• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2022

Background: Potato is the main crop of Ardabil Plain (accounting for one-fifth of potato production in Iran). Its health hazard risk to farmers is rising due to the increasing rate of pesticide use. The present study analyzes potato farmers' health hazard risk in the use of chemical pesticides. Methods: The rate of pesticide use by farmers (n = 370) was first compared with the recommended dosage (on pesticide label). Then, a composite index was employed to estimate the health hazard risk of farmers during pesticide use, and the variables accounting for pesticide overuse and nonoveruse were analyzed. Safety behavior was examined in four steps, namely of pesticide purchase and storage, preparation, application, and postapplication. Results: It was found that 74.6 percent of potato farmers used pesticides in higher concentrations than the recommended dosage. The higher average rate of pesticide use versus recommendation (label instruction) was related to Chlorpyrifos and Trifluralin, and the highest average health hazard risk among farmers was related to the use of Chlorpyrifos and Metribuzin. Farmers with a higher risk of health hazard displayed much lower safety behavior than the other farmers at all steps of pesticide use. Conclusion: The most important variables discriminating the health hazard risk of farmers' overuse included health behavior identity, attitude, knowledge and awareness, and cues to action. Therefore, using social media, holding local exhibitions, and engaging local leaders and skilled farmers in the region to improve farmers' attitudes and health behavior identity toward the dangers of chemical pesticides can play a significant role in motivating farmers' display of overuse preventive behaviors.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.116-122
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• 2020

Acute respiratory failure is an important risk factor for mortality in patients with acute pesticide poisoning. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the risk factors to predict respiratory failure in these patients. This study retrospectively investigated the clinical features of respiratory failure among patients with acute pesticide poisoning requiring mechanical ventilation. This study included patients who were admitted with intentional poisoning by pesticide ingestion from January 2017 to December 2019. Paraquat intoxication was excluded. Among 469 patients with acute pesticide poisoning, 398 patients were enrolled in this study. The respiratory failure rate was 30.4%. The rate of respiratory failure according to the type of pesticide was carbamate (75.0%), organophosphate (52.6%), glufosinate (52.1%), glyphosate (23%), pyrethroid (8.9%), and others (17%). The mortality was 25.6% in the respiratory failure group. The risk factors for respiratory failure were old age, low body mass index, and ingestion of more than 300 mL. In conclusion, respiratory failure is a risk factor for mortality in pesticide poisoning. Old age, low body mass index, and ingestion of more than 300 mL are the risk factors for predicting respiratory failure.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.195-202
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• 1993

The benefits of pesticides in improving the food quantity and quality requirements for an increasing world population are significant, and they can be described in agronomic, economic and social terms. The risks are assessed from the hazards which are likely to occur in practice ; the hazards are defined by the toxicity of the pesticide to non-target organisms at various exposure levels. There are ways of reducing the risks (mainly by reducing exposure in practice) and improving the benefits of pesticides ; these are known as risk management and benefit management respectively. The overall risk-benefit assessment is facilitated if each component can be expressed in financial terms, but it must be made nationally or locally on a sound technical basis against the prevailing agronomic, socio-economic and political circumstances. Paraquat is used to illustrate the risk-benefit assessment process in general terms, and the conclusion is that the benefits greatly outweigh the risks. It is important to keep the risks of pesticides in perspective with those associated with other naturally occurring chemicals in our diet and with other everyday aspects of life. In an overall context, the pesticide risk is small.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.50-59
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• 2013

This study was performed in order to assess the risk of korean orchard worker due to pesticide exposure. The amount of pesticide exposure was calculated based on the informations of 97 kind of items that are used the form of a spraying in Korean orchard. The risks of these pesticides were assessed to compare the exposure amount with AOEL (acceptable operator exposure level) which was released form developed countries. When the operator sprayed pesticides using speed sprayer, 74.2% of pesticide items showed the risk for operator if the operator have not worn the personal protective equipment (PPE), and 42.3% of pesticide items showed the risk for operator if the operator have worn the PPE. In case of using motor sprayer, 64.1% of pesticide items showed the risk for operator if the operator have not worn the PPE, and 19.4% of pesticide items showed the risk for operator if the operator have worn the PPE. This result was indicated that the risk of pesticide against the operator was very high in korean orchard operator.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.323-331
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• 2011

Objective: This study aimed to examine the level of risk perception related to pesticide contamination of food products and associated sociodemographic factors, as well as investigate the association with environmental pollution preventive behaviors. Methods: Based on data from Social Survey conducted in 2008 among a nationally representative sample of the population 15 years or older, we estimated proportions and 95% confidence intervals of the risk perception of pesticide contamination of food products. Logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the effects of sociodemographic status on risk perception. Results: Among respondents, those who feel anxious about the risks of pesticide contamination of domestic food products accounted for 40.4%, whereas the proportion rose to 87.0% with imported food products. These numbers showed that levels of anxiety about the pesticide contamination of imported food products were ranked at the top, and those for domestic products were at the bottom of the list of all environmental pollutants examined in the survey. Significantly related factors to anxiety about pesticide contamination of food products included women, the 40-50 age group, university graduates, married, non-manual employment, having school-aged children, and owning one's own home. The population attempting to prevent environmental pollution showed higher levels of anxiety about pesticide contamination of food products than did those who were not taking such steps. Conclusion: Compared to other forms of environmental pollution, Koreans show the highest levels of anxiety about pesticide contamination of imported food products. Therefore, it is necessary to establish appropriate regulations and transparent risk communication with the public about the safety of imported food.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.333-344
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• 2016

