides against insects twice a year and often the insects returned every three months, which is probably due to the hot climate of Kashan. Study results of Freeman et al (2004) indicate an increas use of pesticides with seasonal change from winter to summer which indirectly was similar to our results. In warmer climates this application increases the amount of the use of pesticides and reduces the return period of the insects (26). Also in a study conducted by Gray et al (2006), residents reported that they had used pesticides 2 to 4 times a year in their homes (9) and, in the present study, most of Kashan citizens have also used the pesticides twice a year. It can be stated that the climate can have a large impact on insect activity and use of pesticides, consequently. Most of studies were performed about the effect of climate on the amount and frequency of pesticide use in farms but in case of indoor application of pesticide and effects of climate on it few studies have been conducted.

Considering the overuse of pesticides in farms and homes, it appears that deployment minimizing and managing programs in Iran and consequently Kashan is required as in the case of other developing countries such as Cameroon which has used this controlling methods (31).

In this study, there was a significant relationship between the application of pesticides and increased complications on the residents. The study in UK also showed the existence of pesticides and their use at homes can be a crucial factor for exposing pesticides (9) and according to other studies this exposure can cause many disorders (17-19). It is probably due to spraying the wrong way and lack of attention to the safety requirements which stems from unawareness and lack of education.

Keeping different types of pesticides and their continuous use at homes can cause malignant diseases to the society, so it is essential to develop educational programs for people with different occupational groups to reduce the complications of these materials. Future researches may be done on the types of pesticides usage, storage, risk assessment of these materials at home, association of pesticides with advanced and chronic diseases, and inadvertent contact with these substances.

The limitations of this study include lack of information such as pesticides names and labels, however, the main strength of this study was that the data were collected through face-to-face approach.

Conclusion

This study showed that the levels of application and use of pesticides in Kashan are high. According to the results, people had excessive and unsupervised access to pesticides. It seems that this is due to the insufficient controlling laws in the sales and storage of pesticides. Most people use wrong spraying methods against pests and they are experiencing complications after spraying which needs training to avoid.

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Research Center of Kashan University of Medical Sciences and Kashan University of Medical Sciences for their financial support, for conducting this research.

Conflict of interests: Non declared.

References

1. Lutz E (1998). Agriculture and the environment: perspectives on sustainable rural development. Washington: The World Bank. P 282-343.

2. Ecobichon DJ. Pesticide use in developing countries. Toxicology 2001; 160(1-3):27-33.

3. Tariq MI, Afzal S, Hussain I, Sultana N. Pesticides exposure in Pakistan: a review. Environ Int 2007; 33(8):1107-22.

4. Pimentel D. Environmental and economic costs of the application of pesticides primarily in the United States. Environment, development and sustainability 2005; 7(2):229-52.

5. Shokrzadeh Lamuki M, Saeedi Saravi SS, Otadi N. Evaluation of residues of DDT and DDA in fish collected from Caspian sea, Iran. Iranian Journal of Toxicology 2012; 6(18):704-8.

6. Turner MC, Wigle DT, Krewski D. Residential pesticides and childhood leukemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cien Saude Colet 2011; 16(3):1915-31.

7. Pogoda JM, Preston-Martin S. Household pesticides and risk of pediatric brain tumors. Environ Health Perspect 1997; 105(11):1214-20.

8. Bassil KL, Vakil C, Sanborn M, Cole DC, Kaur JS, Kerr KJ. Cancer health effects of pesticides: Systematic review. Can Fam Physician 2007; 53(10):1704-11.

9. Grey CN, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ, Golding J; ALSPAC Team. Use and storage of domestic pesticides in the UK. Sci Total Environ 2006; 368(2-3):465-70.

10. Vida P, Moretto A. Pesticide exposure pathways among children of agricultural workers. Journal of Public Health. 2007; 15(4):289-99.

11. Curl CL, Fenske RA, Kissel JC, Shirai JH, Moate TF, Griffith W, et al. Evaluation of take-home organophosphorus pesticide exposure among agricultural workers and their children. Environ Health Perspect 2002; 110(12):A787-92.

12. Afzali S, Hassanian-Moghaddam H. A Study on the Variety of Pesticide Poisonings in Hamedan (West Iran) in Dec 2007 to Dec 2008. Iranian Journal of Toxicology 2008; 2(1):1-1.

