Mechanisms for the surveillance of the health of agricultural workers and measures to reduce exposure

In recent years pesticide legislation in North America and the European Union (EU) has lead to the removal from the market of many active substances, such as the organophosphates and carbamates, for human toxicology reasons, and the triazines, for environmental contamination reasons. In many areas of the world pesticides no longer used in the EU continue to be used, despite the known effects for potential human and environmental health problems.  However, there are now a range of methods available to monitor the exposure of workers involved with pesticide use, and developing techniques for biomarkers of effect to complement the biomarkers of exposure. Monitoring the exposure and health of agricultural workers is of course only a tool to indicate how well preventative measures are functioning.  Even in areas of the EU with intensive pesticide use there are cases of inappropriate practices being carried out, and not according to GAP (Good Agricultural Practice). There are still workers who are not aware of the main causes and routes of exposure to pesticides. Inadequate protective clothing during mixing and loading, e.g. wearing no gloves, is common, although wearing face masks (disposable respirators) during pouring liquid formulations can be seen at the same time.  Basic training is essential to provide workers with the knowledge to prevent potentially dangerous levels of exposure to pesticides. Therefore the need for continuous improvement in the training of agricultural workers remains a high priority across the world. In the EU this is backed up by legislation such as the Sustainable use Directive (2009/128/EC).