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Review
. 2017 Jun 22:11:1178630217715237.
doi: 10.1177/1178630217715237. eCollection 2017.

Pesticide Exposure and Health Problems Among Female Horticulture Workers in Tanzania

Ezra Jonathan Mrema  1 , Aiwerasia Vera Ngowi  1 , Stephen Simon Kishinhi  1 , Simon Henry Mamuya  1
Affiliations
Review

Pesticide Exposure and Health Problems Among Female Horticulture Workers in Tanzania

Ezra Jonathan Mrema et al. Environ Health Insights. .

Abstract

Commercialization of horticulture farming, expansion of farms, and the practice of monoculture favor the proliferation of pests, which in turn increases the need for pesticides. Increased exposure to pesticides is associated with inadequate knowledge on the hazardous nature of pesticides, poor hygiene practices, lack of availability of washing facilities, and insufficient adherence to precautionary instructions on pesticide labels. Mitigating the risks posed by pesticides is considered a less compelling interest than alleviating poverty. Women working in horticulture in Tanzania usually have low levels of education and income and lack decision-making power even on matters relating to their own health. This contributes to pesticide exposure and other health challenges. Because of multiple factors, some of which act as study confounders, few studies on exposure to pesticides and health effects have been conducted among women. This review identified factors that contribute to the increased health effects among women working in the horticultural industry and how these effects relate to pesticide exposure.

Keywords: Pesticide exposure; Tanzania; diseases; horticulture; women.

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Conflict of interest statement

DECLARATION OF CONFLICTING INTERESTS: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Horticulture production regions in Tanzania.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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