WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Meenu Sharma*

ABSTRACT

Introduction: A vast majority of Indian population are engaged in agriculture. While pesticides help in increasingcrop production, inappropriate pesticide storage practice and inadequate protective measures frequently causesaccidental poisoning among farmers. The present study has been undertaken with the aim of assessing theprevalence of ill effects of chemical pesticides among farmers of selected rural area of Delhi. Methods andmaterials: A survey based approach was used among 500 farmers who were selected by random samplingtechnique. Data was collected using structured and approved assessment checklist. Data was entered using Epi-Info and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Result: All farmers used chemical pesticides, with 68% having nosource of information on their use. Some farmers had pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes (12.8%)and hypertension (14.4%). During or immediately after spraying pesticides, most farmers experienced multiplesymptoms including redness and excessive tearing (89.2%) and burning sensation and pain in the eyes (88.6%).Only a small percentage of farmers used personal protective equipment (PPE) while mixing and sprayingpesticides, with 31% using gloves, 24% using simple face masks, and 13.2% using protective eyewear/goggles.The majority of farmers (57%) stored pesticides at home or in the basement, with only 15.6% storing them in afirst-story room with direct access to the outside. Overall, the results suggest a need for education on pesticide useand safety, as well as increased access to and use of PPE among farmers. Conclusion: Pesticides are chemicalcompounds that are used to kill pests, including insects, rodents, fungi and unwanted plants, which are widelyused in agriculture. The study suggested that the farmers were exposed to highly hazardous, restricted and bannedpesticides, with insufficient protection& inappropriate use of PPE’s while handling these harmful pesticides. Inthis situation, educational and training interventions on pesticide handling and safety precautions are urgentlyneeded and should be implemented on priority.