Farmers attack pests and bugs by spraying pesticides in order to get a better yield but the pesticides seem do the job of attacking pests and farmers simultaneously. A study by the US researchers revealed that the exposure to commonly used pesticides increases the risk of asthma among farmers.
pesticide farmer
The study was conducted on about 20,000 farmers in which they found that 127 farmers had self reported allergic asthma and 314 of them had non-allergic asthma.
People with asthma are especially sensitive to pesticides and at risk of attacks when exposed to even small amounts. Several types of pesticides are known to cause allergic reactions or airway constriction, including pyrethrins, pyrethroids, organophosphates, and carbamates.
Of the sixteen pesticides that were studied, Coumaphos, EPTC, lindane, parathion, heptachlor, and 2,4,5-TP were most strongly linked to allergic asthma.
For non-allergic asthma, DDT, malathion, and phorate had the strongest effect. The finding confirms the fact that high pesticide exposure doubles the risk of asthma among farmers.
Educating farmers about taking preventive measures while handling pesticides could bring down the level of risk considerably, according to lead author, Dr. Jane A. Hoppin
Hoppin said,
This is the first study with sufficient power to evaluate individual pesticides and adult asthma among individuals who routinely apply pesticides.
Click here to read what National Farmers Union had to say about these findings.
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