An assessment of the occupational and environmental health needs in seven Southeastern European and West-Central Asian countries

Pesticide handling and waste management: a case study on DDT and HCHs from the Southern Caucasus

Abstract

This study presents a survey on pesticide use, pesticide storage and pesticide disposal among 100 residents near a former pesticide store in rural Georgia using a standardized paper questionnaire. More than one quarter of the participants responded that the age of the pesticides they use is higher than 20 years. Based on this finding, it cannot be excluded that persistent organic pollutants like Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane and hexachlorocyclohexanes still are released to the environment. Knowledge about active ingredients of pesticides is lacking among farmers: More than two thirds state that they know the active ingredients, while less than 10% mention an active ingredient matching the brand name they report. Purchasing pesticides in containers without labels appears to be common practice. Information about the pesticides is mainly obtained from the pesticide retailer, while the label is less important as a source of information. More than 95% of the participants store the pesticides in a separate store, but appropriate possibilities of hazardous waste disposal seem to be insufficient in rural areas in the region. The finding that pesticides are purchased and stored in repacked secondary containers, poses direct risks and hampers communication of risks to users. Improving (implementation of) regulations for pesticide handling and strengthening local knowledge through better vocational training can improve soil and groundwater protection and sustainable use of resources.

Article highlights

Impact of geographical factors on the spread of animal brucellosis in the Republic of Kazakhstan

In Latin and Central America and in most Asian countries, brucellosis remains an insufficiently studied disease. This study aims to determine the national and regional incidence of brucellosis among cattle (cows) and small ruminants (sheep, goats) in the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as to identify the effect of climatic and geographical factors on the incidence rates. Thematic maps were created in an open geographic information system QGIS version 2.8. in order to identify the natural and socio-economic factors that influence the spread of the disease overlay method was used. Local cluster analysis was used in order to identify additional causes of the disease. Findings show the following values of Pearson correlation between the overall population and the number of animals infected: 0.68 for cows, p ≤ 0.005, and 0.56 for sheep and goats, p ≤ 0.03. Thus, the larger the heard in a given area, the greater likelihood of having brucellosis. Data processing reveals that Kazakhstan has almost twice as many regions good for cattle breeding as regions that are good for the small ruminants farming. The correlation variables for cattle and small ruminants are approximately the same. On the basis of the performed research the author proposes to amend the accepted methodology of epidemiology surveillance by the methods based on spatial (geographical) analysis. It is also proposed to adjust the process of breeding cattle and small ruminants considering the additional health recommendations that take into account the geographical aspects of the spread of the disease.