The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #41898

Masaya Kato, PhD MPH¹, Denise Zwahlen, PA-C, MPH¹, and Brenda Hubbard². (1) Doctors for Global Health, PO 1761, Decatur, GA 30031, 404-377-3566, masayakato@yahoo.com, (2) Asociación de Desarrollo Económico Social - Santa Marta, 6ta, Calle Pte. #43, Barrio El Calvario, Sensuntepeque, Cabañas, El Salvador

The government of El Salvador permits use of toxic pesticides that are banned in many countries, and agrochemical industries sell products without providing safety measures to consumers. This situation poses significant threat to the health and human rights of farmers and their families in many agricultural communities in this country, and makes community-oriented activity particularly important. We carried out participatory survey research in collaboration with a rural community in El Salvador, to facilitate their decision-making to resolve pesticide-related problems. Eight local youths (ages 15-21) participated in the all aspects of the study. Systematic sampling of every fourth household resulted in 87 primary farmers being interviewed.. Most farmers do not use any protective gear, 85% reported eating while using pesticides; 23% use pesticide containers to store drinking water. Only 13% of farmers reported receiving training in the last five years regarding pesticide use, and 29% responded not being able to read or write, suggesting farmers' access to safety information is very limited. Our results revealed that dangerous use of pesticides is very prevalent in the community.

Learning Objectives:

• list the behavior of farmers that increases the risk of occupational and non-occupational exposure to pesticides;
• describe the realities of pesticide use in rural El Salvador;
• discuss the participatory process used in the present research.

Keywords: Pesticide Exposure, Indigenous Populations

Related Web page: www.dghonline.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.