Table Of ContentStudi. in Environmental Science 18
EDUCATION AND SAFE
HANDLING IN PESTICIDE
APPLICATION
Proceedings ofthe Sixth International Workshop of the Scientific Committee
on Pesticidesofthe International Association on Occupational Health,
BuenosAires andSanCarlosde Bariloche, Argentina, March 12-18, 1981.
Ed/tedby
E.A.H. van Heemstra-Lequin
W.F. Tordoir
ELSEVIER SCIENTIFICPUBLISHING COMPANY
Amsterdam - Oxford - New York 1982
ELSEVIERSCIENTIFIC PUBLISHINGCOMPANY
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Library orCongressealaloging inPublicalion Dala
Main et,try under title:
Education and safe handling in pesticide application.
(StUdies in environmental science ; 18)
Includes bibliographies.
1. Pesticides--Safety measures--Congresses.
2. Pesticide applicators (Persons)--Diseases and hygiene
--Congresses. 3. Pesticides--Toxicology--Congresses.
I. Heemstra-Lequin, Els A. H. van, 1932- •
II. T~rdoir, W. F. III. International Association on
Occupational Health. Scientific Committee on Pesticides.
IV. Series.
SB952.5.E38 632.9 81-17377
ISBN o-444-4204l-X AACR2
ISBN044442041·X (Vol.18)
ISBN044441696·X(Series)
© ElsevierScientific PublishingCompany,1982
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored ina retrieval system or
transmitted inany form or by any means, alectronic,mechanical, photocopying,recording or other-
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Printed inThe Netherlands
v
SCIENTIFICCOMMITTEE ONPESTICIDES
ofthe
INTERNATIONALASSOCIATION ONOCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Prof. L. Rosival,Bratislava,Czechoslovakia (chairman)
Dr. K.W.Jager,The Hague,The Netherlands (secretary-treasurer)
Prof. Dr. E. Astolfi, BuenosAires, Argentina
Prof. Dr. F.P.Kaloyanova, Sofia, Bulgaria
Prof. Dr. J.r. Kundiev, Kiev, U.S.S.R.
Dr. M.R. Zavon, NiagaraFalls,NY, U.S.A.
VI
Acknowledgement
Theedtiorsareverygrateful for theeditorial assistanceprovided by H.G.S.van Raalte
and J.C. Felton.
Disclaimer
"Thecontentsofthe articles inthis volume arethesoleresponsibility ofthe authors
and do notnecessarilyreflect theopinionsof the editorsor the ScientificCommittee on
Pesticides,"
Note
Summaries inSpanish havebeen published Inthe Boletinde Plaguicidas,No.22, July
1981,ofthe Centre de Investigaciony AssistenciaToxicologica, Moreno431, Buenos
Aires,Argentina.
XI
LIST OF AUTHORS (numbers of pages in parentheses)
Albert, L., Centro Panamericano de Ecolqgra Humana y Salud, Metepec,
Mexico. (151-153)
Almeida, M.E.W. de, Instituto Adolfo LU~Z, Sao Paulo, Brazil. (247-254)
Almeida, W.F., Biological Institute of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. (127-136)
Amaral, J.F., Funda~ao Universidade Est~dual de Londrina, Parana,
Brazil. (147-150)
Astolfi, E., Facultad de Medicina de Bu~nos Aires, Buenos Aires,
Argentina. ( 35- 55)
Barrios Guanes, S.M., National Institute of Technology and Standards,
Asuncion, Paraguay. ( 65- 63)
Sardis, S., Centre of Plant Protection and Agrochemistry, Keszthely,
Hungary. (171-179)
Copplestone, J.F., World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. ( 59- 64)
Cordoba Palacio, D., Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia. (137-146)
Croce, P.A., Hospital "Elizalde", Buenos Aires, Argentina. ( 31- 34)
Dedek, W., Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR, Leipzig, German
Democratic Republic. (187-197)
Diniz, J.M.A.R., Funda~ao Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Parana,
Brazil. (147-150)
Eben, A., Bayer A.G., Wuppertal, Federal Republic of Germany. (255-262)
Franklin, C.A., Environmental Health Directorate, Ottawa, Canada. ( 39-103)
Furtado Rahde, A., Ministerio de Saude, Porto Alegre, Brazil. ( 77- [)7)
Gilbert, M., International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals
of UNEP, Geneva, Switzerland. (263-274)
Gotelli, C.A., Facultad de Medicina de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires,
Argentina. (277-282)
Gunther, F.A., University of California, Riverside, U.S.A. (155-159)
Higa de Landoni, J., Facultad de Medicina de Buenos Aires, Buenos
Aires, Argentina. ( 35- 55)
Huismans, J.W., International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals
of UNEP, Geneva, Switzerland. (263-274)
Jeyaratnam, J., University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka. ( 23- 30)
Jurado, C., Instituto Nacional de Toxicologra, Sevilla, Spain. (161-169)
Kashyap, S.K., National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad,
India. ( 11- 22)
XII
Kimmerle, G., Environmental Health Research Center, Mobay, Kansas,
U.S.A. (255-262)
Kiss, J.F.A., Departamento de Psiquiatria, Buenos Aires, Argentina. ( 3- 6)
Lopez, A., Instituto de Ecologia, Resistencia-Chaco, Argentina. (181-185)
Lopez Bolado, J.D., Palacio de Justica, Buenos Aires, Argentina. (243-245)
