Almost half of world’s farmers poisoned by pesticides every year, experts find
Study reveals that pesticide poisoning kills 11,000 people each year, with India accounting for nearly 60% of fatalities Almost half of the world’s farmers are poisoned by pesticides every single year, a study has found. Using publicly available data from 2006-2023, the study, which was commissioned by Pesticide Action Network , found there to be an estimated 402-433m cases of unintentional acute…
A new study estimates that pesticide poisoning affects nearly half of the world's farmers annually, with 11,000 deaths occurring each year, predominantly in India. Commissioned by Pesticide Action Network, the research analyzed data from 2006-2023 and found 402-433 million cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning among farmers and farm workers, representing 46% of the global farming population.
Southern Asia, followed by south-east Asia and east Africa, experienced the highest incidence of poisonings. Burkina Faso had the highest national incidence, with 84% of farmers and farm workers affected. The study calls for immediate action, including the implementation of a UN recommendation to phase out highly hazardous pesticides.
Despite efforts to highlight dangers, pesticide use has doubled since 1990, with 3.8 million tonnes used in 2023. The study did not account for the impact on the 84 million children working in agriculture or the long-term health effects, defining acute pesticide poisoning as illness or health effects occurring shortly after exposure.
Experts emphasize the need for standardized surveillance and reporting protocols to accurately measure pesticide-related poisonings, as the global burden of Parkinson's disease, linked to pesticide exposure, is rising.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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