Environmental and Human Health Assessment in Relation to Pesticide Use by Local Farmers and the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), Fako Division, South-West Cameroon

  • Kenko Nkontcheu Daniel Brice Laboratory for Biology and Applied Ecology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang Department of Zoology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea
  • Patricia Asanga Bi Fai Laboratory for Biology and Applied Ecology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang
  • Ngameni Tchamadeu Norbert Laboratory for Biology and Applied Ecology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang
  • Mpoame Mbida Laboratory for Biology and Applied Ecology, Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang

Abstract

Pesticides are widely used to reduce crop losses due to pests. This study (an initial part of a project on risk assessment and biomonitoring) deals with pesticide use patterns in the South-West, Cameroon. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was done using questionnaires randomly administered to 137 respondents. Twenty-one crops were recorded in the area with a total of 107 pesticides (60 active ingredients) used. Three illegally used pesticides were recorded (lindane, dimethoate and malathion). Application of pesticides in combination was quite common (42.3%). Pesticide application was mainly manual using a sprayer (96.4%) with 54% of users experiencing health problems post-application. Because of the lack of funding and training, 19.7% sprayed pesticides without protection. For the Restricted Entry Interval (REI), 43.1% entered the field in less than 12h after pesticide application. The correlation between the REI and the number of symptoms was negative and non-significant (R=-0.07, p≥0.05). The main place to store pesticides was the house (57.7%) with the exception of CDC where pesticides were kept in a pesticide store. Some respondents (54.7%) said they hadn’t received any training on pesticide application while 20.4 % of respondents failed to follow recommended doses. Surface water around farms was used by 62.1% of pesticides users for domestic purposes. Some farmers (46.7%) have once heard about pesticide related accident while 14.6% suffered from pesticide intoxication, the prevalence being significantly higher in males (p<0.05). Therefore, there is a need to regulate the pesticides sector, assess ecological risk and the bioaccumulation potential of these pesticides as well as their ability to hindrance water quality and biota.

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Published
2017-07-31
How to Cite
Brice, K. N. D., Bi Fai, P. A., Norbert, N. T., & Mbida, M. (2017). Environmental and Human Health Assessment in Relation to Pesticide Use by Local Farmers and the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), Fako Division, South-West Cameroon. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 13(21), 454. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2017.v13n21p454

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