Abstract
The influence of exposure to pesticides on the health of pesticide retailers/vendors in central Punjab,
Pakistan, was evaluated. The study group consisted of 61 pesticides retailers/vendors (mean age ± SD: 33.82 ±
11.5 years). A structured questionnaire was used for the evaluation of attitudes, practices and self-reported
health-related symptoms. Prevalence of health-related symptoms was observed in the following sequence:
sweating, skin irritation, skin rashes, sore throat, uncertainty, staggering gait numbness, loose motions,
coughing, nausea, blurred vision, blinking of eyes, depression, tachycardia, drowsiness, urinary urgency, burning
nose, salivation, muscle weakness, abdominal pain, headache, watering of eyes, eyes redness, muscle
fibrillation, blood pressure, irritation of eyes, watering nose, fits, vomiting, sexual potency decline, muscle
spasm, chest pain, breathlessness, variations in sexual potency and/or coma. Participants that smoked and
those with unhygienic habits not following the protective measures had more adverse health-related symptoms
compared to non-smoker participants and those practicing hygienic habits and following protective measures.
Results revealed that 41-50 years age group had significantly higher values of respiratory problems than the
other age groups studied.These findings suggest association between ill-health symptoms and exposure to
pesticides. To promote safety from pesticide usage, recommendations to the government, based on the findings
of the present study were made to include the adverse pesticides scenario in future policy making for handling
the agricultural pesticides by the retailers
MUHAMMAD SHAHZAD, ATIF YAQUB, MUHMMAD SHEERAZ, RASHID SAIF. (2016) Exposure and Vulnerability: Health Related Symptoms, Attitudes and Practices towards Handling Agricultural Pesticides among Vendors of Central Punjab, Pakistan, Biologia – Journal of Biological Society of Pakistan, Volume 62 (I), Issue 1.
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