Knowledge, attitudes, and practices on pesticide application among farmworkers from communities in western Catamarca Province, Argentina

Unsafe management practices and overuse of pesticides have led to environmental contamination and farmworkers poisoning. For this reason, the problem of pesticide exposure must be framed in the socio-cultural and environmental context of the affected communities, analyzing the factors that contribute to the greater risk of exposure of farmworkers and their families, in order to propose educational strategies and develop effective public health strategies. This study evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding local pesticides handling of farmworkers from Singuil town, Catamarca province, northwestern Argentina, and the possible impact of these behavioral patterns on Singuil River. Farmworkers from Singuil town participated through a cross-sectional, face-to-face survey. Subsequently, samples from Singuil River were taken for determination of pesticides residues. Approximately 83 % of those surveyed have worked with pesticides for more than 10 years. Although most workers prepare their pesticide formulations, 25 % of them never use any personal protective equipment, while the remaining 75 % usually use face masks and gloves to protect themselves. Post-spraying personal hygiene practices, such as changing clothes or showering, are often not applied. To reduce health risks, many respondents perform sprinkling at sunset (66.7 %) or early morning (50 %), and avoid it during windy and sunny weather. Besides, they usually burn (58.3 %) or stockpile (41.7 %) empty pesticide containers. In case of poisoning, 91.7 % of workers would go to hospital for medical attention. Glyphosate, mancozeb, and propamocarb are the most commonly used pesticides. Finally, no pesticide residues were detected in the water samples collected from Singuil River.