Gender differences in acute pesticide poisoning among farmworkers in the United States, 1998-2007

Background: Farmworkers have a high risk for acute pesticide poisoning, and the rate among female farmworkers is approximately twice as high as that among male farmworkers. Objective: Explore reasons for the gender difference of acute pesticide poisoning among farmworkers. Methods: We identified acute pesticide poisoning cases in farmworkers between ages 15 and 64 that occurred from 1998 to 2007 from the Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR)-Pesticides Program and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR). Acute occupational pesticide poisoning incidence rates were calculated and gender-specific associations were identified. National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) data were examined to identify national demographic differences between female and male farmworkers. Results: Based on the national demographic estimates from NAWS, it appears that the over-representation of females among farmworker poisoning cases is confined to females who do not handle pesticides (i.e. non-handlers). Nationally, 20% of all those employed as non-handler farmworkers are female, but 40% of the non-handler farmworkers poisoned by pesticides were female. Female non-handler farmworkers were more likely to be working on fruit and nut crops, to be exposed to off-target pesticide drift, and to be exposed to fungicides and fumigants compared to male non-handler farmworkers. Conclusion: Farmworkers have little or no control over many contributing factors that lead to pesticide poisoning. Stringent enforcement of existing regulations and enhanced regulatory efforts to protect against off-target drift exposures may have the highest impact in reducing risks of acute pesticide poisoning among farmworkers.