Health surveillance for pesticide exposure in tropical and desert environments

Pesticides are used in agriculture in the prevention of destruction of crops by pests. The extent of worker exposure to pesticides depends on many factors including choice of pesticide, the dose applied, methods of application, extent of worker training, and provision and use of personal protective equipment (PPE).  The high temperatures experienced in tropical and desert environments reduce the likelihood of compliance with the effective use of PPE, as these can add to the discomfort experienced by the users. Tropical environments also have high humidity in addition to high environmental temperatures.  Skin absorption of pesticides is increased in hot environments.  Skin that is wet with perspiration is also more conducive to systemic absorption of some pesticides. Health surveillance is often proposed for pesticide applicators.  However, there are many factors that limit the usability of health surveillance in tropical and desert environments.  Many countries with such climates are developing countries with limited resources for health surveillance.  There are often shortages in numbers of trained occupational health personnel, difficulties in field collection and transport of biological samples, and a lack of adequate laboratory facilities.  Rapidly developing countries such as Malaysia and the UAE have agriculture as one of its main industries. In these countries there are large numbers of manual workers from many different countries working in the agricultural sector.  These workers vary in their comprehension and use of languages, and this can affect their training and practice in regards to their use of pesticides. There are also socio-cultural differences between these groups including attitudes to safety, compliance with health surveillance, and risk behavior.  Reduction of exposure is the preferred option for minimizing the likelihood of ill-health from pesticide exposure and absorption.  Health surveillance for pesticide applicators is, at best, a secondary measure.