Congenital limb reduction defects in the agricultural setting.

This study sought to investigate the association of exposure to organochlorine (OC) and non-persistent pesticides with hematological parameters in an agricultural population in Southern Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a random sample of 275 farm workers and their families in Farroupilha-RS. A questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, duration, frequency and type of pesticide used, among others. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for serum concentration of 24 OC pesticides and hematological parameters. Associations were explored through linear regression, controlling for confounders. Lifetime use of chemical classes other than organophosphates and dithiocarbamates were associated with decreased number of lymphocytes, while subjects sampled in the high pesticide use season showed higher number of erythrocytes and hemoglobin level. Detectable serum levels of many OC pesticides were associated with lower counts of white blood cells, particularly eosinophils. Although mostly null associations were observed between pesticide use and hematological parameters, findings may suggest that OC pesticides could lead to hematological alterations among agricultural workers.

A study on ‘‘assessment of farmers’ knowledge and awareness regarding pest control technologies in the apple growing belts of Kashmir valley” was carried out in the three zones of the Kashmir valley during 2017-18. Apple being main horticultural crop has predominant position in area, production and productivity. Both primary and secondary data was analyzed to interpret the results for this study. The data was collected extensively from six blocks of the Kashmir Valley, two each from North, South and the Central zone by using multi-stage stratified sampling technique and the secondary data was also collected from various published/unpublished records. The study has pointed out to the need for a detailed look on the pesticide-use pattern, distribution systems, regulatory mechanism and farmers perception about pesticide use at a micro level. The results of the study revealed that expenditure incurred on pesticides is quite high in apple. Besides that, not only the intensity of pesticide use but also the high risk pesticides are being used in crop production in the study area. The study indicated that the farmers apply pesticides indiscriminately in violation of the scientific recommendations. About one-third of the pesticides available in the market are reported to be either sub-standard or spurious. The existence of unlicensed dealers/ traders has further accentuated the magnitude of malpractices in the pesticide delivery system. The results of the study further indicated that farmers had limited knowledge of pest management as well as the consequences of pesticide use. Almost all the apple-growing farmers (95 %) were of the opinion that there was heavy severity of disease in the study area. The expenditure on fertilizers and manures, average price of pesticide and pest intensity has significantly influenced the pesticide use in apple. High pesticide use was observed and most of the pesticides belong to high and moderate risk chemicals. The determinants of apple yield revealed that the estimated co-efficients for fertilizer expenditure, area under the crop and expenditure on pesticides were found to be positive and significant. Farmers are willing to pay average price premium upto 15 per cent for environmentally safer formulations of pesticides. This confirms that a market exists for safer or environment friendly pesticides in the study area. Increasing farmers’ awareness of pesticide hazards, proper regulation of pesticides and promotion of spray schedule adoption is essential for reducing adverse economic and environmental implications. The study has put forth a few policy suggestions for encouraging scientific application of pesticides and reducing the negative externalities arising from pesticide-use.

Decreased use of pesticides for increased yields of rice and fish-options for sustainable food production in the Mekong Delta

Achieving sustainable crop production while feeding an increasing world population is one of the most ambitious challenges of this century1. Meeting this challenge will necessarily imply a drastic reduction of adverse environmental effects arising from agricultural activities2. The reduction of pesticide use is one of the critical drivers to preserve the environment and human health. Pesticide use could be reduced through the adoption of new production strategies3-5; however, whether substantial reductions of pesticide use are possible without impacting crop productivity and profitability is debatable6-17. Here, we demonstrated that low pesticide use rarely decreases productivity and profitability in arable farms. We analysed the potential conflicts between pesticide use and productivity or profitability with data from 946 non-organic arable commercial farms showing contrasting levels of pesticide use and covering a wide range of production situations in France. We failed to detect any conflict between low pesticide use and both high productivity and high profitability in 77% of the farms. We estimated that total pesticide use could be reduced by 42% without any negative effects on both productivity and profitability in 59% of farms from our national network. This corresponded to an average reduction of 37, 47 and 60% of herbicide, fungicide and insecticide use, respectively. The potential for reducing pesticide use appeared higher in farms with currently high pesticide use than in farms with low pesticide use. Our results demonstrate that pesticide reduction is already accessible to farmers in most production situations. This would imply profound changes in market organization and trade balance.