Objectives: This study aimed to examine risk-accepting personality traits and associated factors among farmers. Methods: Data were collected from farmers aged over 40 living in Goryeong, North Gyeongsang-do Province, Korea. Study participants were enrolled in the Korean Rural Cohort study from 2011 to 2014. Surveys for the risk perception of farming were made through face-to-face interviews. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were conducted adjusting for gender, age, marital status, and education. Results: Several factors such as gender, age, marital status, age first worked as a farmer, duration of farming, and history of pesticide poisoning were associated with risk-accepting personality traits among farmers. Farmers with risk-accepting personalities tend to be older, less educated, and have self-employed health insurance. Farmers who started farming after the age of 50 are likely to be risk averse compared to farmers who started farming before the age of 20 (OR=0.41, 95% CI; 0.21, 0.82). Frequent spraying of pesticides was marginally associated with higher risk acceptance among female farmers (OR=1.61, 95% CI: 0.99, 2.64). Male farmers who had experienced pesticide poisoning in their lifetime showed higher odds of risk-accepting personality traits (OR=2.20, 95% CI: 1.03, 4.72) Conclusion: Risk-acceptors were more likely to spray pesticides frequently and to experience more pesticide poisoning compared to risk-averse individuals. This result suggests that farming hazards are to some degree driven by risk-accepting personality traits. Further investigation of how risk-accepting behaviors influence farming practices and pesticide poisoning is needed.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.107-111
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• 2008

Water quality contamination issues are of critical concern to human health, whilst pesticide release generated from irrigated land should be considered for protecting natural habitats and human health. This paper suggests new method for evaluation and analysis using the GIS technique based on integrated spatial modeling framework. The pesticide use on irrigated land is a subset of the larger spectrum of industrial chemicals used in modern society. The behavior of a pesticide is affected by the natural affinity of the chemical for one of four environmental compartments; solid matter, liquid, gaseous form, and biota. However, the major movements are a physical transport over the ground surface by rainfall-runoff and irrigation-runoff. The irrigated water carries out with the transporting sediments and makes contaminated water by pesticide. This paper focuses on risk impact identification and assessment using GIS technique. Also, generated data on pesticide residues on farmland and surface water through GIS simulation will be reflected to environmental research programs. Finally, this study indicates that GIS application is a beneficial tool for spatial pesticide impact analysis as well as environmental risk assessment.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.17-32
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• 2019

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of pesticide-related accident on prices and sales of eggs and the perception of food safety accidents among consumers. For this, we analyzed the impact of the pesticide incident on consumers' purchases by separating large discount stores and eco-friendly specialty stores with econometrics methods. In addition, the value changes for each egg certification were analyzed after the accident. Perception of food safety accidents was conducted through a survey to investigate the awareness of the pesticide-related accidents, changes in purchases, and the causes of the pesticide accidents. Furthermore, the risk analysis was conducted. This results show the importance of trust and communication in food safety accidents between distributors, consumers and concerned authorities. Also, after the accident, consumers' interest and premium exist in the breeding process such as animal welfare, not only in the final product. Therefore in order to actively respond to food safety accidents such as pesticides-related accident, response and improvement are necessary considering various aspects such as risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 1997

Governments and industry have a growing interest in the harmonization of environmental test methods and risk assessment procedures. OECD are currently producing a set of harmonised test guidelines for studying the environmental fate and ecological effects of pesticides. FAO has published an environmental risk assessment procedure. This procedure, which is similar to those used in US and Europe, is based on calculating the ratio of the toxicity of a pesticide to indicator organisms to their level of exposure to the pesticide. The exposure depends on both the concentration of the pesticide and its bioavailability. Ratios which indicate a pesticide will not produce a harmful effect have been established using ecological field studies. Examples are presented for assessing the risk to aquatic ecosystems, earthworms and honeybees. Long-term field studies(up to 20 years) have also shown that pesticides can be used indefinitely without harming soil fertility. Herbicides can be used to avoid the ecologically damaging effects of using soil cultivations excessively for weed control.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.60-64
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• 2013

This study was performed in order to assess the risk of pesticide operator in korean rice paddy. The amount of exposure was calculated based on the informations of 48 kind of items that are used the form of a spraying in korean rice paddy. The risks of these pesticides were assessed to compare the exposure dosage with AOEL (acceptable operator exposure level) which was released form developed countries. When the operator spraying pesticides using motor sprayer, 17 items showed the risk for operator if the operator have not worn the personal protective equipment (PPE), and 6 items showed the risk for operator if the operator have worn the PPE. These result were indicated that the risk of pesticide operator was very high in korean rice paddy.