Reducing dermal exposure to agrochemical carcinogens using a fluorescent dye-based intervention among subsistence farmers in rural Honduras.
Int J Hyg Environ Health 2021;
234:113734. [PMID:
33799075 PMCID:
PMC10805516 DOI:
10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113734]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Occupational exposure to agrochemicals, some of which are known or suspected carcinogens, is a major health hazard for subsistence agricultural workers and their families. These impacts are more prevalent in low-and-middle income countries (LMIC) due to weak regulations, lack of awareness of the risks of contamination, predominant use of handheld backpack style spraying equipment, general lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and low literacy about proper agrochemical application techniques. Reducing exposure to agrochemicals was identified as a paramount concern by rural Hondurans working with a community-engaged research initiative. Fluorescent tracer dyes have been described as a means of visualizing and quantifying dermal exposure to agricultural chemicals, and exposure models adapted for LMIC have been developed previously. Tracer dyes have also been used in educational simulations to promote pesticide safety. However, studies evaluating the effectiveness of these educational dye interventions in reducing future exposure have been lacking.
AIM
To evaluate whether observing one's own chemical contamination after applying agrochemicals changed the amount of occupational dermal exposure during a subsequent chemical application.
METHODS
We employed a multi-modal community intervention in a rural village in Honduras that incorporated chemical safety education and use of a fluorescent tracer dye during pesticide application on two consecutive occasions, and compared dermal exposure between the intervention group (previous dye experience and safety education, n = 6) and the control group (safety education only, n = 7).
RESULTS
Mean total visual score (TVS) of the tracer dye, which accounts for both extent and intensity of whole-body contamination, was lower among those who had previously experienced the dye intervention (mean TVS = 41.3) than among participants who were dye-naïve (mean TVS = 78.4), with a difference between means of -37.10 (95% CI [-66.26, -7.95], p = 0.02). Stratifying by body part, contamination was significantly lower for the anterior left lower extremity and bilateral feet for the dye-experienced group vs. dye-naïve, with most other segments showing a trend toward decreased contamination as well.
CONCLUSION
Participants who had previously experienced the dye intervention were significantly less contaminated than the dye-naïve control group during a subsequent spraying event. The findings of this small pilot study suggest that a multi-modal, community-based approach that utilizes fluorescence-augmented contamination for individualized learning (FACIL) may be effective in reducing dermal exposure to carcinogenic agrochemicals among subsistence farmers in Honduras and other LMIC.
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