Maccagno, A., Facultad de Medicina de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires,
Argentina. (239-241)
Machemer, L.H., Bayer A.G., Wuppertal, Federal Republic of Germany. (255-262)
Marlow, R.G., Shell International Chemical Company, London, U.K. ( 57- 58)
Martinez Prieto, J.M.J., Cargill S.A., Buenos Aires, Argentina. (201-207)
Menendez, ~!., Instituto Nacional de Toxicologia, Sevilla, Spain. (161-169)
Muir, N.I., Environmental Health Directorate, Ottawa, Canada. ( 89-103)
Oehme, F.W., Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, U.S.A. (105-114)
Ottevanger, C.F., Shell Nederland Raffinaderij B.V., Rotterdam,
The Netherlands. (217-22I)
Pronczuk de Garbino, J., Hospital de CHnicas "Dr. Manuel Quintela",
Montevideo, Uruguay. ( 69- 76)
Puentes, F., Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga,
Colombia. (I19-124)
Raalte, H.G.S. van, GIFAP Toxicology Committee, Brussels,
P.O. Box 162, The Hague, The Netherlands. (223-228)
Repetto, M., Instituto Nacional de Toxicologia, Sevilla, Spain. (161-169)
Simpson, G.R., Division of Occupational Health and Radiation Control,
Health Commission of New South Wales, Lidcombe, N.S.W., Australia. (209-215)
Soto, A., Miami, Florida, U.S.A. ( 7- 9)
Tincknell, R.C., Shell International Chemical Company, London, U.K. (229-235)
Vassilieff, I., Instituto Basico de Biologia Medica e Agricola,
Sao Paulo, Brazil. (115-118)
XIII
OPENING ADDRESS
L. ROSIVAL, chairman
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the Scientific Committee on Pesticides of the International
Association on Occupational Health I have the honour to welcome you in Buenos
Aires at our VIth International Workshop entitled: "Education and safe handling
in pesticide application".
I would like to thank very cordially our Argentine hosts who made it possible
for us to have this meeting in Argentina, especially the "Associacion Medica
Argentina", represented here by Dr. A. Maccagno, secretary of this association.
It is a great honour for us to have the opportunity to hold our sessions in the
rooms of this elegant seat of the medical profession in Argentina.
It is a great honour to me to welcome here:
Dr. L. Lennon, Rector of the University of Buenos Aires
Dr. H.R. Castells, President of the Argentine Academy of Medicine
Dr. J.G. Montanez, Dean of the School of Medicine of the University del
Salvador
Dr. A. Maccagno, Secretary of the Argentine Medical Association.
It gives me great pleasure that in the 10th year of the existence of the
Scientific Committee (a year of a mini-jubilee) this Workshop will take place
in Argentina, being it the first time that a Workshop will be held outside
Europe. This is the result of the enthusiasm, interest and excellent
organisational work carried out by the members of the Workshop directorate,
chaired by Prof. E. Astolfi, in particular by Prof. J. Higa de Landoni and
Mrs. Leny de Smit, head of the Workshop secretariat.
I amvery glad that Dr. J.F. Copplestone, Chief of Pesticide Development
and Safe Use Unit of the Vector Biology and Control Division in WHO, accepted
the invitation for this Workshop, which shows the great interest of WHO in
the work of this Scientific Committee.
I amvery pleased to welcome Dr. R. Murray, Secretary of the Permanent
Commission of the International Association on Occupational Health, who
supports with great enthusiasm the activities of our Scientific Committee.
It is also a honour for me to welcome the representatives of the Pan American
Center for Human Ecology and Health, which is a regional technical Center of
the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization. The
main objective of the Center is to cooperate with member countries of the
Pan American Health Organization to improve the health status of human
populations and to prevent or minimize adverse effects on human health which
may result from the environmental changes and the possible contamination
that accompany the economic development and industrialization. In this respect
it is our mutual intention to try to attain by the year 2000 the objective of
health for everybody.
Since 1971 the Scientific Committee on Pesticides has been involved in many
activities, especially in organizing five international Workshops. Reports of
these activities have been published in International Journals. The
recommendations from the Workshops were accepted in the relevant scientific
circles allover the world. The Proceedings of our Vth Workshop in The Hague
in 1979 have been succesfully edited by Dr. W.F. Tordoir and Mrs. E.A.H. van
Heemstra-Lequin and were published by Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company
in 1980. This book is of interest to those who like to broaden their knowledge
in the field of pesticides.
