Keokuk County rural health study: self-reported use of agricultural chemicals and protective equipment.

The Keokuk County Rural Health Study is a population-based study of an agricultural community in Iowa. The study includes in-depth evaluations of respiratory disease, injury, and other health outcomes in relation to environmental and occupational exposures. This article reports descriptive findings on pesticide use from among the 1191 participants completing occupational surveys. Fifty-one percent (612) of respondents (farmers and non-farmers) had applied insecticides including lawn and garden chemicals at home during the past year. Thirty-three percent (395) of respondents had personally mixed or applied farm chemicals during their life. One-hundred and four had a current pesticide applicator's license. Information on the specific types of pesticides and protective measures used was obtained for the 144 individuals who had mixed or applied pesticides on farms within the previous year. Of these individuals, 67% worked with fertilizers, 49% used herbicides, 48% used crop insecticides, 28% used crop storage insecticides, 45% applied livestock insecticides, and 9% worked with fungicides. The use of personal protective equipment such as gloves, aprons, and respirators varied depending on the chemical. A substantial proportion did not use gloves even for mixing. Thirty-five percent reported at least one suspected work-related symptom after working with pesticides during the previous year. The lack of differences in protective equipment use between applicators who have completed pesticide applicator training courses and those who have not suggests a need to develop more effective training methods. The increased use of protective equipment when applying odorous agrochemicals suggests that addition of an odorant to more toxic pesticides may be a successful intervention strategy.