Farmers' management of cabbage and cauliflower pests in India and their approaches to crop protection

Pesticides are toxic chemicals used mainly in agriculture to control pests and increase production. The use of pesticides is increasing with the development of special agricultural areas in the Nagari Sungai Nanam Solok district. Organochlorine pesticides are still used to control diseases on agricultural land, while the use of organochlorine pesticides has been prohibited due to the persistent effects they produce. The research aims to look at the potential environmental impacts caused by the use of specialized organochlorines on public water resources that are vital to daily life. The study used random purposive sampling techniques to determine respondents' characteristics and the water sources used. This study's respondents comprised 85 people obtained from the village group in the Nagari Sungai Nanam district of Solok. In contrast, the water samples were obtained from Galian wells and Pamsimas facilities. The results of the study showed that the level of risk of 8 (eight) means used by society could be determined by using the IKL form: there are two means (25%) at the high-risk level, three means (37.5%) at the medium-risk level, and three means (37.5%) at the low-risk level. As a result of the water sample testing, eight sampling sites found a concentration of lindane that exceeded the threshold of 0.45 ug/L lindane in the sample L.2771 (a water well in Jorong Pasa) and 0.62 ug/LL in the L.2775 sample (well water in Jorong Taratak Pauh). This condition describes the potential for higher pollution of wells due to organochlorine-like pesticides or other types that can harm health and the environment. The high use of pesticides, if not limited, will be a danger in the future for the surrounding community, which can lead to death, so an in-depth study is needed regarding the effect of pesticide use on the health conditions of the community and its environment.

Exposure to pyrethroid insecticides has been linked to adverse health effects, and can originate from several sources, including indoor residual spraying (IRS) for malaria control, home pest control, food contamination, and occupational exposure. We aimed to explore the determinants of urinary pyrethroid metabolite concentrations in a rural population with high pesticide use. The Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment (VHEMBE) is a birth cohort of 752 mother-child pairs in Limpopo, South Africa. We measured pyrethroid metabolites in maternal urine and collected information on several factors possibly related to pesticide exposure, including IRS, home pesticide use, and maternal factors (e.g., dietary habits and body composition). We performed statistical analysis using both conventional bivariate regressions and Bayesian variable selection methods. Urinary pyrethroid metabolites are consistently associated with pesticide factors around homes, including pesticide application in yards and food stocks, and IRS in the home during pregnancy, while more distant factors such as village spraying are not. High fat intake is associated with higher metabolite concentrations, and women from homes drawing water from wells or springs had marginally higher levels. Home pesticide use is the most consistent correlate of pyrethroid metabolite concentrations, but IRS, dietary habits, and household water source may also be important exposure determinants.

This article argues that if the introduction of genetically modified crops (GM crops) in developing countries is to be successful, we can and should not evade questions of access and control of technology. It implies probing into the experiences, perceptions and understanding of GM crops by the prime user: the farmer. Exactly in these respects the scholarly literature is remarkably silent. We know little about farmers' experiences and perceptions of GM crops' potential risks and benefits. This is evident when concentrating on a major GM crop – Bt cotton – and studying this in the context of China, its second largest producer in the world. Based on the results of a large survey, we demonstrate that Chinese farmers' awareness (‘having heard of’) and their understanding (‘being able to explain’) of Bt cotton is low. This may lead to ill-informed, distorted risk perceptions and a general inability to relate agricultural production problems to the specific nature of transgenic cotton cultivation. A great majority of the farmers find that the Chinese seed market was liberalised too early, in turn leading to a high incidence of ‘stealth transgenics’ or illegal seeds, the undermining of farmers' trust in private institutions, and a weakened biosafety regime. This finding points to the need for continued state intervention in the seed market, particularly in a developing context. Finally, we have discovered that farmers report a significantly lower reduction in pesticide use by Bt cotton than found in other studies. As suggested by recent research, we suspect that the higher pesticide use is necessary to control secondary pests – i.e. pests other than the cotton bollworm. We present empirical evidence that Chinese farmers perceive a substantive increase in secondary pests after Bt cotton was introduced.