13. Ajdacic-Gross V, Weiss MG, Ring M, Hepp U, Bopp M, Gutzwiller F, et al. Methods of suicide: international suicide patterns derived from the WHO mortality database. Bull World Health Organ 2008; 86(9):726-32.

14. Gunnell D, Fernando R, Hewagama M, Priyangika WD, Konradsen F, Eddleston M. The impact of pesticide regulations on suicide in Sri Lanka. Int J Epidemiol 2007; 36(6):1235-42.

15. Yaraghi A, Ezadi Mood N, Gheshlaghi F, Rezvan M, Pazooki S. Evaluation of Rodenticide Poisoning Distribution Based on Demographic Characteristic, Poisons, Causes of Intoxication, Duration of Hospitalization and Mortality Rate. Iranian Journal of Toxicology 2007;1(2):8-8.

16. Hungund C, Mohanram A, Pai V, Rani S. Fatal Formalin Poisoning: A Case Report. Iranian Journal of Toxicology 2011;5(12-13):468-9.

17. Eskenazi B, Rosas LG, Marks AR, Bradman A, Harley K, Holland N, et al. Pesticide toxicity and the developing brain. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2008; 102(2):228-36.

18. Garry VF. Pesticides and children. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2004; 198(2):152-63.

19. Jurewicz J, Hanke W. Exposure to pesticides and childhood cancer risk: has there been any progress in epidemiological studies? Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2006; 19(3):152-69.

20. Stout DM, Bradham KD, Egeghy PP, Jones PA, Croghan CW, Ashley PA, et al. American Healthy Homes Survey: a national study of residential pesticides measured from floor wipes. Environ Sci Technol 2009; 43(12):4294-300.

21. Obendorf SK, Lemley AT, Hedge A, Kline AA, Tan K, Dokuchayeva T. Distribution of pesticide residues within homes in central New York State. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2006; 50(1):31-44.

22. Whitemore RW, Immerman FW, Camann DE, Bond AE, Lewis RG, Schaum JL. Non-occupational exposures to pesticides for residents of two US cities. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 1994; 26(1):47-59.

23. Bass JK, Ortega L, Rosales C, Petersen NJ, Philen RM. What's being used at home: a household pesticide survey. Rev Panam Salud Publica 2001; 9(3):138-44.

24. Heidari H. Farmer Field Schools slash
pesticide use and exposure in Iran. Pesticides News 2003; 59:12-14.

25. Vatandoost H, Ezeddinloo L, Mahvi AH, Abai MR, Kia EB, Mobedi I. Enhanced tolerance of house mosquito to different insecticides due to agricultural and household pesticides in sewage system of Tehran, Iran. Iranian J Environ Health Sci Eng 2004; 1(1):46-50.

26. Freeman NC, Shalat SL, Black K, Jimenez M, Donnelly KC, Calvin A, et al. Seasonal pesticide use in a rural community on the US/Mexico border. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 2004; 14(6):473-8.

27. Van Der Hoek W, Konradsen F, Athukorala K, Wanigadewa T. Pesticide poisoning: a major health problem in Sri Lanka. Soc Sci Med 1998; 46(4-5):495-504.

28. Dasgupta S, Meisner C, Huq M. A pinch or a pint? Evidence of pesticide overuse in Bangladesh. Journal of Agricultural Economics 2007; 58(1):91-114.

29. Liu EM, Huang J. Risk preferences and pesticide use by cotton farmers in China. J Dev Econ 2013; 103:202-15.

30. Nalwanga E, Ssempebwa JC. Knowledge and practices of in-home pesticide use: a community survey in Uganda. J Environ Public Health 2011; 2011:230894.

31. Matthews G, Wiles T, Baleguel P. A survey of pesticide application in Cameroon. Crop Prot 2003; 22(5):707-14.

* Corresponding author: Vahid Kazemi Moghaddam, Student Research Committee, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Email Address: vahidkazemi29@yahoo.com

Time	Periods of insects restarting		Periods of pesticides application in Kashan
Time	Frequency	Percentage	Frequency	Percentage
Weekly	-	-	103	22.2
Monthly	-	-	128	27.5
Trimester	270	57.6	78	16.8
Biannual	78	16.9	156	33.5
Between six months to one year	55	11.9	-	-
Annually and more	59	12.7	-	-