Occupational Exposure to Pesticides among Farmers in Rural–Tribal Gujarat: Assessment of Knowledge, Practices, and Self-Reported Health Effects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47203/IJCH.2026.v38i02.024Keywords:
Pesticide Exposure, Agricultural Workers,, Agricultural Workers, Awareness, Health Hazards, Pesticide SafetyAbstract
Background: Farmers in rural and tribal regions of India are frequently exposed to pesticides during mixing, spraying, and handling activities. Exposure commonly occurs through dermal contact, inhalation, and accidental ingestion, which can lead to both acute and chronic health problems. The present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) regarding pesticide use and its associated health effects among farmers among rural tribal district of India. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 170 farmers from selected villages of one of the tribal district of Gujarat. Farmers aged 18 years and above who had been using pesticides for at least one year were included. Data were collected using a pre-designed and pre-tested structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and attitudes regarding pesticide use, pesticide handling practices, and self-reported health effects. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Results: Although all participants were aware that pesticide exposure could cause health problems, only 48.8% were aware of protective measures and merely 5.3% had received formal training on pesticide handling. A large proportion (91.2%) reported not using PPE during spraying, and 84.7% stored pesticides inside their houses. Nearly all participants (97.6%) reported experiencing at least one health symptom following pesticide exposure, with skin irritation and eye irritation being the most commonly reported complaints. Despite this high prevalence of symptoms, only 5.9% sought medical care. Conclusion: The study reveals a substantial gap between awareness and safe pesticide practices among farmers in this rural–tribal population. Unsafe handling and limited use of protective measures contribute to a high burden of self-reported health problems.
Downloads
References
Gupta PK. Pesticide exposure--Indian scene. Toxicology. 2004 May 20;198(1–3):83–90.
Banerjee I, Tripathi SK, Roy AS, Sengupta P. Pesticide use pattern among farmers in a rural district of West Bengal, India. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2014;5(2):313–6.
Sachan B, Kandpal S, Singh A, Kaushik A, Jauhari S, Ansari A. Agricultural pesticide use and misuse: A study to assess the cognizance and practices among North Indian farmers. J Fam Med Prim Care. 2022 Oct 31;11:6310.
Senapati TR, Mohapatra I, Behera BK, Nayak SR, Kar A, Panda PS. Practices and Knowledge about Safe Pesticide use- a Cross sectional Study amongst Farmers of a district in Odisha, India. Indian J Community Health. 2025 Feb 28;37(1):46–52.
Mohanty MK, Behera BK, Jena SK, Srikanth S, Mogane C, Samal S, et al. Knowledge attitude and practice of pesticide use among agricultural workers in Puducherry, South India. J Forensic Leg Med. 2013 Nov;20(8):1028–31.
Satya Sai MV, Revati GD, Ramya R, Swaroop AM, Maheswari E, Kumar MM. Knowledge and Perception of Farmers Regarding Pesticide Usage in a Rural Farming Village, Southern India. Indian J Occup Environ Med. 2019;23(1):32–6.
Fareed M, Pathak M, Bihari V, Kamal R, Srivastava A, Kesavachandran C. Adverse Respiratory Health and Hematological Alterations among Agricultural Workers Occupationally Exposed to Organophosphate Pesticides: A Cross-Sectional Study in North India. PloS One. 2013 Jul 25;8:e69755.
Konradsen F, Van Der Hoek W, Cole DC, Hutchinson G, Daisley H, Singh S, et al. Reducing acute poisoning in developing countries—options for restricting the availability of pesticides. Toxicology. 2003 Nov;192(2–3):249–61.
Dasgupta S, Meisner C, Wheeler D, Xuyen K, Thi Lam N. Pesticide poisoning of farm workers–implications of blood test results from Vietnam. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2007 Mar 7;210(2):121–32.
Jeyaratnam J. Acute pesticide poisoning: a major global health problem. World Health Stat Q Rapp Trimest Stat Sanit Mond. 1990;43(3):139–44.
Angirekula N, Patil SS. Evaluating Farmers’ Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Pesticide Use and Its Impact on Human Health in Northern Karnataka — A Cross Sectional study. J Indian Med Assoc. 2024;122(12).
Senapati TR, Mohapatra I, Behera BK, Nayak SR, Kar A, Panda PS. Practices and Knowledge about Safe Pesticide use- a Cross sectional Study amongst Farmers of a district in Odisha, India. Indian J Community Health. 2025 Feb 28;37(1):46–52.
Singh S, Kumar V, Thakur S, Banerjee BD, Chandna S, Rautela RS, et al. DNA damage and cholinesterase activity in occupational workers exposed to pesticides. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2011 Mar;31(2):278–85.
Gupta PK. Pesticide exposure—Indian scene. Toxicology. 2004 May 20;198(1):83–90.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Shreyash Chaudhary, Dr. Grishma Chauhan, Dr. Niraj Pandit, Dr. Bhavna Dhakate
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