Complex landscapes including semi-natural habitats are expected to favour natural enemies thereby enhancing natural pest biocontrol in crops. However, when considering a large number of situations, the response of natural biocontrol to landscape properties is globally inconsistent, a possible explanation being that local agricultural practices counteract landscape effects. In this study, along a crossed gradient of pesticide use intensity and landscape simplification, we analysed the interactive effects of landscape characteristics and local pesticide use intensity on natural biocontrol. During 3 years, using a set of sentinel prey (weed seeds, aphids and Lepidoptera eggs), biocontrol was estimated in 80 commercial fields located in four contrasted regions in France. For all types of prey excepted weed seeds, the predation rate was influenced by interactions between landscape characteristics and local pesticide use intensity. Proportion of meadow and length of interface between woods and crops had a positive effect on biocontrol of aphids where local pesticide use intensity was low but had a negative effect elsewhere. Moreover, the landscape proportion of suitable habitats for crop pests decreased the predation of sentinel prey, irrespectively of the local pesticide use intensity for weed seeds, but only in fields with low pesticide use for Lepidoptera eggs. These results show that high local pesticide use can counteract the positive expected effects of semi-natural habitats, but also that the necessary pesticide use reduction should be associated with semi-natural habitat enhancement to guarantee an effective natural biocontrol.

Introduction Cote d’Ivoire is the top exporter as well as producer of cashew nuts in the world. Chemical pesticides are used as one of preference crop protection measures. However, the conditions use of any pesticide must meet good agricultural practices in order to mitigate occupational risks for pesticides users, to ensure cashew nuts safety and other hand the preservation of the ecosystem. Our study explored essentially occupational risks linked to chemical pesticides in cashew farming and the rate of non-homologated products use in Cote d’Ivoire. Methods Data collection was through well-structured questionnaire administered on respondents selected through random sampling technique. The geographical site of our study was two main cashew production areas namely the Gbeke, Centre (6 departments) and the Poro, North (4 departments) of Cote d’Ivoire. In total, 43 farmers have participated in the study covering the whole of the 10 departments of the two regions. After counting of survey sheets, data have been codified, entered and analysed using the software Sphinx 4.5.0.30. Results Results showed that the majority of farmers (81.4%) used chemical pesticides in the production of cashew, but only 11% of them have been trained to safe use of pesticides. In addition, 16 of the 35 farmers (45.7%) had individual protection equipment appropriate. Thus, 10 cases of acute intoxication were reported during the application of pesticides. Glyphosate isopropylamine salt was responsible for 5 cases of poisoning, while 2.4 D amine salt caused 3 cases. However, 35% of these pesticides were not homologated for their use in cashew farming in Cote d’Ivoire. Conclusion Pesticide use was a real handicap for the sustainability of the cashew farming in Cote d’Ivoire. High use of non-homologated pesticides and absence of farmers training in safe use of pesticides could be cause occupational hazards, possibly environmental pollution and affected cashew nut safety.

Pesticide hazard, floral resource availability and natural enemies interactively drive the fitness of bee species depending on their crop fidelity

Objective To assess the prevalence of epidermoid carcinoma cases, georeference their locations, and seek to correlate them to areas with higher agricultural production and use of pesticides. Methods This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and retrospective study conducted by searching the histopathological reports with confirmed diagnosis of epidermoid carcinoma of the mouth issued from August 2005 to December 2011 by the public oral pathology laboratory of the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Data were plotted with the IBM SPSS Statistics software and spatial analysis used the ArcGIS 10.1 software. Results There were a higher number of diagnoses in 2007 (26.6%); 99 cases (75%) of patients were male; 96 cases (72.8%) were patients aged between 41 and 70 years; and the cities of Cuiabá, Várzea Grande and Rondonópolis respectively showed the highest number of occurrences. Conclusion No relationship was found between the occurrence of cases of epidermoid carcinoma and the municipalities with high agricultural production and pesticide use.

