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, MSc6*, 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).
Figure 1: Types
of formulations used in Kashan
Home owners (33%) reported that the most common application period
of pesticide use has been once every 6 months. Observation of
insects after each spraying lasted three months; 270 (58.6%) of the parents
reported that insects were not found for three months after spraying, 78(16.9%)
of the parents indicated the time to be three to six months, 55(11.9%) of the
parents for six month to one year, and 59(12.7%) of them for more than one year
(table 1).
Table1: Periods of insects restarting and pesticides
application in Kashan
Time |
Periods of
insects restarting |
Periods of
pesticides application in Kashan |
||
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 |
- |
- |
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 |
|
6 |
8 |
14 |
|
412 |
70 |
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
2.
Ecobichon DJ. Pesticide use in developing countries. Toxicology 2001; 160(1-3):27-33.
18. Garry VF. Pesticides and children. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol
2004; 198(2):152-63.
* Corresponding
author: Vahid
Kazemi Moghaddam, Student Research Committee, Hormozgan University of Medical
Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Email Address: vahidkazemi29@yahoo.com