TY - JOUR
T1 - Occupational exposure to pesticides and associated health effects among greenhouse farm workers
AU - Amoatey, Patrick
AU - Al-Mayahi, Ahmed
AU - Omidvarborna, Hamid
AU - Baawain, Mahad Said
AU - Sulaiman, Hameed
N1 - Funding Information:
The research team received support provided by the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) under Grant No. CR/ENG/CAED/16/04.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2020/6/1
Y1 - 2020/6/1
N2 - The number and production capacities of greenhouse farms have been increased across the globe, driven by an effort for addressing food security problems related to the rapid population growth and the effects of climate change. As a result, there was a large increase in the number of greenhouse farm workers who are typically involved in chemical preparations and pesticide sprayings, crop harvesting, and greenhouse maintenance activities. Considering the enclosed architecture of the greenhouse farm design and the frequent application of pesticides, the objective of this review was to characterize pesticide exposure levels and resultant health effects among greenhouse farm workers. While most health assessment studies were mainly based on self-reported symptoms, this review showed limited epidemiological and clinical studies on the assessment of the health effects of pesticide exposure on greenhouse workers’ health. Reproductive disorders, respiratory symptoms, neurological symptoms, and skin irritations were the most reported health effects among greenhouse farm workers. Additionally, there were limited studies on respirable pesticide-borne fine and ultrafine particulate matters in greenhouse farms. Ventilation systems and indoor environmental conditions of greenhouse farms were not designed according to specifications of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Among recommendations provided, long-term exposure assessments of pesticide effects on children born by greenhouse farm workers should be considered in future research. Also, compliance with ASHRAE indoor ventilation and environmental standards will be very important in reducing pesticide exposure and health effects among greenhouse farm workers.
AB - The number and production capacities of greenhouse farms have been increased across the globe, driven by an effort for addressing food security problems related to the rapid population growth and the effects of climate change. As a result, there was a large increase in the number of greenhouse farm workers who are typically involved in chemical preparations and pesticide sprayings, crop harvesting, and greenhouse maintenance activities. Considering the enclosed architecture of the greenhouse farm design and the frequent application of pesticides, the objective of this review was to characterize pesticide exposure levels and resultant health effects among greenhouse farm workers. While most health assessment studies were mainly based on self-reported symptoms, this review showed limited epidemiological and clinical studies on the assessment of the health effects of pesticide exposure on greenhouse workers’ health. Reproductive disorders, respiratory symptoms, neurological symptoms, and skin irritations were the most reported health effects among greenhouse farm workers. Additionally, there were limited studies on respirable pesticide-borne fine and ultrafine particulate matters in greenhouse farms. Ventilation systems and indoor environmental conditions of greenhouse farms were not designed according to specifications of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Among recommendations provided, long-term exposure assessments of pesticide effects on children born by greenhouse farm workers should be considered in future research. Also, compliance with ASHRAE indoor ventilation and environmental standards will be very important in reducing pesticide exposure and health effects among greenhouse farm workers.
KW - Greenhouse farms
KW - Health effects
KW - Indoor environmental quality
KW - Occupational exposure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85084122120&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85084122120&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11356-020-08754-9
DO - 10.1007/s11356-020-08754-9
M3 - Review article
C2 - 32333353
AN - SCOPUS:85084122120
SN - 0944-1344
VL - 27
SP - 22251
EP - 22270
JO - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
JF - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
IS - 18
ER -