Research into Pesticide Applications Behavior and Cholinesterase Levels of Staff in Garden Handling Department of Palm Oil Company; Krabi Province

Abstract

          This descriptive research is aimed to find out the behavioral patterns of pesticide use and cholinesterase levels after pesticide uses of the workers in garden handling deparement, Palm Oil company,
Krabi Province.
          Matarials and methods : All Subjects were assessed the risk of perticide exposure by application form for farm workers, in addition, cholinesterese level was estimated by the testing kit (Reactive paper). Statistical analysis was described by frequency and percentage of each factor.
          Result : Overall participants compose of 87 subjects, those are mostly female (70%) age 31 - 51 years (66.7%), 57.5% of perticide users are also prepare the mixture themselves. Frequent uses more than 7 days/month is 51.7%. About behavioral patterns, most subjects read the instruction before usage (79%), protect themselves with rubber gloves (88.9%), use well-sealed pesticide containers during spraying (74.7%),
but some of them (51.7%) have food consumption in working areas. After pesticide usage, 48.3% of subjects
change their contaiminated clothes. The cholinesterase are risky levels in most subjects (83.9%) and
level is 10.3%.
Conclusion : Most of pesticide workers have risky and hazardous levels of cholinesterese, so the suggestions should be preventive traning programs of proper posticide use, pesticide hazard, posioning after working. Furtherrmore monitoring programs should be provided for risk assessment proventing pesticide illness.