In future we would like to proceed with publishing such Proceedings and other
important results of our activities.
I am convinced that the present Workshop will provide valuable data and
opinions on the problems of the protection of individuals who work with
pesticides: manufacturers, formulators, packers, distributors, storage
personnel, mixers, loaders and applicators.
For the first time in the Workshop's history the aspects of education are
included in the program. The field of health education is no longer simply
a discipline among many but an attitude of mind, a new orientation of thoughts
and action. The three main objectives are: to inform, to motivate and to set
inbo action.
According to the tradition of the activities of the Scientific Committee
we have prepared sessions on pesticides for the International Congresses
on Occupational Health held in Brighton and Dubrovnik. I hope that we will
be able to prepare also a session on pesticides for the XXth International
Congress on Occupational Health, which will be held in Cairo this year and
which will be the follow-up of our Workshop.
In closing myopening address I would like to express the wish that our Works'
will be a success and that you will have a pleasant stay in the wonderful city
of Buenos Aires and in the city with the poetic name of San Carlos de Bariloche
a little dot on the globe, a place so far from Europe and other continents but
so near for our communication and mutual understanding.
3
HEALTH EDUCATION IN PESTICIDES
PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS
JORGE F.A. KISS
Departamento de Psiquiatria, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
INTRODUCTION
It is the purpose of this paper to describe some psychosocial aspects related
to health education in the safe handling of pesticides.
PREVENTION AND EDUCATION
Prevention of diseases is a broad concept; there are, following the public
health model, three levels of prevention:
a) primary prevention: lowering the incidence of new cases of a particular nature
(e.g. poisonings in a pertinent place and time) by measures that block exposure
to noxious agents;
b) secondary prevention: reducing the duration of disease and preventing complica-
tions through measures of early diagnosis and adequate treatment;
c) tertiary prevention: diminishing the sequelae caused by disease, providing
community scale facilities for rehabilitation.
At the community level the three forms of prevention are interdisciplinary and
interdependent.
Health education is an essential part of all those. Every educational program
involves the following factors: a) educators b) message c) media d) trainees
e) objectives f) method g) background.
It is fascinating to analyze howan educational message interacts with the
social context in which it is .delivered. In fact, both things can not be separated.
Modern sciences, especially psychosocial sciences, have been influenced by a
movement from the classic mechanicistic model of linear causality to a more
complicated model, the general systems theory, in which natural events or
pathological findings are multifactorial and each factor is a complex of other
interacting factors.
As pesticides are chemical compounds used in an environment it is essential in
occupational health to give a place to all the factors acting in the environment,
which give a meaningful place to the psychosocial panorama in which man lives, a
fact that may be useful in agromedicine.
4
Let's summarize some of the aspects relevant in health education in the safe
use of pesticides.
Pediatric psychiatry
In child clinics one could learn that accidental domestic infantile poisonings
with pesticides are more frequent in the presence of preexisting child
psychopathology, as well as coincident with some special stress in the family
dynamics of the involved child. Repeated accidental poisonings in the same child
are almost certainly an indicator of more serious underlying psychiatric findings.
Cases of severely disturbed relations in the parents of a child with accidental
poisonings have been repeatedly observed by us and widely reported elsewhere. Cases
of suicidal and homicidal ingestion of poisons in children have been also observed
at this age.
Individual psychopathology
Mental health has always conditioned man's life, welfare and work ability. Its
relevance to occupational medicine is obvious. Neuroses and psychoses are true
disorders of our time, and obviously influence the adaptability of a man to a task,
his decision-making process and his ability to follow safety rules and to use and
discern available sources of information. Given adequate information and health
education in the safe use of pesticides, most applicators will respond with adequate
ability. Some will respond with overprotective measures, but some few will fall
in a category well known by the trainers and by the agromedical experts: the worker
who denies the risk and does not take the protective measures (e.g. fumigators
of pesticides who refuse to use the mask). Many of these"cases could be screened
out in advance if good psychiatric testing for auto destructive potential is part
of the routine preemployment examination.
It is advisable for the trainers to be able to activate the concept of risk
in the trainee; group discussions in educational seminars will be of value in that
task.
Alcoholism and other addictions: In many ru~al areas, alcoholism is a real
public health disorder, with obvious occupational repercussions. The preexistence
of these conditions (which are the result of a complex biopsychosocial pathologic
interaction, aggravated by drug consumption) weakens the workers health, his
ability to judge the value of information or to take decisions. These conditions
are important as risk factors in workers using dangerous substances like pesticides,
as well as in cases of workers accidents in general. Manyother psychiatric
disorders not related to alcohol or drugs could jeopardize man's ability to learn
and work, as well as to cause or sustain severe accidents.
