Damalas Christos A, Georgiou Eleni B, Theodorou Maria G
Department of Agricultural Development of Pieria, Katerini, Greece.
Int J Environ Health Res. 2006 Oct;16(5):339-48. doi: 10.1080/09603120600869190.
An attempt was made to explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards safety issues of pesticide handling among tobacco farmers of the rural area of Pieria in northern Greece. From the 310 survey questionnaires that were mailed out, 223 were received fully and correctly completed resulting in a quite satisfactory response rate of 72%. A large majority of the farmers (96%) viewed pesticides as a guarantee for high tobacco yields and high product quality. Almost all farmers (99%) thought that pesticides can have serious adverse effects on users' health. Skin contact was recognized as the most common route of exposure during pesticide use (58%). Despite awareness of potential health risks by pesticide handling, a significant proportion of the farmers (46%) reported not using any special protective equipment when spraying pesticides. From those who reported that they use protective equipment, most stated that they normally use a hat (47%) and boots (63%). Only few farmers reported using a face mask (3%), gloves (8%), and coveralls (7%) on a regular basis. The reasons for not using protective equipment during pesticide handling were that protective equipment is uncomfortable (68%), too expensive to buy (17%), time-consuming to use (8%), not available when needed (6%), and not necessary for each case (2%). A large majority of the farmers (84%) said that they replace work clothing when it wears out and a considerable part (48%) stated that they wash work clothing after several uses. Although farmers' knowledge of potential hazards by pesticide use was high, the reported safety measures were poor. Continuous emphasis on the basic safety precautions required when using pesticides and on the importance of protective equipment is essential for changing wrong habits of farmers which can be hazardous for their health.
我们试图探究希腊北部皮埃里亚农村地区烟农对农药处理安全问题的知识、态度和做法。在寄出的310份调查问卷中，共收到223份完整且正确填写的问卷，回复率达72%，相当令人满意。绝大多数烟农（96%）认为农药是高烟草产量和高品质产品的保障。几乎所有烟农（99%）都认为农药会对使用者健康产生严重不良影响。皮肤接触被认为是农药使用过程中最常见的接触途径（58%）。尽管意识到农药处理存在潜在健康风险，但仍有相当比例的烟农（46%）报告称在喷洒农药时未使用任何特殊防护设备。在那些报告使用防护设备的人中，大多数表示他们通常会戴帽子（47%）和穿靴子（63%）。只有少数烟农报告经常使用口罩（3%）、手套（8%）和工作服（7%）。在农药处理过程中不使用防护设备的原因包括：防护设备穿着不舒服（68%）、购买成本太高（17%）、使用耗时（8%）、需要时无法获取（6%）以及并非每种情况都必要（2%）。绝大多数烟农（84%）表示工作服穿坏后会更换，相当一部分烟农（48%）表示工作服使用几次后会清洗。尽管烟农对农药使用潜在危害的认知较高，但报告的安全措施却很差。持续强调使用农药时所需基本安全预防措施以及防护设备的重要性，对于改变可能危害烟农健康的错误习惯至关重要。
