Pesticide exposure, risk factors and health problems among cutflower farmers: a cross sectional study

Agriculture is a basic source of income and subsistence among many Filipinos. Despite the rise of industrialization, agriculture remains a highly significant contributor to the country's Gross Domestic Product. One of the leading sectors in agriculture in terms of income and growth is the local cutflower industry. Unknown to many, the Philippine flower industry provides a significant portion of earnings derived from agriculture. It has become a lucrative business and much of the country's supply comes from the flower plantations in La Trinidad, Benguet. This municipality grows cutflowers like roses, mum, chrysanthemums, angel's breath and anthorium, accounting for a billion dollar industry. Due to the steep competition and large demand, many farmers resort to the extensive use of pesticides to increase yield.Pesticide use has been documented to lead to adverse health effects. Pesticide related health problems usually manifest as a series of symptoms depending on severity of exposure. For instance, mild organophosphate poisoning manifests in the form of malaise, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, loose stools, sweating, abdominal pain and salivation. Moderate poisoning includes dyspnea, decreased muscular strength, bronchospasm, miosis, muscle fasciculation, tremor, motor incoordination, bradycardia, and hypotension/hypertension. Severe manifestation could result in coma, respiratory paralysis, extreme hypersecretion, cyanosis, sustained hypotension, extreme muscle weakness, muscular paralysis and convulsion (Iowa State University, 1995)[1]. Other illnesses associated with pesticide exposure are dermatitis, asthma exacerbation (Sanborn, Cole, Abelsohn, Weir, 2002)[2], sensory peripheral nerve defects, chronic neurobehavioral and motor dysfunction (Miranda, McConnell, Delgado, Cuadra, 2002;, Miranda, McConnell, Delgado, Cuadra, 2004) [3,4], deficits in verbal abstraction, attention, and memory (Farahat, Abdelrasoul, Amr, Shebl, 2003)[5], and anxiety and depression (Jamal, Ha