title: Occupational safety of farmers in the vegetable industry.
abstract: This study aimed to determine unsafe farming practices, nonergonomically designed equipment, and possible adverse health effects of pesticide exposure. Data were gathered with a structured survey, physical examination and blood extraction. Environmental monitoring was done for vegetables to determine multipesticide residue. Forty-eight percent of respondents reported feeling sick because of work. Vegetable residue was found in 16.67% of the samples. Vegetable profenofos of appoximately1 mg exceeded the necessary average daily intake of a maximum of 0.006 mg. Data also showed nonergonomically designed tools and unsafe work practices that increased pesticide exposure such as re-entering recently sprayed areas, a damaged backpack sprayer, spills during spraying, and no ventilation in greenhouses.
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.  jinky_lu@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Jinky Leilanie D P
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000383:Agriculture; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007306:Insecticides / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016272:Occupational Health; D063086:Organothiophosphates / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D010679:Philippines / Q000453:epidemiology; D011481:Protective Clothing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D063086:Organothiophosphates; C024273:profenofos