The use of agricultural chemicals, particularly in crop production, has increased greatly in the prairie region of Western Canada. Pesticide use, chiefly the use of herbicides, increased 7.6 percent per year from 1948 to 1991, slowing down only after 1985 with depressed conditions in the grain economy. In this report, a general social assessment of the use of pesticides in prairie agriculture is attempted. The main focus is on the role of herbicides which are among the most important pesticides used in prairie agriculture. Implicit quantity indexes for both pesticide use and fertilizer use over time were constructed by dividing annual expenditures on these items by the corresponding price index. The relatively rapid growth in agricultural chemical use in prairie agriculture over the past four decades is clearly evident, especially in the period from 1971 to 1985. However, since 1985, pesticide use has been relatively stagnant. Partial productivity measures with respect to both pesticides and fertilizer were calculated. The average productivity of pesticides has generally declined over time, particularly since the early 1970s, as pesticide use accelerated and diminishing returns in pesticide use occurred. Aggregate production functions for prairie agriculture and the prairie crop sector were also estimated in which the role of the pesticide input was emphasized. The estimated crop output elasticities with respect to pesticide use range from 0.43 to 0.89 under different production function specifications over the time period from 1971 to 1991. The estimates, in general, imply a relatively high degree of responsiveness of output to pesticide use. However, it is difficult to accurately separate the effects of pesticides from the effects of other inputs, especially when pesticides are part of a wider and more intensive technological package. The major social benefits associated with pesticide use relate to gains in agricultural production and productivity, and they are evaluated in the study. Estimates in the literature indicate that considerable yield reductions would result from herbicide removal. Even if such yield losses are over-estimated, they appear to be significant. Among the social costs of pesticides are the private costs incurred by farm producers but also the possible external or spillover costs inflicted on humans and the environment. Our qualitative assessment of these external costs tends to suggest that the agricultural sector in Western Canada has a level of pesticide use that is low in comparison with intensive agriculture in other parts of the world, and a mix of herbicides with which minor, rather than major, health and environmental concerns are associated. - Nevertheless, the debate on the cost and benefits of pesticide use is far from settled. Recent developments in the literature cast doubts on the validity of traditional bioassays used to assess synthetic pesticide hazards. A possible area of concern which emerged in recent literature is the suggested increased risk of lymphomas for farmers and farm workers who may be exposed to 2,4-D for longer periods of time. Such issues should be monitored. At the least, guidelines for protective clothing should be considered for farm workers who are engaged in extensive spraying.

Each year, 300,000-600,000 U.S. women become pregnant while using vaginal spermicides. Two recent reports hypothesized that offspring from these pregnancies are at increased risk of certain birth defects, particularly limb reduction defects and such chromosomal abnormalities as Down syndrome. In a case-control analysis of data from the Metropolitan Atlanta Congenital Defects Program (MACDP), we studied the teratogenicity of spermicides by comparing their use around the time of conception by mothers of infants with chromosomal abnormalities and limb reduction defects to their use by mothers of infants with birth defects that have not been linked to spermicides. The results do not support the hypothesis that spermicides are teratogenic. For infants whose mothers used spermicides at the time of conception, the relative risk of having Down syndrome was 1.2 and that for other chromosomal abnormalities was also 1.2. The relative risk of limb reduction defects among infants exposed to spermicides in the first trimester was 1.0. None of these risks is statistically significant.

Limb reduction defects (LRDs) that affect multiple limbs are considered to be more often heritable, but only few studies have substantiated this. We aimed to investigate if an etiological diagnosis (genetic disorder or clinically recognizable disorder) is more likely to be made when multiple limbs are affected compared to when only one limb is affected. We used data from EUROCAT Northern Netherlands and included 391 fetuses and children with LRDs born in 1981–2017. Cases were classified as having a transverse, longitudinal (preaxial/postaxial/central/mixed), intercalary, or complex LRD of one or more limbs and as having an isolated LRD or multiple congenital anomalies (MCA). We calculated the probability of obtaining an etiological diagnosis in cases with multiple affected limbs versus one affected limb using relative risk (RR) scores and Fisher's exact test. We showed that an etiological diagnosis was made three times more often when an LRD occurred in multiple limbs compared to when it occurred in one limb (RR 2.9, 95% CI 2.2–3.8, p < 0.001). No genetic disorders were found in isolated cases with only one affected limb, whereas a genetic disorder was identified in 16% of MCA cases with one affected limb. A clinically recognizable disorder was found in 47% of MCA cases with one affected limb. Genetic counseling rates were similar. We conclude that reduction defects of multiple limbs are indeed more often heritable. Genetic testing seems less useful in isolated cases with one affected limb, but is warranted in MCA cases with one affected limb.