Health and environment problems in Indonesia

Dr. Norbert Hirschhorn and co-workers have studied the occupational health of 214 farmers who spray pesticides on vegetable crops.
    The farmers studied spray pesticides on shallot crops in the districts of Tegal and Brebes, Central Java. Detailed observations of 906 spray operations were made in weekly visits to each farmer over a three-month period. The farmers in the study also grew rice in a different season in the same fields, giving a two month period after rice harvesting, before spraying vegetable plants. Interviews in this period enabled a comparison between symptoms experienced during the spray period and the period when not exposed to pesticides.

Health impacts
The study found 69 different signs and symptoms affecting the health of sprayers during the spray season. Of these, 43 had been identified by the research team as those generally associated with pesticide exposure, and the remaining 26 were additional impacts identified by the sprayers. Symptoms were only recorded if they arose during or within a few hours of the spray operation. The most frequently observed were fatigue (attack rate of 60%), muscle stiffness (54%), dry throat (30%), muscle weakness (23%), dizziness (21%), difficulty breathing (18.5%), insomnia (17%), blurred vision (15.5%), stinging eyes (15%), flushed face (14%), chest pain (13.6%), headache (13%), salivation (13%), nausea (11%) and itchy skin (9%). There must also be some concern about the impact of pesticide residues on consumers' health. Vegetables were sprayed on average just over twice a week, and in some instances eight times.
    The study recommended that the only way to reduce exposure is to extend the training for farmers in IPM to include vegetables as well as rice, and to reach more farmers. More control is needed over pesticide sales and outlets and direct promotion of pesticides to farmers and agricultural workers by company representatives.

Relationship of pesticide spraying to signs and symptoms in Indonesian farmers, Misa Jishi and Norbert Hirschorn, Scandinavian Journal of Work and Environmental Health, 1995, 21:124-33.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 28, June 1995, page 25]