Health Symptoms Related to Pesticide Use in Farmers and Laborers of Ecological and Conventional Banana Plantations in Ecuador

Conventional banana farming is pesticide-intensive and leads to high exposure of farmworkers. Ecuador is the world's biggest exporter of bananas. In this field study in 5 communities in Ecuador, we recorded potentially pesticide-associated subjective health symptoms in farmworkers and compared pesticide users to workers in organic farming. With one exception, symptom rates were always higher in the pesticide-exposed group. Significance was reached in 8 out of 19 investigated symptoms with the highest odds ratios (and smallest p-values) for local irritation like skin and eye irritation (OR = 3.58, CI 1.10-11.71, and 4.10, CI 1.37-12.31, respectively) as well as systemic symptoms like dizziness (OR = 4.80, CI 1.55-14.87) and fatigue (OR = 4.96, CI 1.65-14.88). Moreover, gastrointestinal symptoms were reported more frequently by pesticide users: nausea (OR = 7.5, CI 1.77-31.77) and diarrhea (OR = 6.43, CI 1.06-30.00). The majority of farmworkers were not adequately protected from pesticide exposure. For example, only 3 of 31 farmworkers that had used pesticides recently reported using gloves and only 6 reported using masks during active spraying. Improved safety measures and a reduction in pesticide use are necessary to protect the health of banana farmworkers.

Automated summary

A study in Ecuador found that farmworkers in conventional banana farming, which heavily relies on pesticides, experience higher rates of health symptoms compared to workers in organic farming. Symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, skin and eye irritation were more prevalent in pesticide users, highlighting the need for improved safety measures and reduced pesticide use in order to protect the health of banana farmworkers.