Ntow William J, Tagoe Laud M, Drechsel Pay, Kelderman Peter, Nyarko Elvis, Gijzen Huub J
CSIR Water Research Institute, Achimota, Ghana.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2009 Apr;56(3):623-30. doi: 10.1007/s00244-007-9077-2. Epub 2008 Dec 27.
A survey was undertaken to establish the extent of pesticide exposure in a farming community. Cholinesterase (ChE) activity in whole blood was used as a marker for assessing exposure to pesticides. Complete data were gathered for 63 farmers at Akumadan (exposed) and 58 control subjects at Tono, both prominent vegetable-farming communities in Ghana, by means of a questionnaire and blood cholinesterase analyses (acetylcholine assay). Although whole-blood ChE was significantly lower in the exposed than the control participants, it was not significantly correlated with either confounders of age, sex, body weight, and height or high-risks practices. The high-risks practices revealed during the survey included lack of use of personal protective clothing, short reentry intervals, and wrong direction of spraying of pesticides by hand or knapsack sprayer. About 97% of exposed participants had experienced symptoms attributable to pesticide exposure. The frequent symptoms were reported as weakness and headache. There is the need to review safety precautions in the use and application of pesticides in Ghana.
开展了一项调查，以确定一个农业社区中农药接触的程度。全血中的胆碱酯酶（ChE）活性被用作评估农药接触情况的指标。通过问卷调查和血液胆碱酯酶分析（乙酰胆碱测定），收集了阿库马丹63名农民（暴露组）和托诺58名对照对象的完整数据，这两个地方都是加纳著名的蔬菜种植社区。虽然暴露组的全血ChE明显低于对照组参与者，但它与年龄、性别、体重和身高这些混杂因素或高风险行为均无显著相关性。调查中发现的高风险行为包括不使用个人防护服、重新进入间隔时间短以及用手或背负式喷雾器错误的喷洒农药方向。约97%的暴露参与者曾出现过与农药接触有关的症状。常见症状为虚弱和头痛。加纳有必要审查农药使用和施用中的安全预防措施。
